Millfield claimed the 2024 Howden Rosslyn Park National Schools 7s U14 title in the most stunning fashion, bouncing back from defeat to claim the silverware, while in the U16s the competition was fierce.
It was all part of an epic Day 3 at the Howden Rosslyn Park National Schools 7s, and builds towards an even bigger Day 4 on Thursday in which the Boys U16 competition will conclude, the Boys U18 Cup and Girls U18 Cup will begin, and the Girls U18 ACE and Prep Schools competitions will start and finish.
Boys U14 Cup
It truly was a sensational U14 competition, with Millfield crowned champions in a fantastic final against St Paul’s.
It felt almost like a case of when the music stops Millfield come out on top, for they had been made to work oh so hard throughout the competition. Once through to Day 2 they topped their initial pool over Whitgift and RGS Newcastle to send them to the Quarter Final pools, but in there life was tough and they went down 19-5 to Rodillian Academy and needed results elsewhere to go their way in order to make it to the semi finals as a best runner up.
St Paul’s and King’s Macclesfield, the U14 fifteen-a-side champions, had made it through their quarter final pools to the knockout semi finals, but it was Rodilliand that Millfield would meet again in theirs.
The Somerset side rounds their performance of the day to exact revenge with a 36-12 victory to send them into the final, where they would face St Paul’s, who had sensationally beaten King’s Macclesfield 31-5 in their semi final, a performance that will live long in the memory.
The final was a classic that ebbed and flowed but Millfield fought their way to a 21-12 lead only for St Paul’s to claw one back to 21-17. It was three tries a piece, but it was the kicks that edged it for Millfield, who simply keep on adding to the legend, claiming the U14 Cup and no doubt eyeing up further trinkets later in the week.
That’s for later though, for now it was all about this wonderfully resilient group of U14s that had to do it the hard way, and yet found a way. The Millfield legacy lives on.
Boys U16 Cup
The Boys U16 Cup competition started off in brilliant fashion on Wednesday and looks set to hit even greater heights on Thursday. From a staggering 252 teams, we head into the second day of the competition with just 28 teams left competing.
Reigning champions Harrow remain, they topped their pool before beating Rugby in their eliminator, setting them up for an exciting Cup Day 2 Pool with RGS Guildford, Reading Blue Coat, and last year’s Plate winners, Tonbridge, who knocked out a good Radley College side in their eliminator.
Day 2 sees the 28 remaining side split into 7 pools of 4 teams each, with the winners and the best runner up heading to the Cup quarter finals, while the remaining runners up are divided into two Plate semi final pools of three.
Semi finalists last year, Sedbergh are in Pool D with QEGS Wakefield, Campion, and Bristol Free School, while quarter finalists Whitgift are in with KCS Wimbledon, Stowe and Garth Olwg in Group C.
Last year’s Plate runners up were Epsom College, but they will fancy more this year, though they have a tough Pool B with Llandovery College, Northampton School for Boys, and The Oratory for company.
In truth though, all 28 will fancy their chances in what is set to be an awesome final day of U16s action.