The iconic venue of Iffley Road, Oxford, has staged a memorable match in the 2026 SOCS Daily Mail Schools Trophy.A 21-17 victory for Abingdon over St Edward’s attracted a crowd of over 1,500 to the sports complex made legendary by the deeds of Sir Roger Bannister in 1954 when he ran the first sub-four-minute mile.It may have been a lower-profile occasion this time, but the Friday Night Lights clash between the local rivals was noteworthy all the same.’It was a match we will look back on and think we let it go,’ said St Edward’s director of rugby Joe Winpenny after his team failed to gain points from early possession and advantage.Abingdon repelled that early pressure and clinically took their chances inspired by No8 Conor Mead, who broke from his own half to split open the St Edward’s defence to open the scoring.The Gloucester Academy player grabbed a second towards the end of the first half to give Abingdon a 14-5 half-time lead.A third Abingdon try just after the interval gave them enough breathing space to withstand a fierce finish from St Edward’s which included two tries from their captain, Jonnie Perkins. An impressive crowd under the lights saw Abingdon’s see off St Edward’s It left Abingdon’s Jon Vermont a relieved but happy coach, saying: ‘The game was a real showcase of what school rugby has become, and with over 1,500 people in attendance, the atmosphere was something I’ve very rarely experienced.’The game was a hugely physical affair, but fortunately Abingdon came out top with some clinical finishing and aggressive defence, keeping the Teddies at bay.’Both Abingdon and St Edward’s are linked to the Gloucester Academy and have been improving their fixture lists.This Trophy match has joined a growing number of games in this national competition to be staged away from school venues to showcase the sport.The Oxford derby rivals matches like the annual clash at Worcester’s Sixways Stadium between King’s and RGS Worcester which regularly attracts similar numbers. Another player making his mark is Brighton College captain Hugo Bressard, who has scored four tries in three games so far.According to head of rugby Nick Buoy, he scored a ‘worldie’ in a 31-14 victory over Trinity.LIVE SCHOOLS RUGBY The Schools Rugby Trophy is broadcast live by Schools Sports TVClick HERE to view this season’s streams so far – and for last season’s broadcasts click HERE <!- – ad: https://mads.dailymail.co.uk/v8/us/sport/schoolsrugby/article/other/mpu_factbox.html?id=mpu_factbox_1 – ->
Leadership of the Trophy continues to change hands as the competition settles down heading into the autumn.Seaford College, who last week led the competition for the first time, could not continue their unbeaten form in a tough trip to last season’s champions Northampton School for Boys (NSB) losing 46-38.Haberdashers’ Monmouth are the new leaders having added a 49-17 victory over Hereford Sixth Form College to previous wins over Christ College, 42-19, and Bromsgrove, 27-22.Next up is an away trip this Saturday to Sir Thomas Rich’s, the strong Gloucester academy school who pushed NSB hard last season.The Northampton school face another tough fixture in a trip to Berkhamsted School, the 2021 champions. The current top 10 in the Daily Mail Schools Trophy. Click HERE for the full tableThe Daily Mail Schools Trophy is run in partnership with SOCS. Click HERE to find out more