THREE teams from the Oratory School near Reading celebrated by remaining unbeaten throughout the term, ending a year in which two former pupils were called up to play for England.
The unbeaten run coincided with celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the school’s foundation and the school’s placing among the country’s top 20 independent boys’ schools in the latest national league tables.
The teams from the allboys independent school in Woodcote, south Oxfordshire, were the 1st XV and the under-15 A and B sides. The schools they beat from across the country often posed tough competition, particularly as the opposing teams come from a considerably wider pool of players.
The Oratory School boys were particularly spurred on this term by the call-up of Old Oratorian Ayoola Erinle, who was in the starting line-up for England’s test match against New Zealand’s All Blacks. He joins Daniel Cipriani as the second pupil from The Oratory School to play in the national side’s recent squads. Mr Erinle and Mr Cipriani were at the Oratory School in the 1990s.
Two more old boys who play in national teams are Sevens players Andy Vilk and Mark Bruce.