Schools Rugby Finals preview

13 April 2012

Twickenham will become a second home for Oakham's players, coaches and supporters this weekend. On Saturday, they will be among the 75,000 crowd to watch old boy Lewis Moody make his first start for England in the Six Nations Championship against Wales and the next day they return to HQ in their bid to win the Daily Mail Under18 Cup.

Moody, who left Oakham in the summer of 1996 to join Leicester, plays at blindside flanker after some storming performances for Tigers and will be a member of an England team expected to wipe away the memory of their defeatin Paris. Oakham, though, will start as slight underdogs in their first final against cup-holders Campion, who have showed they will not give up the silverware lightly.

The back row will be a key area for Oakham in which George Firmin, skipper Gray Cullen and Joe Wheeler have played major roles in their unbeaten season - whether attacking or defending. Cullen, one of three England players in the team together with centre Tom Gregory and full back MatthewCornwell, is also the rock in Oakham's impressive line-out.Wheeler adds to the substantial Leicester connection being the youngest of Peter Wheeler's three rugby playing sons. Not only is the former England man and Tigers chief executive represented, but also president David Matthews. His son Mark is a powerful presence in the centre.

Campion have taken a deliberately low key but focused approach to the final and followed their usual preparation for a school game.

'Obviously, it is not just another game,' said coach Chris Jones, 'but I have found that as much routine as possible suits the players and keeps all that nervous energy for the actual game.'

The Essex boys will be quietly confident after coming through a real test in the semi-finals, showing their mental steel by scoring the winning try in the last minute against Manchester Grammar. Oakham, capable of some purple patches during a game, appeared to have their semi-final won againstRGS High Wycombe at half time, but when they dropped down a gear became vulnerable to the RGS runners and had to survive a great fightback by the Bucks boys.

Expect a fascinating contest with Oakham attempting to keep the game tight but Campion trying to exploit the wide open spaces of Twickenham through wingers Tim Dowling and Adrian Lunan, centre David Hiles and full back Andrew Rudgley.

The Under 18 Cup Final climaxes a feast of rugby. Solihull 6th Form College, the first 6th Form College to reach Twickenham, take on St Bart's, Newbury in the Under18 Vase Final. Both teams have proved their worth sincebeing knocked out of the cup in the early rounds while suffering injury problems and both possess a never-say-die attitude. And that sums up the shock team of the whole tournament - Outwood Grange, the rugby league converts from Wakefield, who have fought their way past some union heavyweights in the Under 15 Cup and stormed the gates ofTwickenham.

Awaiting them is an all-Yorkshire final against St Peter's,York. Their skills, control and organisation in their semi-final win against Millfield underlined why they have enjoyed an unbeaten season. The head says St Peter's for this one but deep in the heart one cannot dismiss Outwood's fearsome team spirit and genuine matchwinners.