Tonbridge School from Kent have today been rewarded for a fantastic performance on the rugby pitch at the Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools Sevens Tournament by winning the trophy in the Colts competition.

The Colts competition is open to all schools with a rugby union Sevens team in which all the players are aged under sixteen.

The team, coached by James Johnson secured the coveted trophy after a hard fought match which ended 19-6 to the champions.

James Johnson, coach of the Tonbridge first team commented: “This is a fantastic achievement for the boys in what is one of the toughest competitions out there.
We are lucky in that some of our players are in the current England under 16 set up but we hope that the Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools Sevens gives them the deserved recognition for inclusion in that squad. This means so much to the boys and the school, we are just so pleased that we were able to come away victorious today.”

Andrea de Vincentiis, HSBC Senior Sports Sponsorship Manager, commented: “This is the first year of HSBC’s association with the Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens and we are proud to support such a prestigious British school sports tournament. It’s a natural progression of our commitment to rugby sevens throughout the world and in helping young talent succeed on the sports field. We extend our congratulations to Tonbridge on a deserved victory.”

The Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools is an annual event and is the world’s largest schools Sevens tournament.  The 7,500 participants age from 13 to 19 with boys and girls taking part in the various different competitions during the week.  Over 700 teams of all levels from across the UK as well as five international visiting teams from Denmark, Spain, Nigeria, Romania and Kenya, play in the tournament, which is now in its 72nd year.

The tournament has an unrivalled alumni of former participants including former England captains Lawrence Dallaglio and Will Carling, Gareth Edwards and current England Sevens captain Ben Gollings, who have all played in the tournament which was first won by St George’s Harpenden in 1939.

For more information contact Jonathan Steel, HSBC – [email protected] / 0207 593 5217

NOTES TO EDITORS

HSBC and Rugby

HSBC has a long-standing investment in rugby around the world from the pinnacle of the British & Irish Lions Tour and the HSBC Sevens World Series to the thousands of children who are introduced to rugby for the first time through HSBC’s numerous community rugby programmes.

As the first ever title sponsor of the IRB’s premier Sevens Series, title sponsor of the Asian 5 Nations and the first ever Principal Partner to renew their sponsorship of the Lions, HSBC are perfectly positioned in their commitment to the continuing growth of the game. 

These sponsorships, amongst other more localised rugby partnerships, will allow HSBC to continue building long lasting relationships with its key stakeholders and also allow HSBC to further engage and motivate its employees and the internal audience.

Over the coming years, HSBC is dedicated to the international growth of the game from grassroots to the top flight, helping rugby to achieve its true potential of bringing together different people from different cultures through a shared love of the game.