Derbyshire's speech was on point, full of humour, warmth and honesty, and you were left under no illusion about the role that rugby has played in shaping this fantastic role model.

There was added emotion to this year’s presentation with former 1st XV captain Paul – who played for the first team for a remarkable five years and went onto be a House Master at the school – having passed away in the summer.

The guest of honour was former Five Nations Grand Slam-winning England Head Coach, Dick Best, who entertained the audience with many memorable tales from his time involved in the sport. The words of Dick Best about the heartbeat of rugby being the school game was perfectly articulated too.

Argentinian exchange students D. Alegre and P. Barbeito also shared their thanks for a term in which they have made ‘life-long friends and memories’. They perfectly summed up their experience here at The Oratory and expressed their heartfelt thanks to our special community. The third of the front row contingent from Cardinal Newman College in Buenos Aires, C. Walker, had flown back home to celebrate his club side’s cup triumph earlier in the week. The boys have been a really positive addition to our rugby community, and we hope that exchanges such as theirs will continue with Colegio Cardinal Newman for years to come! 

The day had begun well for The Oratory with a resounding 55-7 derby success at Pangbourne College, and two-try hero A. Hector was the winner of the inaugural Derbyshire Cup, donated by the current captain’s parents Rob and Nikki. They were presented with replica shirts by Head of Rugby, Mikey Hennessy, with their two elder sons Harry and Louis – both previously 1st XV players – also in attendance, along with teammates Tom Croisdale and Iwan MacRae, the older brother of Wales 7s and Rams’ ace Morgan.

Further Old Oratorians were on show in the form of the unbeaten Under 16s team from 2005, led by previous School Captain and Maltese international Sam Borg.

The Captain’s Cup was won by hard-hitting back row J. Bangs, with the MacRae Cup for the best L6th Form performer shared by inside centre S. Charles and versatile forward C. Mossop.

The Tom Hennessy Shield, awarded to the player who best showcased the values of the school and rugby club, was won by M. Schuetz.

The Oratory will hope to finish their season on a high with a Friday Night Lights game against Magdalen College at Oxford RFC ahead of the County Cup final at Maidenhead RFC next Tuesday.