Twenty teams from as far away as Chile, Japan and New Zealand all bringing supporters, converged on The Close at the end of March for an historic weekend of spectacular sevens rugby. On Saturday, one of our 2023 patrons, former England captain Martin Johnson, spent time with the teams, discussing tactics and sharing stories from his career. 

Throughout the weekend, the standard of rugby played on The Close was exceptional, not least from the Rugby School Sevens team, fresh from their victory at Rosslyn Park.  However, the final was an Ireland vs South Africa game with Blackrock College, Dublin vs Michaelhouse School, Kwazulu-Natal, with Michaelhouse School the ultimate victors.  Describing the opportunity to play on The Close, as a ‘dream come true’, Michaelhouse School’s Head Coach James Fleming went on to say “just the experience to be able to come here, see the buildings, see the field and soak it all up, is unbelievable” – it was clear the win meant a great deal to the team.