Tom Jeffreys

Harrow defend Schools Cup title in Twickenham showpiece More to follow…..

At last that’s all from me today, thank you for following along! My final report is linked below!

tom-jeffreys.com/2025/03/13/h...

Today’s win especially impressive given the calibre of player that moved on last year. Kepu Tuipulotu, Reggie Hammick, Charlie Griffin all in England 20s ahead of schedule.

‘One of the best schoolboy teams of all time’ are big shoes to fill, yet filled they were!

And to round off the day here’s you Continental Tyres National Schools Cup winning coach, James Melville of Harrow School!

Penultimate interview of the day with losing Cup Final coach Sam Cook of QEGS Wakefield. What a journey his side have been on to get to this point.

That’s the end of a fantastic day here at Twickenham, you can read my day’s report here!

Interview videos to come on Bluesky too!

tom-jeffreys.com/2025/03/13/h...

The trophy lift!

Final whistle scenes, 22-14 Harrow!

Full time, Harrow defend their title, but not before Jack Bailey can grab his second!

62' The weather has cleared up and Harrow are looking to place a bit more. They're camped in the Wakefield 22, as they have been for much of this match. 22-7

Great character from QEGS Wakefield to get over the line, a deserved try for skipper Jack Bailey. 15 mins to go, QEGS came from the depths to win the semi… could they??

55' KEGS Wakefield stringing some phases together for the first time and Charlie Rust breaks through, but the cover defence is excellent. Fullback Rory Griffin, brother of England u20 Charlie who won this game last year, chops him down and Jacob Story scrambles back to jackal and turnover

50' Harrow score quickly after half-time, and it's the pick of the bunch as Ollie Moran slips through a cover tackle to coast under the sticks. He has Patrick Keaveney to thank, the fly-half chipped and gathered before offloading to set it up. Follows a filthy offload in the 1st half too, a talent!

Conditions have gone biblical, but Wakefield’s spirit remains high!

Half time!

35’ Only so much pressure Wakefield can absorb and Harrow eventually break through off, you guessed it, scrum platform.

Winger Talal Nsouli wriggles over in the same corner his predecessor, current Eng u20, Reggie Hammick scored the winner in last year’s final. HT 15-0

28’ No score here for 22 minutes but Wakefield mostly just clinging on. As you can see here Harrow are strangling them in the set piece.

#SchoolsCupFinal

For Wakefield, the journey has been much longer - literally! Repping the North, they've come 220 miles, vs Harrow's 14!

They've beaten Hymers, TGS at Leeds, Hill House, and Durham Cathedral. A 14-12 win vs Ellesmere took them into the semis, before they dramatically beat Warwick 20-19

Harrow’s journey to the final: This year they’ve beaten St George’s School, Harpenden, then Mill Hill, Campion and Epsom.

A 10-10 draw vs Whitgift in the 1/4s saw them through as the away team, before a 15-13 win vs RGS High Wycombe took them here!

10’ Harrow claim their second, a snipe from scrum half Harrison Dunne. This is a much better start than last year, where they went into half time 22-19 down.

The conversion hits the post and they’re 10-0 to the good!

3' Harrow open the scoring, and it's a maul from way down town, surely a QEGS Wakefield player had to collapse that! It's hooker James Talamai who emerges with the ball - filling his predecessor Kepu Tuipulotu's shoes nicely!

Wakefield respond with a shot at goal from range which is pushed wide

In the u18 Plate yesterday, Dauntsey's beat St Anselm's College 55-35 in a hugely entertaining match. It was a real show of character from St Anselm's, who were at one point 41-7 down.

This intercept from tighthead Scott Pickford silenced any thoughts of a comeback:

Here come the teams!

Quick preview!

In the u15s Cup, Northampton School for Boys, previously home to big names like Courtney Lawes and Ollie Sleightholme, made history with their second Cup title in three years.

It's especially notable given they're a state school in an independent dominated field. They beat Lord Wandsworth 22-5

Radley College made it two u15s titles in two years on Tuesday, winning the Plate to back up their cup win the year before. They beat Kirkham Grammar - who lost to Harrow in last year's u18s Cup final - 32-17.

A hat trick of maul tries for Josh Coetzer proved the difference between the sides:

QEGS stand in the way of Harrow’s title defence News, features and match reports from The Rugby Paper, the UK-based newspaper which specialises in rugby union at all levels ready for your viewing every Sunday of the year.

It's the big one up next, Harrow look to defend their title against Wakefield, who are looking to win the Cup for the first time at a record sixth time of asking.

Let's take you through a run down of the u15s Cup and (u18s) Plate finals🧵

Full preview: www.therugbypaper.co.uk/latest-news/...

30 minutes until the final showpiece!

Hear an exclusive with James Haskell, the 77 cap England international and British and Irish Lion on how important the Continental Tyres National School Cup is for young players. James won the u15s Cup with Wellington in 2000 so we really are watching the future of the sport here!

A really nice message in defeat here. These days are whole school events with 300+ making the 120 mile trip

Post-match interview with the winning head coach, King’s School Gloucester’s Aidan Barr! What a journey his team have been on to history!