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The Stopfordian 2011–2012
Under 15 VII's Squad
and after defeating them came a confident win against
Bridgewater HS to reach our first final. After a long day we
lost the final 21-12 to a very fit and organised Lymm HS team.
Runners-up in our first tournament was a pleasing result but
things were to get much better.
The structure of the U15s Sevens’ tournaments was far from
ideal as we were in action the next day at Audenshaw School.
We were a little under strength due to a couple of injuries
picked up at Lymm, but this allowed me to see two new
players perform. In a fashion similar to the day before we
won all three group games beating Manchester GS, Bury GS
and St. Ambrose College. We beat Bramhall HS in the
quarter-final before narrowly losing to Wilmslow HS in the
Semi-final. Playing back-to-back tournaments certainly took
its toll and it was fatigue rather than skill which halted our
progression into another final.
The Myles Marshall 7s at King’s Macclesfield has grown over
the years into one of the most prestigious tournaments in the
North of England. It also has added interest to me personally
as I won the competition captaining King’s in 1985. We were
dealt a really poor draw with some of the best rugby schools
in the area in group B. On a fresh March morning we started
well, beating Merchant Taylors’ Crosby easily. The second
game was against Cheshire Cup winners Lymm HS. I took a
gamble and rested three of our strike attackers and although
we lost the game 22-18 the decision would pay dividends
later in the day. Next was the minor hurdle of Sedbergh
School, but with some of the best sevens I have witnessed we
cruised past them 46-12. RGS Lancaster were our final group
opponents and we beat them to qualify as runners-up in
group B. Any side making it to the Cup knockout have done
well, but the 7s penny had dropped and we were playing with
total control and confidence. Stockport beat Solihull School
24-7 in the quarter-finals and London Oratory 28-12 in the
Semi-final. A second final in 4 days and we were to play
Lymm again. Our rested players were back in and we were
quick out of the blocks, building a sizeable 21-0 lead at halftime.
Lymm looked tired and, although they improved
considerably after the break, our defence held strong for a
memorable 21-12 victory. This was a well earned trophy
success.
Confidence is everything in 7s and five days later we travelled
up to Giggleswick School in North Yorkshire. Again the
tournament had some very strong opposition, but nothing that
could stop us if we could reproduce last Saturday’s
performance. We beat Manchester GS, RGS Lancaster and
Durham School in the group and therefore went through
winners again. We played Arnold in the Semi-final and the
hosts Giggleswick in the final. We ran out comfortable
winners and left with our second trophy of the campaign.
I have always used 7s rugby as a great coaching tool and this
year group certainly worked hard at getting it right. They were
a hugely successful fifteen-a-side team but arguably they are
now actually a better Sevens’ squad. The future looks bright
for Rosslyn Park as U16s next year. Thank you for finishing the
season on such a memorable note. Congratulations.
A. S. Hanson
UNDER 14 RUGBY
U14 ‘A’
Played 20 Won 14 Lost 5 For 559 Against 305
U14 ‘B’
Played 5 Won 2 Lost 3 For 54 Against 138
Under 14 Rugby XV Squad
We started the season with high hopes after reaching the final
of the cup competition last year. We began very well with
convincing wins against local rivals Cheadle Hulme, Bramhall
and MGS. In the first five games of the season we had scored
175 points and conceded 55, showing that we had a good
attacking structure. We then went away to Q.E.G.S.
Wakefield. This was always going to be a challenge; the coach
trip down did not help with the team preparation and in many
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