Longest running schoolboy rugby fixture returns By Max Vara, Dulwich College

One game that particularly caught my eye was the U16C game. It was a fantastic game that Dulwich dominated, however Bedford didn’t go down without a fight and ended up nabbing a few tries for themselves. Dulwich manged to use set plays from training to their advantage and caught the Bedford defence off guard with ‘jacks’: a rugby play used by the backs to gain ground. However, the Bedford forwards were strong and confident in rucks making it hard for the Dulwich front row to out muscle them; but the frequent use of ‘Blues’ from the Dulwich forwards were able to break the Bedford line. A blue is a set play in rugby where a player who is called ‘point’ recieves the ball from the scrum half and has two supporting players who run inside and outside the point to give a variety of passing options.

Dulwich ended up winning 38-10 but it was a great afternoon of rugby for everyone. Dulwich College winger Ryan Tsang said: “We were very happy to win against such a competitive rugby school especially considering the history of the two schools; however, there is always room for improvement, and we look to be stronger in our next game after the half term break.”

15 games were played in total, and Dulwich managed to win 8 games to Bedford’s 6 games and one being a draw. However notwithstanding the gruelling defeats, Bedford will have received some comfort from the day as they demolished the Dulwich 1st XV 40-5.  

Overall, both schools are evenly matched, and it is always a fantastic day of rugby on all levels. We look forward to seeing who comes out on top next year.