1st XV enjoy impressive cup run
The 1st XV rugby team showed excellent determination and teamwork as they made it all the way to the semi-final of the U18 National Schools Plate Competition.
After entering the competition following a narrow loss in the National Schools Cup to Altrincham Grammar School for Boys in the Cup, the players quickly dusted themselves down and embarked on a mazy run that saw them see off a number of tough teams.
In mid-October, The King’s School, Macclesfield visited Stockport in the first round of the Plate and a close game swung the way of the home team as they secured a 19-13 win and progression to the next round.
Another home tie awaited with Merchant Taylors’ School making the journey from Crosby to Cheshire. The second round tie saw some great match-ups across the pitch, but it was SGS who won their battles to emerge victorious by a score of 24-8.
Round three was a tie against Stonyhurst College. A closely fought match couldn’t see the teams separated on the scoreboard with the game ending 29-29. SGS progressed due to the fact that they had scored more tries than the opposition.
Norwich School made the long journey north in late January to take part in the quarter-final match up.
In front of a big crowd, the home side started strongly by scoring a couple of early tries. Norwich School’s major threat came from their strong driving maul, which caused SGS some issues and resulted in the visitors scoring a couple of tries of their own. SGS re-gained momentum and they continued with a high intensity and accuracy to ensure that they came out victorious with a rousing 51-19 victory. Read a report from the game.
The boys headed to Buckinghamshire for the semi-final where they faced Stowe School. Despite their best efforts, the cup run came to an end as Stowe secured an impressive win.
Head of Rugby Mr Hugo Corbett said: “The early part of the season provided the whole squad with lots of opportunities to grow, both as players and as people. This experience was invaluable and provided the squad with a strong foundation on which to base their ‘Cup Run’. The whole squad deserves massive credit for the way in which they conducted themselves both on and off the pitch, the support from the non-playing squad members was a key factor on match days. I am immensely proud of the whole squad and the way in which they have grown as people and players throughout the season, they have stuck to their values and made Stockport Grammar proud.”
1st XV Captain Ewan Curran added: “The cup run was characterised not only by individual brilliance but also by a whole squad effort across three year groups. The boys went from strength to strength and played for the values that the badge represents.”
