Verulam School is in the draw for the semi-final of the biggest rugby league knockout tournament in the world.

The Year 9 team beat Egglesfield School 44-20 to reach the last four of the Champion Schools tournament.

Launching in 2002 by the RFL and the English Schools Rugby League, the competition is open to every secondary school in England, Wales and Scotland and this year saw 1,678 teams and over 27,000 players took part.

Verulam School used the St Albans Centurions’ home ground, The Colosseum, to play the semi-final. Despite eventually running out comfortable winners, Egglesfield could have run away with the game in the first half but Verulam blew them away in the second.

St Albans Centurions chairman Brian Parker said: “It was great to see two young teams from different parts of the country come together at our ground to play a national quarter-final. The team from Verulam did very well, their heads did not go down as they were being beaten, and they fought back to win what was a very enjoyable game.”

Parker also joked “ We’d like to think that their victory had something to do with the fact that an ex-Cents player and a current Cents coach both teach at Verulam school and coach the team.”

The win crowned Verulam as the London and South East champions.