Captain Ben Woollams could not lead Epsom College to success at this year’s Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools Sevens, but he insists they will emerge stronger for the experience.

Epsom made the perfect start, winning all four of their group games, and both games in the quarter-final group.

However, a 21-12 semi-final pool game defeat to eventual winners Bedford proved crucial in denying them a place in the final.

Woollams, 18, said: “Of course we want to win but that is not always possible, so we’re happy to just come and perform well.

“Having said that, we class anything other than winning as a disappointment so we need to go away and figure out how we can be better.

“The atmosphere was incredible there are so many teams and that really makes it special.

“It’s really important to play these sides and to test yourself against a lot of different teams.

“These tournaments are hard and they make you a better player.”

The Epsom College girls’ U18s failed to progress out of their group, but 17-year-old captain Ellie Lee believes it is more about taking part than winning.

She said: “We were one of the most inexperienced teams there. But it was quite fun and that was the most important thing.

“We just tried to enjoy it more than anything and let everyone get some experience.

“We hopefully became a better team because of this tournament.

“It’s a really good atmosphere and it’s busy with teams from all over the place. You learn so much from playing and how other teams play.”

HSBC is proud to sponsor the world’s largest schools rugby tournament. All HSBC’s rugby sponsorships aim to help develop and grow the sport and ensure even more youngsters get involved with rugby. For more information visit rpns7.co.uk