Sport Report

Rugby Highlights

Over the whole of Michaelmas Term, twelve sports were played with 31 teams participating in 178 matches! This is an outstanding feat for Eastbourne College as the first sporting term was completed without any major covid disruption.

Our rugby 1XV and girl’s hockey XI have both made it to national semi-finals where the boys will play Glyn School and the girls will play St. John’s Leatherhead after a very recent win playing away at Leeds Grammar School; good luck to those competing. It should be said that the U15’s rugby squad made it to the national quarter finals and were knocked out of said cup when playing away against Langley Park School. However, the future does look bright... The 1XV 6 hour trip down to Devon to play West Buckland School was an exhilarating experience. Playing in front of a massive crowd that consisted of the opponent’s whole school was seen as a ‘cauldron’ in Mr Torri’s eyes as everyone was against us. This was a test of seeing who cracked first; the game ebbed and flowed just like the inconsistent weather at the College. We made it to a (6-3) lead by half time.

The great sight of competitive rugby back on College Field has been a highlight.

However, holding a lead of (9-6) with ten minutes to spare, Eastbourne suffered a costly mistake by conceding a yellow card and the opponents being awarded a penalty try for it to put them (13-9) up. After many attempts by the forwards to break through the strong WBS defence, Dylan Pearson seemed to be up for the task and slipped through the defence scoring a try in the dying seconds of the game. However, WBS still had a kick off and EBC were as determined as they’d ever been in defence and managed to withstand the opposition’s final attempts forcing the whistle to be blown. An emphatic victory for the College as the 1XV march on into the semis.

The rugby teams have shown the character that Eastbourne rugby is all about in the 60 fixtures played and 240 boys who have played them. Unlike in any other sport, the boys have gone through true physical exertion for the College teams and are commended on their attitude and commitment. The development of players has been very impressive considering this is the first contact rugby in two years for many. The attitude to improve and compete has been fantastic as well as the role played by touch rugby in ensuring all boys in Year 9 and Year 10 have experienced the game. Of course, the great sight of competitive rugby back on College Field has been a highlight.

Additionally, 18 wins and three draws have been recorded from the 2nd XV to U14C teams including a great block against Christ’s Hospital.