BROMSGROVE School missed out on a dream trip to Twickenham after suffering a heartbreaking 19-14 defeat against Kirkham Grammar School in the semi-finals of the Continental Tyres Schools Cup.
The school’s under-18’s side fell just short against Lancashire-based Kirkham, missing out on a clash with Harrow School at the home of English rugby on March 14.
For Bromsgrove, Henry Parsons starred at inside centre while blindside flanker Jack Gilbert scored one try and assisted another in a valiant effort.
Bromsgrove School’s director of rugby, Tony Windo, said: “It is a combination of disappointment, to lose a game of rugby, but immense pride.
“I thought they worked tremendously hard this season and they carried that on in the semi-final. I couldn’t fault them for the effort they put in.
“I think there were just a couple of points in the game where we were putting a lot of pressure on them, and that’s when they went the length of the pitch and scored.
“It ended up being a 14-point try and that was the game.”
Windo took up the role of director of rugby at Bromsgrove School in 2011 after spending a decade in the professional game with Gloucester Rugby and Worcester Warriors.
During his time with Bromsgrove, Windo helped nurture the talents of Ollie Lawrence who attended the school’s Sixth Form and has since made 21 appearances for England.
Windo added: “We are a fairly young group. We finished with three fifth formers playing and a number of lower sixth.
“There is going to be at least 10 of those boys back next year, so that’s the exiting thing and what we are doing now is challenging the group below them to step up.
“We just need to make sure that everyone is on the same page.”
Continental Tyres and the RFU are working together to grow rugby through school-linked activity and 171,404 age grade players have registered to play this season, almost 3,000 more than the overall figure last year.
The Continental Tyres Schools Cup is an important part of the age-grade rugby landscape in England, with schools’ rugby often where players fall in love with the game for the first time. For more information visit the Continental Tyres Schools Cup section of the England Rugby Website
