Trinity School, Croydon could not repeat their heroics of 12 months ago, but head coach Paul Roberts was delighted to return to Twickenham in the Continental Tyres Schools Cup final.
It was a near perfect start for the reigning champions, streaking into a 19-5 lead, but eventual winners Oakham managed to score a decisive try before half-time which turned the game on its head.
Oakham continued their momentum in the second half and swiftly took a 31-19 lead, which Trinity were able to reduce to 31-24, but it was not enough.
Despite defeat though, Roberts was honoured to attend Twickenham again on a day that showcased just what school rugby is all about.
He said: “We are obviously gutted, and all the boys are gutted, but we are immensely proud at the same time.
“You get a sudden hit that it is the end of the season, and you feel proud of what they have done and how they played and kept going.
“It has been an amazing two-year journey for me, since that year off from Covid, I have just been along for the ride, and it has been great.
“Two teams went at it today, we can feel proud of how we played, I think the Oakham boys will be proud of how they played as well, hopefully it was a good representation that schoolboy rugby is really special, it means a lot to the boys and to a lot of people and hopefully that was a good representation of that on the field.”
As part of Finals Day, girls from Campion School, Northamptonshire, Caroline Chisholm School, Biddenham International School and Sports College and Bedfordshire and Collingwood College, Surrey played their part in XRugby Games on the pitch as part of the Rugby World Cup 2025 Impact Programme, showcasing the progress of girl’s school rugby.
Pete Robb, Marketing Director for Continental Tyres said: “We are proud to be supporting the growth of grassroots rugby with our title sponsorship of the Continental Tyres Schools Cup.
“For school teams to come together at the iconic Twickenham Stadium to play for the coveted Continental Tyres Schools Cup trophy will no doubt whet the appetite of those competing, increase their ambitions for a career in rugby and help to develop the next generation of rugby players.”
The Continental Tyres Schools Cup is an important part of the age-grade rugby landscape in England, with schools’ rugby often where players fall in love with the game for the first time. For more information on how to get involved with Age-Grade rugby visit www.englandrugby.com/agegraderugby Your local rugby club would also love to see you! Findrugby.com
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