Millfield take on Oaklands in the Open Tournament leg of the Rosslyn Park HSBC National School Sevens today for a spot in the quarter-finals of the prestigious tournament and two of their former schoolboys have reflected on their past experiences of turning out in the cup.
Henry Thomas of Sale Sharks and part of the England Saxons squad for this year appeared for Millfield back in 2009 and 2010 and took the title both years. And fellow Aviva Premiership star – Gloucester and England fullback Olly Morgan – also pulled on the red and green shirt.
Thomas has established a name for himself in the Premiership as one of the most exciting young props in European rugby and remembers his time at Millfield and in the Cup with fondness.
“We took the 2009 title – against Kirkham – and then won again in 2010 against Filton. We had some tough games against Brighton College in the quarters in 2010 but did enough to get across the line. It was a really tough two days but it was great to get the win.”
And despite the position of XV prop not being commonly associated with the short form of the game, Thomas is in the modern-mould of gainline breaking front-rowers and he mixed it with the best of them in Sevens.
“I really enjoyed having a bit of time on the ball. I drew players rather than beating them – and it also helped my passing game along with maintaining my fitness. It develops a part of your game that you can’t in XV due to the space but it is tough. However, when you have a great team then it all becomes that little bit easier.
“I played at hooker and centre so we had a close pod system so we could prevent line breaks through the middle – but if that didn’t work then we had rapid men out wide to catch them.”
Morgan is a well established and respected Premiership fullback with 89 appearances to his name and claims that Sevens has helped develop his game hugely.
Morgan said: “We lost the Colts title against Wellington playing against the likes of Thom Evans and Will Matthews but a couple of years later we boasted a side which had Chris Robshaw and Anthony Allen in the ranks.
”But in terms of my own game – one on one tackling is a huge aspect of Sevens – especially if you’re playing the sweeping role – and playing at fullback that’s an important aspect of the position. There’s a greater emphasis on ball skills – it’s all about beating the man in front of you.”
And Morgan is adamant that Sevens will become an integral part of the Olympics ahead of its first year in 2016.
“I’m surprised it’s taken this long to be honest. It’s been part of the Commonwealth Games for a while and it’s clear that it has a huge fan base. The supporters love it – with all the fancy dress – and it’s only going to get bigger as a sport.”
Guest of HSBC and former British & Irish Lions great Gareth Edwards was on hand on Thursday to pass on some words of wisdom to Millfield – a school he used to attend. Edwards lifted the Open Cup back in 1966 – turning down an appearance for the Wales schoolboys to take part in the competition.