Norwich School will meet Sandbach School in the final of this season's Daily Mail RBS Schools U18 Vase at Twickenham on Wednesday March 31 after they won their respective semi-finals at Broadstreet RFC, Coventry on Sunday.
Norwich, who were followed from Norfolk by a coachload of 40 supporters including their headmaster, defeated The Coopers' Company and Coborn School from Essex 13-6. It was Norwich's first semi-final appearance in any of the schools cup competitions. The best they had done before was reaching the last 16 of last season's Under-18 Cup. In the second semi final, Sandbach School from Cheshire were comfortable winners over Leicestershire's Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College, 23-5 with four tries to one.
The Sandbach School side contains many players from Sandbach RUFC and have improved remarkably from a shaky start to the season when around half their squad were injured and they lost their first three matches without scoring a point. They have now won 11 matches back to back.
The Cheshire school, who were roared on by around 150 supporters including a busload from Sandbach RFC who had been at Twickenham watching England play the day before, can now look forward to a first schools cup final at the stadium.
Sandbach had been concerned before the match at their relative lack of size compared with Welbeck, who prepare students for life as an officer in the Armed Forces and the Civil Service.
"Welbeck were very well drilled and committed but without being arrogant the type of rugby we played was a great advertisement for schools rugby," said Sandbach coach Simon Robertson.
"If it hadn't been for Welbeck's great cover defence and all-round tackling, we could have put the game away before half time."
In fact Sandbach led 13-5 at the interval, with a penalty goal by their captain and full back Tom Doubleday and tries by wing Jordan East and blind-side flanker Josh Longson replied to by a try from Welbeck fly half Will Reeve.
Sandbach led 18-5 when Longson crossed for his second try but a good spell for Welbeck followed when Sandbach had vice-captain Matthew Beesley sent to the sin bin.
"Welbeck's catch and drive, and pick and go play, were their strengths and our back row of Josh Longson, Will Bordill and Rory Prentice had to put in a phenomenal amount of work at the breakdown," said Robertson. "I can't give enough praise to Joel Unsworth, my 24-year-old co-coach who has been with us for 15 or 16 months and knocked our pack into shape.
"Tom Doubleday missed some goal kicks but the purists on the sidelines would much prefer to concentrate on his ability to ride and break a tackle, and get his team across the gainline."
It was left to James Beal, a 15-year-old wing from Year 11 who has been called into the North Under 16 squad, to finish the scoring with the fourth Sandbach try.
Sandbach have appeared in three Cheshire Cup finals in the last 10 years, winning one. But after going no further than the fourth round of the Daily Mail RBS Schools Under-18 Cup or the fifth round in the Vase the Twickenham date on March 31 will, in Robertson's words, "take us on to a completely different level."
Daily Mail RBS Schools U18 Vase semi finals, Sunday February 28: Norwich School 13 - 6 The Coopers' Company & Coborn School
Sandbach School 23 - 5 Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College