Yarm School success lays down a marker, says coach Stuart Hardy

Both Durham and Barnard Castle have tasted Twickenham finals themselves over the years, but Yarm were victorious on their first trip to the home of rugby with a thrilling win over Felsted School.

“We're in a competitive area with Durham and Barnard Castle, big rugby schools who have been here,” said Hardy, who saw Will Guthrie score the vital points after Yarm had twice come from behind against their opponents from Essex.

“For us it puts a marker down that we're a good rugby school to be seen to come to as well.

“We were confident we weren't going to lose, when we scored the momentum swayed and we were in the ascendancy.

“At that point it was our game. Second half, the boys were finding it difficult to keep hold of the ball, but I was confident.

“Our back row was strong. Our forwards dug deep. We dug it out in the end.

“Our attack didn't function as best as it could have done but I'm not worried about that right now.

Hardy paid tribute to Zach Kibirige, who scored Yarm's opening try of the afternoon and caught the eye in his final performance for Yarm.

“The boys know that when he is on the pitch, anything is possible,” said Hardy of the Newcastle Falcons youngster. “It lifts them, and makes them play. He's a good leader, talks to them, yet I don't think we used him enough today. Twenty minutes gone and he hasn't touched the ball. When he's got the ball in his hands, something happens.”

The Teessiders, making their debut at the home of rugby union, were behind 10-0 in the early stages but a try by Kibirige - after Guthrie chipped forward - got Yarm back into the game, before replacement Conor Hartigan got his side on level terms on 47 minutes after Josh Jones offloaded.

Felsted went 15-10 up ten minutes later when full-back William Malins hacked over the line, but Yarm would not lie down and fly-half Guthrie produced a moment of real quality to dummy through Felsted's defence and score under the posts, and – for the first time in the game – the conversion was good.

Zac Kibirige celebrates

Felsted had a late try disallowed but Yarm's defence was otherwise imperious to see out a well-deserved victory.

Kibirige has represented England throughout the age groups but counts victory at Twickenham as his finest achievement so far.

“It's right up there,” said Kibirige. “There's no greater honour than playing for your country, but going out at Twickenham with my best mates, there's nothing better.

“It was never a case of us thinking we'd lose. We just kept believing in ourselves and we were always confident in our own ability, that we could turn over any team that came our way. That's what we went out and did.”

Fly-half Guthrie has not been a prolific try-scorer for Yarm this year, but picked his moment to come good.

He said: “It was something special. I don't score very often, I haven't scored many tries this season, but it was something special to play our final game at Twickenham and get the points right at the end. To be honest it didn't matter who did it, the only thing that mattered was we won.”

Yarm School: Melville, Ajekigbe, Mughal, Kibirige, Peddada, Guthrie, Jones; Fox, O'Brien, Eastham, Henderson, Collantine, Lawson, T eague, Mavin. Replacements: Nargol, Choudhary, Woodward, Duggleby, Edmondson, Hartigan, Fuat.