On 18 October 1922, The Oratory School played against Sandhurst Old Soldiers. The Oratorian School Magazine published that year gave the following report: “Three weeks after first starting Rugger we played our opening match. The form displayed was most promising, and the XV were very keen. Allies at fullback and P. Robinson played especially well. The first half was very well contested, but our opponents scored two tries. In the second half Hayes and Townley very nearly scored for us. The Sandhurst team then scored four tries, one of which was converted with a very fine kick.”

From humble beginnings, Oratory Rugby has gone from strength to strength over the course of the last century and remains an important part of the culture of life at The Oratory. Amongst our alumni are Old Oratorians who have gone on to receive international honours and who have coached at extremely high levels.

For generations of pupils, the rugby playing fields have provided an opportunity to learn about teamwork, resilience, solidarity, develop friendships and to understand the unique ethos of The Oratory. Amongst our current pupils, we have multiple boys attached to professional clubs and we have successfully introduced girls’ rugby for the first time.

As part of our centenary plans, we will be hosting fixtures with the London Oratory at Grasshoppers RFC in London tomorrow, Wednesday 19 October 2022. This is the closest match day to the first ever fixture was played one hundred years ago. Supporters are encouraged to attend and kick-off times are as follows:

• U16s: 4.30pm
• 2nd XV: 6.00pm
• 1st XV: 7.30pm

Fixtures will also be available to watch here: https://youtu.be/VML7oID5GZE