Claires Court School teams advance in National Vase competition

Photo credit: Claires Court School

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Claires Court School’s rugby teams have advanced in their respective National Vase competitions, with the first XV securing a hard-fought 26-17 win over Magdalen College, Oxford at Braywick Park.

Displaying both their attacking flair and defensive resolve, Claires Court managed to build an early lead which they were able to hold onto despite a determined fightback from Magdalen.

There were standout performances from the likes of Fraser Shaw and James Wojciechowicz, with Shaw embodying the teams’ never-say-die spirit. He thwarted several dangerous Magdalen advances, while Ben Savage also played a pivotal role, bulldozing his way through the opposition’s defences and puncturing their hopes of progressing in the competition.

Having moved into a healthy lead in the game, Claires Court were forced onto the back foot for the closing stages, but they displayed great spirit under pressure. The final score might have been a bit too close for comfort, but they deservedly move on to the fourth round and a tie against St George’s College, Weybridge.

Meanwhile the school’s u15s side continued their own impressive run in the competition, completing a dominant 43-26 win over Gillotts School, Henley in the second round.

Building on their solid 50-5 first round win over Great Marlow, Claires Court again seized the initiative to take a 19-0 lead.

Tom Hickson and Jack Hinchy were quick to put points on the board with well executed tries that forced Gillotts to play catch-up rugby.

The poor weather conditions, and a few lapses in concentration, enabled Gillotts to gain a foothold in the contest, however, key contributions from Ruben Muller, Toby Carter, Noah Russell, and Eddie Tackley ensured that Claires Court were able to regain control and take the game away from their opponents.

The win means the u15s have secured their own showdown against St George's, Weybridge in the third round. Both the first XV and u15s have shown they’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the Vase this season and will have high hopes of progressing even further.

For the u15s team, it follows an immensely valuable coaching session with England head coach Steve Borthwick a few weeks ago.

Borthwick led a session for the students at the Taplow Sports Ground and they got the chance to listen to and learn from one of the foremost minds in world rugby right now.

The session, which focused on lineout play and attacking strategies, was intense and fast-paced, reflecting Borthwick’s renowned approach to high-performance training. He led the boys through a series of drills designed to sharpen their lineout technique and enhance their attacking play and some of those skills were evident in last week’s victory over Gillotts School.