Young guns show they are the best

HARROW continued to show the fruits of their early investment into rugby talent as they beat Bromsgrove 12-0 in the final to win the U16s Colts competition.

Harrow have pivoted towards bringing in an increasing number of scholars for their rugby ability at a younger age than they did previously, which has not only allowed them to compete in the senior scholarship-limited National Schools U18s Cup, but has also now delivered Colts silverware.

There can be absolutely no doubt that the best team won this competition, with Harrow at one point going four consecutive games scoring 40 points in victory, having won their first game 28-12 against Scottish side George Watson’s College.

In those four consecutive wins they conceded just 14 points, before rounding out their day two group with a 22-7 victory against St. George’s Weybridge, before they battled past King’s College Taunton 17-12 in a group-deciding game.

Fellow finalists Bromsgrove were no strangers to big victories too. In the four games they played on day one they won all of them, scoring 165 points and conceding zero.

On day two they had to face more challenges than they had on the opening day though, and after beating Haileybury 21-12 suffered defeat to The Leys School 12-10 in their second group match of the second group stage.

Like King’s Macclesfield in the U18s Vase Competition, they managed to squeeze into the knockout stage as the sole best-second place team to progress after beating U18s 15-a-side finalists Trinity in their final group match, before hammering Eton and gaining revenge on the Leys 10-7 in the semis to make the final.

But Harrow had continued their fine form in the lead up to the final with two 14-point wins in the knockout stages, and a superb defensive display, coupled with a try in each half was enough for them to clinch the tournament in a deluge of mud late on day four.