Free-flowing Fisher put an emphasis on speed

Brendan Gallagher continues his series looking at rugby’s great schools

JOHN Fisher School might have been founded as recently as 1929 – but the Roman Catholic school in Purley, south London, has been a significant player on the school’s rugby scene for a while.

The first stirrings came in the mid-70s with a strong year group led by Peter Drewett – who was to become the England Students coach and the coach at Exeter Chiefs who took on Rob Baxter as his assistant – and Shaun McCarthy, a talented Kiwi whose family lived in London for three years.

Their fixture list improved year on year and Fisher developed an exhilarating free-flowing style that has remained their trademark. Athletics has always been a big sport at the school and one thing their fifteens have never lacked over the years is fitness and speed.

In the 1990s they also forged a reputation as Sevens specialists. Early in that decade Michael Corcoran, who had a notable club career with London Irish and Harlequins, was a fine proponent of the kick and chase game as befits a former Chelsea youth star but the culmination of that Sevens traditions came with back-to-back titles at Rosslyn Park in 1997 and 1998.

Future England wing Paul Sackey was very much to the fore in that group as was another England flier, Simon Hunt who represented England U21 and the England Sevens squad.

Fisher also do a nice line in solid, no-nonsense forwards like George Skivington, currently the Gloucester coach, Scotland prop Kyle Traynor, Ulster lock Kieran Treadwell, who has won three Ireland caps, and former Quins and Tigers prop Ricky Nebbett, while their most recent forward of note is Harlequins No.8 Alex Dobrandt.

Their best fifteen season was arguably the 2009-10 campaign when they claimed both the prestigious St Joseph’s Festival and were unlucky losers to a big Truro College side in the semifinal of the Daily Mail Cup.

It was only their second appearance at St Joseph’s, and it was a particularly torrid year with almost nothing between the 16 competitors. No team was likely to go unbeaten to the final, you had to stay focussed and bounce back, and that’s exactly what Fisher did.

On Saturday they beat King’s Ely (35-0), lost to Brighton College (12-14) and then secured their place in the Cup Pool the next day with a 29-7 victory over hosts St Joseph’s.

On Sunday they opened with a 14-10 win over much-fancied Tonbridge and then reversed a regular season defeat against RGS High Wycombe 12-8.

This put Fisher in the box seat for their final pool game. They just had to avoid a big defeat to reach the final, and although they did lose a cracking game 10-7 to Millfield it was more than enough to earn a place in the final where they defeated Bedford School 15-8.

If Fisher rode their luck a little at Ipswich, it deserted them later in the season when they mounted an assault on the Daily Mail Cup. In the early rounds there were a couple of close calls in the always strong Surrey Schools qualifying group with a 17-14 win over Caterham and a 12-10 victory over Langley HS, but the team began to find their stride against Worthing College (33-7) and in the quarter- finals when they defeated Moulton College before a muchanticipated semi-final with Truro Sixth

Form College. Truro had become a force in the competition with their big pack and England U20 fly-half Josh Matevesi operating with Canada U20’s Kyle Armstrong at halfback and the USA Eagles’ Hanno Dirksen at centre. Truro moved into a 12-0 lead early on but Fisher’s lighter, more mobile team fought back after the break with tries from Charlie Jackson and Lee Mclaughlin and, after Dirsken had again given Truro the lead, Fisher’s No.8 and MOM Brad Bosman scored a fine try down the blindside which was converted by Ben Axten-Burrett. With the scored at 19-19 extra time and then a dramatic penalty shootout followed.

Old boys: Ricky Nebbett, Alex Dombrandt playing for Wales U20 in 2017, and George Skivington

Specialists: John Fisher, Rosslyn Park Sevens winners in 1997

It was the year of the penalty shoot-out in rugby –a couple of months later Leicester squeezed past Cardiff in just such an affair in the Heineken Cup quarter-final – and this one was no less tense. Initially the two teams’ three dedicated kickers each had to take a pot of goal in front of the posts which all three slotted down the middle.

So the kicks were moved back to the ten metre line putting much more emphasis on distance. Jake Howe for Fisher was just short with his shot, Truro’s Ben Hawke was successful and then Fisher’s captain Jack Walsh, who had enjoyed a storming game, also narrowly missed. That left replacement Aaron Penberthy – the future Cornish Pirates and Jersey star – with a shot to glory for Truro.

Penberthy kept his composure and slotted a superb kick to break Fisher hearts – and a few weeks later Truro were impressive winners in the final over St Peter’s Gloucester.

Three years later Fisher went close again at the St Joseph’s tournament. This time they fought their way through to the final in more conventional fashion winning all their pool games, but a stacked Millfield were lying in wait in the final.

Fisher did well to keep them to 0-0 at half-time but with Callum Sheedy and Tom Whitely pulling the strings Millfield eventually prevailed 8-0.

England wing: Paul Sackey

Later that season Fisher embarked on an ambitious and testing trip to New Zealand which fired up another generation of young players and they continued to pack a punch on their tough circuit.

In 2014 Fisher looked strong candidates for the Open title at Rosslyn Park but had to dig too deep in the semi-final when they edged past favourites Wellington in a classic. Come the final, they met a crack Millfield outfit and lost 27-12.

There was revenge of sorts a few weeks later when Millfield and Fisher were invited to stage a challenge match in front of 50,000+ fans at Twickenham during a break in the HSBC World Series Sevens. Millfield were without Adam Hastings and Sheedy but Fisher looked irresistible as they turned on the power and style to win 38-5.

John Fisher fell in the final against Wellington at Rosslyn Park the following year. Tries from Ollie Kitto and Tom Parton saw Wellington take an early lead but thereafter it was all hands to the pumps as they tried to hold off Fisher.

Suvwe Obano blasted his way over for one score but was thwarted on other occasions and Wellington pipped them 12-7.