Mixed Tag Rugby Team are third in the whole of Lincolnshire

Our talented Tag Rugby team with boys and girls in Years 8 and 9 competed against independent, grammar and non-selective schools in the Lincolnshire ‘Touch to Twickenham’ tournament to finish third in the whole county!

The tournament was held at Spalding Grammar School and our students put in impressive performances beating Thomas Middlecott Academy and Bourne Grammar School in the group stages. We were only beaten two very strong teams from the independent Stamford School in the whole tournament.

Despite finished third overall, Spalding Academy were the highest placed non-selective school in the whole of Lincolnshire and finished higher than all of the Lincolnshire grammar schools.

Touch to Twickenham is a prestigious event with county tournaments acting as a qualifier for the national finals that will be held at the iconic Twickenham Stadium. Organised by England Rugby, the competition is a mixed non-contact version of rugby, where at least four girls and four boys must be on the pitch at the same time in the eight-person team.

As many of the students in our team were only in Year 8 and the competition is for up to Year 9 students, our target next year is already to qualify for the final’s day in Twickenham. The team have good reason to be confident in future competitions with their impressive performances at county level against older students.

Mr Favell, Teacher of PE said “Throughout the tournament, the team displayed outstanding teamwork, skill and sportsmanship, showcasing the core values instilled by Spalding Academy’s rugby programme. Our players have dedicated countless hours of training before the tournament and their commitment has truly paid off. Finishing third in such a competitive tournament, and only behind two teams from the same independent school is a remarkable achievement and testament to the hard work and dedication of the players and coaching staff. Their success on the field is a source of immense pride for the whole school community and will undoubtedly inspire the next generation of rugby talents within the school.”