Tigers return to old hunting ground

It's not unusual for successful old boys to lend a hand when teams get a sniff of Twickenham in the Daily Mail competitions, and John Cleveland College have been indebted to a streak of Tigers in their build-up to tomorrow's Under 15 semi-finals at Castlecroft.

The most famous player produced by the Hinckley school is Dean Richards.

The Leicester Tiger, British Lion and England captain, is likely to be in the crowd but it is his Leicester and England teammate Graham Rowntree plus two rising stars, Ollie Smith and Sam Vesty, who have been passing on their experience to the current team.

Smith and Vesty have bittersweet memories of the Under 15 Cup. They were in the 1997 semifinal team which lost 8-5 to Whitgift. Another teammate that day, scrum half Olly Jenkins, has also been assisting with the coaching before he joins the armed forces.

But John Cleveland will need to be at their best against St Peter's, Gloucester, a team who are unbeaten for four years.

The Gloucester school has a fine record in Daily Mail cups, reaching three Under 18 semifinals. This season's Under 15 Cup has produced some classics - John Cleveland beating St Ambrose with a try in the sixth minute of injury time in the quarter-finals and St Peter's surviving an eternity of added time to beat St Paul's, Barnes.

The other tie pitches state against public school when Northampton School for Boys take on Sherborne in their debut season. NSB have left a string of famous names littered along the way including Bedford, Bromsgrove, RGS Worcester and QEGS, Wakefield. Only Millfield have lowered Sherborne's colours this season.