Today England play South Africa in the Rugby World Cup Final. Nine of the starting XV were educated at HMC Independent schools (12 out of the 23 man squad).
HMC schools' disproportionate involvement in the England Rugby Squad is not a story of privilege, but a story of investment. HMC schools believe in school sport. We believe in competition. There are great rivalries between our schools going back over a century in many cases. We devote a significant portion of our school week to sport. We invest in top-quality coaching. Furthermore, we believe in giving talented young people the opportunity to benefit from all of that history and heritage. That is why we award scholarships and bursaries. This is a perfect example of how HMC schools benefit our nation by promoting excellence and widening opportunities.
HMC schools have an amazing track record of fostering sporting talent (See my articles on Independent schools' contributions to the GB Olympic teams in London 2012 and Rio 2016).
HMC schools have an amazing track record of fostering sporting talent (See my articles on Independent schools' contributions to the GB Olympic teams in London 2012 and Rio 2016).
It should be recognised that the school most represented in the team is not an HMC school, rather it is a boarding and day school, St George's, Harpenden with three players (Farrell, Ford and Itoje - who later went on to Harrow).
Here's where the England Rugby World Cup Squad went to school - congratulations to all those schools and their dedicated coaches who inspired this generation of players:
England team to play South Africa:
- Elliot Daly; Whitgift School, Croydon (HMC)
- Anthony Watson, St George’s Weybridge (HMC)
- Manu Tuilagi, John Cleveland College (Maintained)
- Owen Farrell, St George’s School, Harpenden (Maintained)
- Jonny May, Hartpury College (Maintained)
- George Ford, St George’s School, Harpenden (Maintained)
- Ben Youngs; Gresham's School (HMC)
- Mako Vunipola, Millfield (HMC)
- Jamie George, Haileybury College (HMC)
- Kyle Sinckler, Epsom College (HMC)
- Maro Itoje, Harrow School (HMC)
- Courtney Lawes Moulton College (Maintained)
- Tom Curry, Oundle School (HMC)
- Sam Underhill, Sir Thomas Rich’s School, Gloucester (Maintained)
- Billy Vunipola, Harrow School (HMC)
- Luke Cowan-Dickie, Truro College (Maintained)
- Joe Marler, Heathfield Community College (Maintained)
- Dan Cole, Robert Smythe Academy (Maintained)
- George Kruis, St John’s Leatherhead (HMC)
- Mark Wilson, Kirkbie Kendal School (Maintained)
- Ben Spencer, Bramhall High School (Maintained)
- Henry Slade, Plymouth College (HMC)
- Jonathan Joseph Millfield (HMC)
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