Spalding Grammar School’s top under-18s rugby team saw their fantastic run in the NatWest National Vase competition come to a crushing end at the hands of King Edward VI Aston School.
The strong and very well-drilled Birmingham-based side eventually overpowered the Spalding boys 52-5 in the regional final.
Although the Grammar were missing a few players, Aston never let them settle into any kind of game plan and were continuously testing their defence.
Despite repelling the early King Edward attacks, the cracks were starting to appear and it didn’t take long for the Spalding defence to be fully breached.
Strong running from the King Edward inside centre exploited gaps in the Grammar defence for the inside centre to cross the line.
Three further quick tries knocked the confidence out of the Spalding side, who were struggling with their set pieces and making any significant territorial gains.
Despite going further behind, Spalding were determined to come away from the match with some points – and halfway through the second half they were continuously camped near the King Edward try line.
The Grammar forwards continued to get past the gained line and were just a metre short when centre Corey Lewis, picked the ball up from the base of a ruck and powered his way over the try line.
However, the game ended with two further tries for the Birmingham team who booked their place into the quarter-finals.
After the game there were no complaints from Spalding’s director of rugby Chris Crane.
He said: “We always knew that this was going to be a difficult game – especially as you get into the latter stages of this competition.
“We know we didn’t play well as we missed too many tackles and our set pieces let us down. However, I am really proud with the boys’ never give up attitude.
“The team has made massive progression throughout the year.
“For many of the students, they have played their last game for the school and I would like to thank them all for their efforts and commitments for what has been a remarkable year.”
The rugby season is not completely over for Spalding’s under-18s, as their attention now switches to the 7-a-side version of the game after February.
