Woodhouse Grove School fell just short of a first piece of Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools Sevens silverware – but captain Patrick Killoran still had a smile on his face after bringing the curtain down on a memorable week.

Killoran and his under-18 team-mates began in style, winning three and losing just one of their group-stage matches in south west London to qualify for the next day’s action in the open section.

But the Bradford school were not done there, seeing off all teams put in their way to reach the final, only to be pipped 7-0 by Cumbrian opponents Sedbergh School.

This was the closest Woodhouse Grove have come to tasting success at Rosslyn Park and, despite falling at the final hurdle, 17-year-old Killoran was still delighted with his side’s showing.

He said: “Even though we lost the final, I am really pleased. We didn’t even expect to come out of our group, so to get this far is a real achievement and we’re so proud of ourselves.

“We’ve been playing together since we were 11 years old, so we’re a real team. We’ve known each other all our lives and we are best friends and I think that’s really helped. We work for each other and that’s the thing.

“It’s amazing as the school didn’t expect it. It’s the first time we’ve been in this tournament at under-18 level and it’s a great feeling to get through to the final. We’ve really enjoyed ourselves.

“All 12 boys in the squad really put their bodies on the line and worked 100 per cent, leaving nothing on the pitch. That’s what I’ll take out of this.”

See a video report of Woodhouse Grove's experience at the Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools Sevens at http://youtu.be/JE_5VMIrL5E

Meanwhile, Bradford Grammar School bowed out in the group stages of their competition but skipper Matthew Green was able to draw on the positives.

Green and his team-mates were placed in an extremely competitive qualifying pool, which included perennial knockout qualifiers Cheltenham College and The King’s School, Worcester.

BGS failed to win any of their four fixtures but, despite a frustrating experience at Rosslyn Park, Green insists playing against some of the UK’s best rugby schools can only help his side’s development. “We knew we were going to be up against four very tough teams and knew we were in for a fight,” he said.

“We managed to come out of it all right and we have held our heads high, so we are pretty pleased with how it went.

“This tournament was always going to be about the experience for us and in those terms it went all right. We think we gave a good showing of ourselves really.

“We were up against four very good sides and the first three games, although we lost, we didn’t get disgraced and they weren’t too bad.

“Our school is massively into our rugby and we have quite a big reputation but we were going up against some big schools too.

“I came two years ago and four years ago and everything about it is quality and it is just a great competition.

“Even though it is a long way to come and a long journey home to lose some games, it is well worth it every time.”

Over 600 teams of all levels from across the UK, as well as international visiting teams, took part in the tournament, which is now in its 74th year.

The 7,500 participants age from 13 to 18, with boys and girls taking part in various competitions during the week.

World Cup winner Jason Robinson, speaking in his role as an ambassador for HSBC, said the tournament goes from strength to strength.

He said: “This is a great competition. It is very competitive but, at the same time, it is all about improving as well.

“While everyone wants to come here and win, there are actually teams here that don’t play a lot of rugby playing for the first time and I think that is important.

“You look at the result in the Six Nations for England and it just highlights the fact that we need to produce more kids who are comfortable with the ball in their hand.

“Sevens just strips it down. The emphasis is not on the scrum, the maul or kicking. It is about running with the ball, creating space, playing with your head up and using those skills.

“Especially with sevens being an Olympic sport now, this competition is more important than ever with the future of this sport in this country in mind.”

* HSBC is proud to sponsor the world’s largest school rugby tournament. All HSBC’s rugby sponsorships aim to help develop and grow the sport and ensure even more youngsters get involved with rugby. For more information visit www.rpns7.co.uk.