Abingdonian 2020

18 The Abingdonian Rugby After a wonderfully successful senior rugby tour to Chile and Argentina and a superb pre-season, the Rugby Club went into the 2019 season on a high. Our Lower School players made huge progress over the term, with over thirty fixtures played across four age-grade squads and well over seventy pupils having an opportunity to represent Abingdon School. A real focus on their basic core skills reflected in terrific performances against local schools, including victories over Cokethorpe, the Dragon, and Caldicott Prep. Our U14 year group enjoyed a season in which they made massive progress over the course of the term. At half term they went on tour to Rutland and Leicester to play Oakham School and Loughborough Grammar. It was certainly a successful tour on the pitch, but even more so off of it, with pupils really bonding and new combinations throughout the squads being tried and tested. This definitely led to a huge improvement in performance and off-field cohesion. Big results were recorded against RGS Guildford and Bedford later in the term, confirming that real development had taken place, and the A team capped off the season at the County Cup tournament, winning the competition in fine style. The U15s had a tight competitive season. The work rate and enthusiasm to push skills and team development were clear to see, and the finish to the season against Bedford and RGS Guildford was superb after a close game against Radley. Huge potential for this year group in years to come. The U16s are a terrific group with great team spirit and a love for the game. Their season started superbly, with wins over St Paul’s and Berkhamsted. They are hugely impressive bunch of young men with a real dedication to improvement and a wonderful commitment to developing their skills. The future of Abingdon senior rugby next season is bright. The U15s and U16s had the opportunity to go on a tour to Dublin, Ireland, where they played a match against a school and trained at Leinster Rugby’s ground, meeting former England coach and now Leinster head coach, Stuart Lancaster. Our Senior XVs had a cracking year. Numbers and spirit were strong throughout the year off the back of the successful tour to South America. Against Radley, Bedford, Eton and RGS Guildford, the seniors could offer a 5th XV, which just shows the love these year groups have for the game and their desire to create some fun memories with their friends. Our 1st XV had a season to remember, driving Abingdon school rugby into national waters, inspiring the school and leaving a strong legacy behind them. They played superbly well and had incredible victories over Berkhamsted, Eton, Radley, Bedford, RGS Guildford and St Edward’s. They also played in the RFU national cup competition, reaching the quarter finals, losing narrowly to