Historic triumph as Claires Court overpower Plymouth to reach National Vase semi-finals

Photo credit: Ben and Jacks studio / Claires Court School

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Claires Court School u15s are through to the semi-finals of the National Vase for the first time in the school’s history after overcoming the stubborn resistance of Plymouth College in last Friday’s quarter-final clash at Braywick Park.

Roared on by a crowd of more than 500 people, Claires Court were undaunted by their visitors’ imposing reputation.

Plymouth won their South West Division title and have powered their way through every round of the competition so far, but they met an irresistible force in Claires Court last week who played with an intensity they simply couldn’t live with.

From the opening exchanges, it was the home side who were setting the tone, making life uncomfortable for Plymouth in both the pack and the back line.

Limiting their ability to gain any kind of field territory, they continually forced them back with ferocious tackling and aggressive work at the breakdown. Melville-Jackson illustrated this as he continually disrupted Plymouth’s rhythm.

Their pressure eventually told when they won a turnover penalty and kicked for the corner. From the resulting line-out, the home side executed a well-drilled catch and drive that had Plymouth backpedalling. Melville-Jackson finished the move, forcing his way over in the corner to open the scoring.

Plymouth are not accustomed to being overpowered and outfought this season and they responded with a spell of sustained pressure and territory. But Claires Court’s defence held firm as they repelled wave after wave of attacks with composure and commitment.

Having weathered this storm, the hosts then struck again in clinical fashion. A break from Eyton-Jones was stopped by a strong tackle from the Plymouth College full-back, but he had the awareness and skill to offload to Robertson who outpaced his covering defender to score. 

Garret added the conversion to give Claires Court a 12–0 advantage.

A succession of penalties handed Plymouth valuable field position and, after prolonged pressure and more brave resistance from the hosts, they eventually crossed in the corner to score. The half-time whistle sounded moments later but Plymouth were back in the contest at 12-5. 

The second half also began poorly for the hosts, with Plymouth again dominating territory and Claires Court struggling to kick or run their way out of trouble. Another penalty gave Plymouth an opportunity to catch and drive and this resulted in their second try, closing the gap to just two points.

It felt like momentum was swinging their way, but Claires Court were able to find another gear.

Lifted by the vocal support from the touchlines, powerful carries from Voster-Davidson and an exceptional all-round performance from Cardwell drove the team forward and wrestled back momentum.

Having been under the cosh, the hosts began to string some promising attacks together. Several of those chances went begging as handling became harder in the worsening conditions, but they eventually made that pressure count when Trinder crashed over for a crucial try to extend their lead to 19-10.

From there, Claires Court fully asserted their authority. The remainder of the game was played in the Plymouth half, and their visitors looked a spent force. After spurning more opportunities, they sealed the game in superb fashion, moving the ball wide for Abrahams to go over in the corner.

The final whistle sparked jubilant scenes on the field and in the stands. The school had secured a place in the semi-final of the National Vase for the first time in the school’s history.

Excitement is already building ahead of the semi-final, which is set to be held at Aylesbury RFC on Sunday, March 8.