Shiplake 7s Preview

As the curtain raiser to the 7s season, the Shiplake tournament always captures the attention of rugby blogs and websites. This year was no different, with the following preview published on www.fifteenrugby.com:

The 16 sides are split into four groups of four each, with the top sides from each group then heading into the Cracknell Cup semi-finals, winner of those semis will compete in the Cracknell Cup final, losers in the Plate final.

Those finishing second in the groups follow the same format but compete for the Shield and Bowl, while those finishing in third place compete for the Trophy and Vase under the same format. Those finishing bottom of the group will not compete for silverware but will play off against each other for more early 7s season practice.

Cheltenham College won the title last year, beating St Paul’s 24-12 in the final and they line up in Group A alongside the hosts Shiplake College, who last year won the Shield with a 24-14 victory over Eastbourne College, who also happen to be in Group A. Emanuel round off the group.

After finishing as runners up last year, St Paul’s are in Group B where the Plate winners, Hurstpierpoint College, are one of their opponents. Hurstpierpoint beat then reigning Cup champions Bedford 24-14 in that final. Caterham are also in Group B, they were Bowl champions last year after beating Worth 36-0, while Haileybury complete Group B and will be aiming for their first Shiplake 7s silverware.

Group C sees the 2015 champions, Wellington College, return to the Shiplake 7s for the first time in a few years. They are joined by last year’s Trophy champions Radley College, who won that with a 10-5 victory over Tonbridge, as well as the Bowl runners up, Worth. Seaford College, the 2016 Plate winners, round off the group but could have other matters to focus the mind on should they win their Schools Cup quarter final on Wednesday.

The final group, Group D, features the 2016 and 2017 champions Bedford, who were also runners up in last year’s Plate. They are joined by reigning Vase champions, Abingdon, and the side they beat 31-12 in that Vase final, New Hall. Tonbridge round off the group after last year’s Trophy final defeat to Radley.

Head of Rugby Mr Beckett has said, ‘We’re really looking forward to it and to welcoming back Wellington College, who return after being away from the tournament for a few years. It’s a great chance for schools to test themselves early on in the season, and this year’s tournament is certainly the strongest group of schools yet!’

Due to adverse weather predictions, Mr Beckett will be contacting the visiting schools on Friday afternoon if it looks as though the tournament will be cancelled.