U12 Monaco Sevens 2025 Tour report

24 teams from around the globe were invited to participate at the Saint Dévote Rugby Tournament in the glorious Principality of Monaco and a selection of our Cobham Under 11s and 12s were hand-picked to fly the flag for England.

What transpired over the few days that the boys played in Monaco was truly special. The months of preparation, planning and extra training sessions all expertly overseen by the coaches and fresh off their recent success at our home sevens tournament earlier in the month, the boys went into the competition full of confidence and excitement.

With the sun beating down on the pitch below, the opening ceremony was truly spectacular as the boys circled the Stade Louis II, watched on by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène - the tone was set for two days of glorious rugby.

Match one was against a brilliant and well drilled Belgium team, but once the nerves calmed and we settled into our passing game, we soon took control and were worthy 4-3 winners in a hard fought match. Tries from Jago (2), Aaron and Andrew with Joshua and Jake expertly orchestrating our attacking play from the middle (a theme throughout the tournament), set the tone for the day. Next came one of the highlights of the tour, a chance to take on New Zealand and really prove our credentials. As the boys faced off and watched the Kiwis passionately perform the haka (an event that will live long in the memory for all those in the stadium), we soon found ourselves 1-0 down to a well-crafted try.

However, as the boys have done time and time again on their journey, they regrouped, calmed themselves and soon started to dominate and scored two very well worked tries from Jay and Aaron, that showcased their ball-handling and speed of passing, helped by some ferocious tackling, defensive stability and range of distribution from Noah, Henry, Max and Ronan. We thoroughly deserved the 2-1 win.

Next came Georgia and by this time we were full of confidence and really starting to showcase our team spirit and belief in what we were capable of. A totally dominant 8-0 win soon followed with more tries from Aaron (3), Max (2), Jago, Henry and Ronan and with Georgia unable to live with the pace of Archie and Oscar, meant we had topped our group and were heading to Saturday's quarter-final buoyant.

A good night's sleep and a refuelling of the bodies was next on the itinerary and we were raring to go on Saturday, only to discover we were up against Belgium again - a tough opponent and a team we knew would be keen for revenge. A quick start and try from the ever electric Aaron down the wing gave us the platform to try and control the game, but Belgium soon started to control the tempo and we found ourselves 2-1 down with seconds left to play...not on Archie's watch, as he tore down the right hand side with the penultimate action of the game, running the length of the pitch, to ensure we drew the game, and went through to the semi-finals having won more games and topping our group the previous day.

We were then faced in the semi-final by a superbly talented USA team and what followed could have been the performance of the tournament by us. Spearheaded by our captain Max's hat-trick, another from Aaron and to a player, zero missed tackles, we found ourselves in the final after a simply stunning 4-0 win.

Cobham/England/our boys...finalists in an international tournament! When the 22 other teams formed a guard of honour for the two finalists, as the fireworks and flames went off and as the national anthems were sung with passion and gusto, there was not a dry eye in the stadium. Inches away from the first try, we were then pegged back by an awesome French team (Montpellier) who deserved their 2-0 win, but knew that they had been in a real battle. What a tournament, what a bunch of boys and what exceptional coaches we have.

Some things are just too special to put into words and give it the credit it deserves, but what was clear from the off is that these boys are a remarkable and unique team that have forged lifelong memories and friendships that only a rugby club like Cobham can produce. They were exemplary on and off the pitch and did themselves, the club, their parents and their devoted coaches proud.

The Saint Dévote Rugby Tournament runners-up 2025: Aaron Mace, Henry Cunningham, Noah Turner, Max Ashton, Jago Craddock, Andrew Wolff, Jake McGlashan, Ronan O'Hare, Jay Kumar, Joshua Fraser, Archie Pettican, Oscar Snead

Coaches: Owen Ashton, Jeff Mace & Matt Pettican

A huge thanks to our tour sponsors Claremont Design & Build, Virtual Tech Associates⁩, Surrey foot service⁩ and the Braemer AllStars.

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