Rugby

The 2021–22 rugby season saw the return to competitive training and fixtures after a couple of years of disruption from the pandemic and students entered the year full of opportunism and excitement to represent the College.

The season started with 34 players representing the College in a trial match against Cedars School resulting in a 15-14 victory, setting us in good motion for the upcoming season. After being behind 10-14 in the last 10 minutes the team demonstrated heart and determination to work together which was evident throughout every game regardless of the result. After the positive performance in the trial match the squad was full of confidence going into the first round of the NatWest Cup against Riddlesdown Collegiate. The squad started to grow and produced a dominant performance from start to finish to run out victorious 32-0 showing a team spirit and attitude to keep the opposition scoreless. The 1st team squad endured a tough period during November due to a plethora of injuries to important positions but helped provide opportunity to other players to gain valuable playing experience whilst bringing the squad closer together. This resulted in the squad taking their performances on the field to the next level with a belief and confidence in every member involved in the programme. In the second fixture of the season versus Cedars School, we secured a 17–14 away win from a fast start to the match with early tries from which the opposition could not recover. The last home game at St Dunstan’s College for the Year 13s took place on 4 December. The memories on the 1st XV pitch collected over the years representing the College are ones to remember, to look at where we came from and what we had achieved over the past 7 years. All 23 players in the squad wore their hearts on their sleeves and we finished off the season triumphant against a strong Coopers Company School who the College had not beaten for a very long time. The squad were put under pressure from the start of the match and showed strong resilience to hold Coopers from scoring before taking control of the second half with a powerful showing to overpower the opposition and produce the best performance of the season to take victory 20–10. After a mid-season break from Rugby Union preparations begun for the Kent County 7s Competition. Through a focused 7s programme from Mr Loveridge and Mr Hart the squad of 12 players went about developing 7s understanding and a system to challenge the best rugby playing schools in Kent.

The preparation put us in a favourable position for the rapidly approaching competition on 9 March. The group stages started with a bang with the squad putting into practice everything learned in training, resulting in a comfortable win against Oakwood and narrowly losing to Duke of York 12–10. Our third match of the day was against Eltham College in which we emerged victorious. Our last game as the team of the 21/22 season at St Dunstan’s College was Gravesend. Despite a narrow loss, comparing the performance of the team from 8 September to now was immeasurable. The squad had excelled, prospered, and developed together throughout the season.

Zachary Riley Webster

Senior Rugby Captain The rugby programme saw highlights throughout the season from all age groups at the College. The Year 10s producing outstanding performances against strong rugby playing schools such as St Olave’s and Kings Rochester running out comfortable winnings in both fixtures. The season finished on the best possible note with them emerging victorious in the Kent County 7s Plate. The 14s finished the season strong after a tough start to the year with a number of wins in the Kent County 7s, topping the group and narrowly missing out in the quarter-finals. The 13s ended the season being the most successful team in the rugby programme producing a number of outstanding performances in the season before coming second in the Kent County 7s competition, showing the understanding of the shorter format of the game well beyond their years. Throughout the year we saw over 30 players train every week and represent the College in competitive fixtures as well as enjoying a tour to Bath. The U12s entered the College for the first time with so much enthusiasm and energy to learn and improve their rugby skills. This saw the year group grow throughout the year ending in strong performances in the St Olave’s 7s competition. The rugby season has seen plenty of highlights during the season from every age group in the College with opportunities for new players and current players to explore and discover the sport. Mr Loveridge would like to thank all those members of staff who have contributed to the success of the programme and finally, a massive thank you to all the players who have worked so hard and given everything when representing the College.