WOODHOUSE Grove under-18s rugby union team are just one game away from the prestigious Schools Cup final at Twickenham.

The Apperley Bridge-based school have reached the semi-finals of the national competition in March next year.

They will face Warwick School at Premiership club Saracens' Allianz Park on March 9 after winning their recent quarter-final against Wirral Grammar.

The match was played in testing conditions at Wirral Rugby Club but the Grove’s grit and determination paid off with a 27-16 win.

Last year, the Grove under-18s won the Plate Final but the team have their sights on the Cup itself this season.

Coach Joe Bedford, a former Leeds Carnegie, Rotherham Titans and Newport Gwent Dragons player, said: "The boys have been outstanding this term. Getting through to the semi-final is a great reward for the amount of effort they have put in.

"We are extremely proud of them to have made history by getting this far but the big prize of being able to play at Twickenham in a final is up for grabs and we will be doing all we can to get there.

"The match against Wirral Grammar School was always going to be a tough challenge and the conditions were poor. However, the boys showed a huge amount of character, stayed focused and got the job done.

"We scored four tries to their one and we only conceded in the last play of the game. The defensive effort was superb and we were very clinical in the final third of the pitch.

"We didn't want the season to end and now we can continue to build towards the semi-final in March."

The side includes James Whitcombe, from Keighley, and Joe Carpenter, who have been selected to represent England under-18s and have been instrumental in the cup run.

Both are part of the Grove athlete education programme, which supports pupils who have featured at international, national, regional or county level, or who have been signed by a professional academy.

Whitcombe is part of the Leicester Tigers Academy while Carpenter is at Yorkshire Carnegie.

Grove's earlier wins in the competition came against Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield and King’s School, Macclesfield before beating Royal Grammar School, Newcastle 21-13.