Head of Rugby James Clark said he was “gutted” after The Leys School missed out on a national final with a late defeat to Durham in the under-15s Continental Tyres Schools Vase.

Durham kicked a last-minute penalty to seal a 22-21 win and deny The Leys a trip to StoneX Stadium, home of six-time English champions Saracens, for the final.

After falling behind early in the game, the Leys bounced back through tries from Ben Sawtell, Dan Russell and James Rolston Bown and were on the cusp of victory before a late twist in the tale.

Clark said: “I am gutted for the boys more than anything. They fought against the pressure and fought their way back into the game, leading it with minutes to go.

“But that is rugby and I am gutted for the boys. There is still more to come from them, and that’s the best bit. 

“They haven’t yet found their ultimate form and they are a seriously good outfit. I am so proud of them today.

“To even get this far is impressive. It’s disappointing now but they can look back on it with real pride.”

Continental Tyres and the RFU are working together to grow rugby through school-linked activities and 171,404 age grade players have registered to play this season, almost 3,000 more than the overall figure last year.

England legend James Haskell and current squad member Charlie Ewels were at Aylesbury and helped out the schools’ coaches with warm ups, ran on the drinks and interacted with fans.

Haskell knows just how valuable this competition is. He won the under-15s Cup with Wellington College in 2000 and admits the competition helped him fall in love with rugby.

"My very first experience of playing rugby involving a bit of jeopardy in intensity was the Continental Tyres Schools Cup," Haskell said

"It kind of made me fall in love with rugby, these boys will love the opportunity to play in a final at StoneX Stadium.

"For me it was addictive and you can see the emotion of the kids today, for some it is heartbreak and for some others elation.

"For some it's the opportunity to become legends, and for some it's to treasure, then want to go on and do more 

"For some, this is the peak, this is the greatest summit they'll ever reach. And that's it.”

The Continental Tyres Schools Cup is an important part of the age-grade rugby landscape in England, with schools’ rugby often where players fall in love with the game for the first time. For more information visit the Continental Tyres Schools Cup section of the England Rugby Website