EMBLEY NEWS
Rosslyn Park National School Sevens
Our Embley U14 boys rugby team travelled to London for the National Schools Sevens Tournament at Rosslyn Park. The competition is the largest of its kind in the world and sees over 15,000 players taking part every year.The first stage of the tournament featured a round robin group of four schools. The winner was guaranteed a return to day two of the competition and determine whether they compete in the ‘Cup’ or ‘Plate’ competition. The Embley U14 team played fantastically well to win their group on the first day. Particularly notable was their match against Hampton School which saw our students demonstrate some stunning 7s skills to outplay a traditional rugby powerhouse - resulting in impressive results in the group stage:
- Embley 47 - 7 Collegiate
- Embley 52 - 0 Kingsley
- Embley 26 - 0 Hampton
Embley face tough opposition in their qualifying game against Bedford Modern School, however our U14s produced a dominant, defensive strategy to win the game 26-7. This result qualified them for day two of the tournament and earned them a place in the ‘Cup’ competition. This is the first time in our history Embley have qualified for day two and meant our students were competing as one of the top 28 teams in the country.
The second day featured another round robin where the winners would progress to the Quarter Final Knockout stage. Campion School presented a big physical challenge in Embley's first match of the day. The team struggled to establish themselves in the game and suffered their first loss of the tournament. The loss meant Embley must win their next two matches to progress. In a thrilling second match against West Monmouth School on the main stadium pitch, Embley scored three superb tries to win 19-14. In the final game of the stage, Embley played London Oratory School who had a 19-14 lead approaching the final play of the match. The Embley team showed true grit and determination to score a try in the wide channel, levelling the game 19-19. This left a challenging drop goal attempt for Felix, who under a huge amount of pressure, secured the win for Embley 21-19.
Tied for first place in the group with Campion School, the winner was decided on points difference. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the Embley team and after some tense calculations, Campion School had a marginally higher points difference, taking the spot in the quarter final.
We are incredibly proud of our Embley team and their achievements throughout the tournament. Despite their disappointment, they played some phenomenal rugby 7s over the two days and more importantly demonstrated excellent camaraderie and team spirit. The bonds of friendship, willingness to work hard and their resilience was inspiring. Congratulations to all the players, it is a remarkable achievement for Embley to have finished within the top 14 schools at such a prestigious national tournament. On the return to school the team were already looking ahead and planning how to prepare for their next Rosslyn Park experience!