Radley College showed tremendous resilience to come through a tense Continental Tyres Schools Cup final, according to coach Fergus Taylor.

Taylor’s under-15s side edged Northampton School for Boys 24-12 at Saracens’ StoneX Stadium to claim Cup glory for the first time.

There was just one score between the sides for much of the second half, but Radley rallied at the last to secure a memorable victory.

“We’re very proud,” said classics master Taylor.

“I thought defensively we were very good. They had some really big lads and a lot of the ball in the second half in particular, but we kept on fronting up physically.

“They were absolutely knackered at the end but kept on going and I was really pleased with that effort.

“It’s been an amazing Cup run because we’ve had so many competitive games. A couple of years ago when we got to the semis, we beat every side by about 30 or 40 points and then lost in the semis.

“This year we’ve won three or four matches by a score and the games have been really exciting. The boys have learnt a lot from a rugby perspective from those experiences.”

Radley trailed early on but hit the front through a quickfire double from powerful prop William Jordan-Willis.

Northampton levelled again in the first half but tries from Edward Casey and William McNeil sealed a deserved victory for Radley.

“They have such a good catch and drive so there was always that threat that if you slip off a few tackles and get your discipline wrong, they could easily get in,” said Taylor.

“For us to keep on going and show resilience was really pleasing.

“I thought we played some pretty decent rugby and got the balance just about right of trying to play and trying to manage field position.

“I’m pleased we saw some pretty good tries and some out wide as opposed to just pick and goes against Millfield (in the semi-finals), so there was a good balance.”

Taylor promised the side a few pizzas at their end of season wash-up, but his immediate celebrations had to be put on hold.

“I’m a deputy housemaster so I’m straight back on duty,” he added. “I’ll be going to chapel at 7pm and up until midnight making sure they’re not messing around in the boarding house.

“But we’ll definitely find a time to look back on a great season as a group.”

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