TALK ABOUT the next generation of superstars and we can marvel at rookies in the top pro league and the kids boldly smashing through Tests. But for this special edition, Rugby World wanted to shine a light on our game’s greatest hothouses: the schools with incredible programmes for student athletes.
So here it is, our top 12 from around the world. Congratulations to the schools who made it. Our ranking will return next year too. The future is indeed bright...
1 Hamilton Boys HS
New Zealand
Perhaps the easiest position to settle on in our top 12, given that in the last seven months Hamilton Boys High School have collected two international titles, the 2023 Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational – their fourth such title since 2010 – and the 2022 World Schools Festival, where they beat one of the other sides on this list in the final.
Those international titles capped a superb domestic season as well, after winning the Chiefs Regional Championship for the ninth time and finishing as runners-up to Rotorua Boys High in the New Zealand Super 8s.
2023 started in similar vein too, with back-to-back wins to kick the season off.
The North Island school has set a standard that has made the world sit up and take notice, and with the likes of Aki Tuivailala, Caelys-Paul Putoko and Payton Spencer earning New Zealand U18 recognition in 2022, the fruits of that success may start paying off for the All Blacks soon as well.
2 Barker College
Australia
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