The Year Nine girls of Ysgol Glantaf will make history at the RFL Champion Schools Finals in Newcastle ahead of Super League’s Magic Weekend in July.
They will be the first Welsh girls team to play in a Champion Schools final, having earned their place with a 10-0 win against Dewsbury’s Manor Croft Academy this week.
Ysgol Glantaf has an impressive rugby pedigree, with former pupils including a number of Wales internationals such as Jamie Roberts and Nicky Robinson, and also Gethin Jones who became a Rugby League ambassador after reporting on the sport when presenting Blue Peter.
The full list of Finals has now been confirmed, with seven matches to be played at Kingston Park on Friday July 8 before Newcastle Thunder’s Championship fixture against Bradford Bulls – and the Year Seven Boys Final to be played at St James’ Park before the first day of Magic, as always in memory of Steven Mullaney, who lost his life in a road accident the year after starring for Wakefield against St Helens in the traditional schoolboys curtain-raiser at Wembley.
This year’s Steven Mullaney Memorial Match will be between Castleford Academy and Warrington’s Bridgewater High School.
Ysgol Glantaf will play Hull’s Archbishop Sentamu Academy in the Year Nine Girls Final – and the Archbishop Sentamu Academy are aiming to complete a Year Nine double as their boys have also reached their final, to play another team from the prolific and consistent Castleford Academy.
St Peter’s RC High School of Manchester will play Malet Lambert of Hull in the Year Seven Girls Final, although a big shout out also to Workington Academy who pushed St Peter’s all the way before losing in the second period of golden point extra time.
Malet Lambert’s Year Eight Girls have also qualified their Final, to face another strong Castleford Academy team.
The Year Eight Boys Final is between Ryburn Valley of Sowerby Bridge and Standish High School near Wigan.
The Year Ten Girls Final features another Castleford Academy team taking on St John Fisher of Dewsbury.
The Year Ten Boys Final will see Spen Valley High School of Liversedge near Bradford taking on Great Sankey High School from Warrington.
The Year Eleven Finals were played at Featherstone in April with Corpus Christi of Leeds beating Castleford Academy in the Girls final, and St Cuthbert’s of St Helens beating St Benedict’s of Whitehaven in the Boys final.
