Senior Rugby The Senior Rugby programme got the term off to a strong start with an intensive pre-season, including a three-day training camp at Oakham School and a specialist coaching session with guest coach Harry Simmons, Head Coach of Leicester Tigers U18s, ahead of the annual Norwich School U18 Pre-Season Festival. The festival provided a valuable challenge for the U18 squad, who produced two closely contested performances against St Joseph’s College, Ipswich and Bedford School before finishing with an impressive victory against Duke of York’s Royal Military School. The term began with a pre-season fixture against The Leys School at Shelford Rugby Club, with both U18 and U16 matches taking place. The U18s secured a 38–24 victory, while the U16s narrowly lost 19–15. The first official block fixture saw Norwich take on Framlingham College, with both the 1st XV and 2nd XV recording convincing victories. The 1st XV won 36–10, with Sam Parretti delivering a standout performance. A particular highlight was Ned Francis finishing brilliantly in the corner after a dominant scrum and excellent handling through the backline created the space for him to score. The subsequent fixtures against St Joseph’s College, Ipswich, The Campion School, Essex, in the National Cup Round 1, and Felsted School proved challenging for the 1st XV. However, the team responded positively with a hard-fought 24–15 victory against Wymondham College. Lucas Ashton made a significant impact from the bench, bringing strong carries and defensive intensity. The 2nd XV also enjoyed an excellent afternoon against Wymondham College, securing a convincing 41–10 win, with George Davidson producing an industrious performance throughout. Inters Rugby The U15s began the term with a draw against Framlingham College before facing challenging fixtures against St Joseph’s College, Ipswich and Felsted School. They responded impressively in the National Vase Round 1, recording a dominant 45–5 victory over Wymondham College. Tom McCall, playing up from the U14s, was named Man of the Match following an outstanding performance. The U14s have made an excellent start to the term, securing three victories against Framlingham College, St Joseph’s College, Ipswich and Felsted School. The standout result came against Felsted, with Norwich recording a convincing 41–7 win. Sam Trickey and Tristan Knight shared Man of the Match honours, with Tristan scoring an impressive four tries. The U14s now look forward to the Bedford School Rugby Festival on 17 October, where they will test themselves against some of the strongest school rugby programmes across East Anglia and Southern England. Juniors Rugby The U13s opened the term with a challenging fixture against Gresham’s School before responding with an excellent 30–20 victory over St Joseph’s College. Tom McCardle and Teddy Pinder were among the standout performers. The squad then competed in a triangular fixture against Finborough School and Woodbridge School, securing a win against Woodbridge but narrowly missing out against Finborough. The U13s will now host the Norwich School U13 Mini Rugby Festival on Wednesday 14 October, welcoming Beeston Hall, Wymondham College, Town Close and Langley School for an exciting afternoon of rugby. The U12A squad also made a fantastic start to the term, opening with a convincing 45–5 victory against Gresham’s School. They followed this up with two further wins against Finborough School and Woodbridge School in a triangular fixture. Arthur Blyth and Jesse Morrell were among those producing particularly strong performances. The U12B squad have also enjoyed a successful start, winning both of their touch rugby fixtures against Gresham’s School and Finborough School.  Overall, it has been an encouraging first half of term across all age groups, with strong performances, valuable learning experiences and plenty of positive signs for the weeks ahead. We look forward to building on this progress after half-term.