Schools' Rugby: Northampton's double celebration

14 April 2012

Northampton School for Boys have had plenty of cause for celebration in

Steve Thompson, one of the school's most famous old boys, won a World Cup winners medal with England and the first team have reached the last 16 of the Daily Mail Under-18 Schools Cup for the first time.

A 15-3 win at RGS Worcester in the fifth round allowed NSB to improve on last year's effort of reaching the last 32 and they will now have home advantage against Wyggeston & QE I College from Leicester, conquerors of champions Oakham and 22-12 winners over Hartpury College this week.

Mark Lee, the master-in-charge of the Under 18 side, believes that NSB's
continued improvement reflects the school's driving aim for excellence in rugby.

In addition to producing good players, NSB also run a number of rugby-related courses such as the RFU's Community Leaders Award which was successfully completed by 30 sixth form students from the school.

Only four of those students were members of the first XV but the other 26 used the coaching and leadership skills obtained on the course in a local rugby
clubs.

'We have a driving aim to be as good as we possibly can and the ethos of the school is progressing and promoting excellence,' said Lee.

'We have shown a gradual improvement in our Daily Mail Schools Cup performances in recent years and we hope to see that continue over the next five or six years.'

In the short-term, Lee is concerned that NSB's current pack might not be big enough to cope with some of the sides remaining in the competition, but he has no worries about the backs. They have talent in abundance and three of the players - scrum-half Lewis Barber, centre Alan Barnard and fly-half Josh Green, are members of the Bedford Academy.

The strength of rugby throughout the school is underlined by the fact that the Under 15 side are through to the last 32 of their Daily Mail Cup, having had a great 26-0 win at Bedford in the fourth round. They face Bromsgrove at home on Januray 13.

DAILY MAIL U18 CUP- 5th rnd: Wyggeston & QE College 22 Hartpury College
12; Trinity, Croydon 27 Culford 0; Exeter College 10 Reading 13; Filton
College 14 RGS High Wycombe 14 (RGS through as away team); Campion,
Hornchurch 46 Whitgift 21. 6th rnd line up: Northampton School for Boys v
Wyggeston & QE College; Lancaster RGS v St Peter's York; John Fisher,
Purley v Trinity, Croydon; Colston's v St Peter's, Gloucester; Reading v
RGS High Wycombe; Brighton College v Campion, Hornchurch; Barnard Castle v
Bradford GS; Mount St Mary's v KES Birmingham.

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