After sharpening their skills with training at Saracens’ StoneX Stadium and a visit to Twickenham (we could call it the Allianz… but we won’t!), Xavier High School finally arrived at Hoe Lane for the real business — rugby. And not just any rugby: transatlantic, high-energy, teenage rugby. Brace yourselves.

Xavier brought two squads over to take on our U16 and U17 teams, and from the first whistle, it was clear the crowd was in for a treat. There was attacking flair, committed defence, and just the right amount of teenage chaos. Every tackle, pass, and sprint was played with equal parts aggression and respect — which is basically the rugby dream.

Coach Matt Bendin, still recovering from the excitement, said:
“It was great having the lads over from Xavier. Both matches could’ve gone either way — proper edge-of-your-seat stuff. It was a huge day for the club, and a great way to kick off our end-of-season madness. We’ll be talking about this one for a while.”

Both games were tighter than a pair of new boots — 24–27 and 5–7 to Xavier— showing just how evenly matched the teams were. The rugby was top quality, and the future’s looking very bright for our next Colts season — and for Xavier’s rugby program too.

Now, this isn’t Xavier’s first visit to Hoe Lane. Back in 1984, Ted Hynes — Xavier alum — toured here with White Plains RFC. He still proudly owns a Hertford Club tie from the visit, and our very own Andrew Green (a.k.a. Bunter) still has a White Plains jersey and tie. That’s what we call vintage kit. This time around, there was another round of kit swapping — because nothing says “international friendship” like trading sweaty shirts and claiming you’ll never wash them again.

James Storey, U16s Coach and newly appointed tour hype-man, said:
“We’re buzzing to rekindle this relationship. The lads from Xavier played some cracking rugby — it’s great to see how strong the game is becoming in the States. Their coaches have clearly done a brilliant job, and we wish them the best for the rest of their trip. And yes, we’d love to make this an annual thing… passports at the ready.”

At Hertford, we pride ourselves on being a true community club, and weekends like this remind us why. Welcoming a team from New York was an absolute honour (and not just because they brought awesome kit). It’s moments like these that show how rugby brings people together — and who knows, maybe one day we’ll have a former Xavier player lining up in Hertford blue.

Massive thanks to everyone who helped make the day happen. Xavier, enjoy the rest of your tour — we’ll be following your adventures on @xavierhsrugby.

#rugbyfamily