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In 1977 and 1989, two Ampleforth Rugby Sevens Teams achieved the unachievable by winning “The Double” at the Rosslyn Park Schools National Sevens competition. John Willcox, often considered the greatest Rugby Coach in the history of schools’ rugby, inspired 14 boys to play through rain and mud, undefeated over 4 days each, playing 14 and 16 matches back-to-back with just a few Lucozade tablets to keep them going in the case of the 1989 team. No wonder these two teams are considered heroes to all those who followed them, making Ampleforth the best rugby playing school in the country thanks to the efforts of John and his team of coaches who spotted boys early in their school career, nurtured them through the lower ranks until they made the cut to enter John’s famous, and rigorous, coaching programme. These are just two of the teams which produced great great legends and on Saturday 16 September 2023, Ampleforth’s Headmaster, Peter Roberts, had the pleasure to host John and members from these two teams for dinner at Ampleforth to recognise their achievements and inspire the next generation of home-grown talent.

The warmth of greeting between John Willcox and his former players was heart warming to see. Before the other guests arrived, John and his son Tom inspected the Dallaglio Match Ground and had a good review of the successful 1st XV match against Pocklington that afternoon with Director of Sport, Will James, and Rugby co-Captains Cosimo and Charlie. It has been a while since names such as MacAulay, Dyson, Hughes and Casado have been seen down in the valley, and the Rugby Captains began the evening a little in awe of seeing their heroes in the flesh, but they spoke authentically to them of how inspired they are today by the achievements of those who came before them.

John gave a moving and amusing speech to the assembled guests around the table. With his characteristic humility he said the only reason they went for “The Double” was that if they were going to spend the money to go down to London they might as well enter both tournaments to get good value out of the trip. He paid tribute to those players who are no longer with us, particularly Nick Healy who died in 1984 aged just 24, and Ben Stone, who very sadly died a few weeks before the gathering and had been planning to attend. John fondly remembered the immediate pre-tournament preparation where in 1977 they had spent the journey down to London doing the crossword and in 1989 they went to watch Chris Eubank fight Franky Moro the night before. There was friendly rivalry around the table, quizzing John on which he considered to be the best team of the two, which he handled very diplomatically. A surprise from the night was when Will James, Director of Sport and former Wales and Gloucester player, revealed that his brother had been in the Plymouth team that the 1989 team had defeated in the Semi-Final, during an excellent speech about Rugby at the school today.

These teams are an important part of Ampleforth’s Rugby story and the opportunity to link them to the players of today was immensely valued. The success of rugby at Ampleforth has been one of home-grown talent, supported and guided by exceptional coaches from the moment they are spotted in autumn term. There will be more occasions soon to bring together those who have trodden this path and the incredible wider coaching team who have been part of this story to date. Ampleforth stays true to its approach to Rugby and the part it plays within a balanced, holistic, educational experience. Whilst the world of Rugby has changed, the sportsmanship Ampleforth inspires continues today, building on the examples of these great teams who have gone before. We are very grateful to John and his teams for an unforgettable evening.

Attending were John Willcox, John MacAulay (C76), John Dyson (D76), Chris Healy (B77), Ben Moody (H78), Adam Beck (A77), Pat Corkery (J78), Nick Hughes (C90), David Casado (A89), Tom Willcox (E90)