MR SAM HOWARD RUGBY FINAL REPORT
D ulwich College ran in an incredible eight tries to win their third Schools Cup in succession, beating Warwick by an incredible 53–5 scoreline. ‘Back to back to back’ was the chant after that brutal semi-final against RGS High Wycombe and it was to be proved right in the most emphatic of styles at Twickenham. There was, frankly, almost nothing that Warwick could do about it. The passion for the shirt and for each other that Dulwich College had was simply outstanding; from the moment the referee’s whistle went, it was an onslaught. Singling out individuals after a performance of such brilliance from Dulwich is a thankless task, but praise of the highest order must go to Anthony Nzegwu. Few score hat-tricks at Twickenham, let alone as a schoolboy, so Nzegwu’s day will live long in both his memory and that of everyone watching. Time and time again through this season we have come back to one name when watching the 1st XV: that of the full back, Ali Neden. Once again he was simply outstanding, even topping his performance in last year’s final, with Master in Charge of Rugby Sam Howard saying, ‘he deserved a try.’ Never a truer word has been spoken: Neden’s hands were behind at least three of the eight scores and it was his running that continually created space. The absolute hub of this performance, though, was Felix Maddison, Dulwich College’s Captain and number eight. His passion was truly inspiring and in the early exchanges it was his leadership, as always by example, that gave Dulwich a foothold in the game before the tries started to flow. Speaking to him after the game, his passion for his team astonishing, almost forcing him to tears: ‘our passion for this shirt is what makes us different to other teams,’ he said, and how right he is. That was perhaps at its most obvious early on in the game, which is when this game was won.
Outside centre Jacopo De Simone was sin- binned for a slightly dangerous tackle just over ten minutes in. Conventional wisdom says that teams should concede seven points when down to 14 men, but Dulwich scored twelve unanswered. The first came from their dogged flanker Funsho Olaleye, before Nzegwu scored his first of the day with a scorching run down the left touchline. That series of points when a man down seemed to knock the stuffing out of Warwick and fill Dulwich with confidence, as for the first time in three finals they realised that they were going to be able to show the world their running game that has so often been overlooked by spectators. Back to 15 men, a third try shortly followed through Maddison himself, with half an hour on the clock. Some brilliant play from Neden and Thompson saw the ball bobbling around in the in-goal area and, like any good back row, Maddison was there to pounce. That took the score to 17–0 at the break, and frankly it could have been even more. As Sam Howard said, ‘we should really have been up by more at half time.’ It did not take long after the break for that to change. The famous Dulwich maul had been well shackled by Warwick in the first half, but it was to pay dividends in the second half as Tom Marchant went crashing over from one of Forwards coach Simon Thomas’ beautifully constructed mauls. Another was soon to follow as a spillage from a rare Warwick attack saw Nzegwu break clear for his second from deep inside his own half – this is probably the one that will stand out in his mind – bringing the score out to 34–0 following a Neden penalty. Warwick did hit back through James Ainsworth, which was well deserved on a day that Warwick kept going and tried to defend the onslaught. However, Nzegwu was in again for his hat-trick shortly after,
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