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Date last Updated: May 27th 2008

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2007-2008 TEAM OF THE YEAR
St Benedict’s, Ealing

There were several serious candidates for the Canterbury Rankings Team of the Year and in most years the excellence of the likes of Millfield, Sedbergh, Wellington College, Colston’s, Merchiston Castle, Bridgend College, or Coleg Sir Gar would have been enough to claim the honours.

All these schools and colleges featured consistently and prominently in the Canterbury Rankings but after much deliberation, St Benedict’s were given the award on account of their thrilling, attacking style of play throughout the year.

And it was fitting, too, that St Benedict’s finished top of the Canterbury rankings despite their one narrow defeat at the hands of Wellington College.

Wellington College – thanks to a quite heroic defence – beat St Benedict’s 7-3 at Twickenham to inflict on the Ealing side its first and last defeat not only of the season but for their entire career as a group.

From the age of eight, the Ealing side has been together as a squad and excited everyone with its expansive, dynamic and positive brand of rugby.

A lack of size has been balanced by a dedication to a high tempo style of play and a wonderful team-spirit built up over nearly ten years.

22 consecutive wins in the season included triumphs over many top English schools and sixth form colleges – the most impressive the 32-10 win over St Peter’s VIth Form Centre and the 15-7 win over Bryanston.

St Peter’s – with ineligible players it must be said – and Bryanston were the two sides to beat Wellington in the season.

At Twickenham, St Benedict’s dominated territory and position only to be denied by a stupendously brave Wellington defence.

In a great team, there have been outstanding individuals in captain and flanker Rowan Halsall, hooker Arthur Ellis, prop Charlie Allum and James Stephenson – at home in the centre or at flanker where he was capped by Ireland.

But the real strength of the team in which every player had a high skill set was the speed of execution and support that only Wellington could cope with.

In recognition of their outstanding talent, the squad was invited to be Britain’s representatives at the Sanix festival in Japan.

To mark Wellington’s achievement of becoming the first school ever to win the both the U15 and U18 Cups in the same season, Rugby World and Canterbury combined to give the Berkshire school a special award to mark an unique happening.

The senior Wellington side with three outstanding players in wing Sam Edgerley, fly-half Christian Lewis-Pratt and flanker Rob O’Donovan finished second in the Canterbury rankings, just ahead of ever excellent Millfield and Sedbergh.

Millfield could claim four truly outstanding players in props Mako Vunipola and James Currie, flanker Rhys Ruddock and centre Matt Spelman and their game at Street against Sedbergh was a delight to watch from start to finish.

Sedbergh were short of centre and skipper Tom Casson for that match and went down to their sole defeat of the season despite the heroic counter-attacking efforts of their other star back in full back Ed Styles.

Fifth placed Bridgend College have made more progress in two years since the arrival of coach Gareth Nicholas than any other school or college in Britain and won the Welsh Schools Cup by beating the other top Welsh side in Coleg Sir Gar.

Flanker Owen Sedgebeer, centre Jamie Murphy and Derrick Tredray played with great distinction.

Colston’s (6th) recovered from a poor start to re-establish themselves as a real force under fly-half Paul Roberts by becoming the only side to beat Millfield.

7th Scottish Cup winners Merchiston had a talented trio in centre Sam Hughes, scrum-half Russell Weir and prop Cameron Godfrey and lost just once – to Sedbergh.

Coleg Sir Gar, skippered by flanker Luke Owen, all but managed an unique treble after winning the Schools League and National Sevens they were pipped 13-9 by Bridgend College in the Cup final at St Helen’s Swansea.

9th placed Epsom College were lucky to field a brilliant threesome in centre George Lowe and back rowers Joe Trayfoot and Chris York and were yet another side to lose just the one game – 16-13 at Wellington.

There was nothing to choose between the schools and colleges ranked 10 to 20 and even in the 21 to 30 spots there were sides such as RGS Newcasle (21st) and Barnard Castle (24th) that could easily on their day beat teams well above them.

Writes Huw S Thomas

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Darren Hudson, St Mary's College Dublin

Darren Hudson is on his school's first fifteen for a third successive year and has proved himself to be an outstanding full back with electrifying pace and the safest pair of hands in Leinster schools rugby as well as being a first class tackler and kicker.

Hudson has played a leading role in his school's great Leinster Schools Cup run and is considered by former Irish international & Irish Lion Tony Ward – a famous St Mary's old boy - to be a player destined for the top.

Still only 17 years old and standing at 6 feet and weighing in at 13 1/2 stone Hudson looks a terrific prospect.

Written by Huw S Thomas

"Wellington do the double in Daily Mail Cup"

The Canterbury rankings were more than vindicated at Twickenham on Wednesday when the final of the U18 tournament was fought out between top placed St Benedict's Ealing and third placed Wellington College , Berkshire.

Second placed Millfield do not enter the Daily Mail Cup at U18 level so the final brought together the otherwise highest ranked teams in the Canterbury ratings.

After their U15 side had won the Daily Mail Schools Cup a few hours before Wellington College became the first school to win the Daily Mail Schools Under 18 and Under 15 Cups in the same season – by inflicting a first defeat of the season on St Benedict’s , Wellington leapfrogged St Benedict's and Millfield to go top of the rankings league.

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