Rugby Sevens success has continued at The Oratory this term. Having seen the U16s defeat Brighton College in the final of the Gordon's Invitational, the 1st VII won the Next Phase Sevens at Aylesbury Rugby Club on Wednesday 6 March

Mikey Hennessy, Head of Rugby says “We progressed through our pool in style, with a notable win over Eton College. The raw pace of C. Forsyth combined with J. Clark’s high skill level was a real point of difference for us. This put all the pool winners into a Semi Final. Ours was against Wymondham College and it soon became clear that this was going to be a very tight encounter. We did not touch the ball for the opening few minutes but scored first through a now trademark A. Wild intercept. G. Clark and C. Forsyth were impressive in open space as J. Clark continued to pull the strings. J. Jackson was also notable for his strong carries.

The final was against Henley College, who are affiliated with Ealing Trailfinders and the ASSE League. They were a strong side who dominated the first half. At 17-0 down, I feared the game was lost but we responded in style. First C. Forsyth then J. Jackson scored but Henley scored to extend their lead to 22-12 with 2 minutes to play. Some tidy footwork from C. Tappan, who scored in the far corner, set-up a grandstand finish. With time-up we had an attacking scrum, S. Monye made a half break and was hauled down 10 metres short of the try line. A. Wild showed great awareness to go directly from the ruck to score under the posts and level the game. S. Monye showed good composure to kick the conversion and spark scenes of celebration amongst the boys. 

This was another great achievement by the boys. Having finished the regular 15-a-side season undefeated, to win a sevens competition was fantastic. The Oratory has a strong sevens tradition so it has been great to see the U16s and 1st VII continue that this term.”