St Ninian’s High School’s year seven and eight boys rugby teams had a really successful trip to the north west of England last weekend for a series of matches in Macclesfield.

It was a smooth crossing over on the Manxman to Heysham on Friday morning where the squad of 63 players and eight staff got straight on the coach and made their way to Priory Park, home of Macclesfield Rugby Club.

The boys played against six local schools and had some fantastic games of rugby. There were some good wins and some narrow losses, but all games were really competitive and showed how much they are improving in their rugby skills.

That evening they went to watch Sale Sharks edge out Northampton Saints in a 27-24 thriller to see them climb into the Gallagher Premiership play-off places, much to the delight of the St Ninian’s boys.

Indeed, they also got to see former Buchan pupil and ex-Isle of Man Sportsman of the Year Bevan Rodd get on the scoresheet with the try that secured the bonus point for the Greater Manchester side.

The next morning the SNHS players were up early to make their way to Wilmslow High School where they faced Wilmslow and Fallibroome schools.

The year sevens had some real battles, with the A team playing courageously and coming very close to victory. A last-gasp Wilmslow try saw the spoils shared at 20-20 and the boys should be proud of a great game against a very good schoolboy side.

The year eight team also played Wimslow A in an intense and high skilled game of rugby.

They had two strong and physical teams and, although the Saints’ skill and speed caused Wilmslow problems, the home side’s strength in contact was difficult to handle and they scored some good tries with power and aggression with the ball in hand. It was a good game but Wilmslow finished the victors at 40 points to 20.

The St Ninian’s year seven B team then played the Fallibroome A team, who also had a number of very strong ball carriers.

The Manx side played some great rugby, moving the ball quickly out of contact and showed some great support, but it wasn’t enough and were on the wrong side of a 35-20 scoreline.

The C team matched up against the Wilmslow B side and it proved to be an absolute cracker of a match.

Tries galore, plenty of heart and a few last-ditch tackles meant that the two teams couldn’t be separated in the end and the game finished 30-30.

Teacher Dominic Winrow said: ‘All of the boys did themselves, their school and the island proud, both on and off the field.

‘All four games were played in high spirits and all players showed positive and respectful attitudes towards one another.

‘Many of the St Ninian’s boys were experiencing their first off-island sports tour with the school and they were all very impressive.

‘Their commitment on the pitch, coupled with their behaviour and manners off it, made it a really successful tour.’