THE JOHN FISHER STATE SCHOOL RUGBY FESTIVAL

The inaugural John Fisher Rugby Festival hopes to Send state-school rugby players into the stratosphere.

TO SAY it’s impossible to make it as a professional rugby player in England having attended a state school is an exaggeration, but you can see why any young boy harbouring ambitions of pulling on the red rose at some point in their career would feel like it’s akin to pushing water uphill had they not been fortunate enough to be educated somewhere that costs five figures a year.

More than two-thirds of England’s 2024 Six Nations squad were privately educated. Then of the 26-strong U18 match-day squad that England selected to face South Africa last summer, just eight were in the state-school system.

There is no arguing that selection for your country at any level is wholly based on meritocracy and the best players are being picked, but anybody playing rugby at a private school, with endless cash to fund rugby programmes that would be the envy of some pro clubs, is at a distinct advantage.

And while the private-school system has ensured a healthy stream of professional rugby players, it’s clear that more needs to be done in the state-school sector to not only stop the general decline in participation among younger people but also provide talented kids from diverse backgrounds a clear pathway and an opportunity to make it to the very top.

That’s where something like the inaugural John Fisher School State School Rugby Festival comes in.

“John Fisher School used to be involved in the St Joseph’s Festival but it became a bit of a financial challenge attending as a state school, so we had to stop going,” explains Tom Street, director of sport at John Fisher School. “It led me to thinking how there is a lack of these ‘style’ tournaments for state schools across the UK. We regularly play against schools like The Judd and Campion and I see so much talent in the state-school system that I really felt it needed showcasing.”