HEAD of rugby Adrian Ford felt King’s School’s unrelenting set-piece pressure was the key to success as they won the Modus Challenge Cup at a rain-soaked Sixways.

HOW IT HAPPENED: ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL 7-22 KING'S SCHOOL - MODUS CHALLENGE CUP

CUP PICTURE GALLERY

Royal Grammar School were looking to win the annual clash for a third successive year but struggled at the lineout and King’s took their chances when they came.

Wing Alex Lowe struck just before half-time before a penalty try at the start of the second half gave King’s a 15-0 advantage.

With centre Owen Preston in the sin-bin, RGS made their numerical advantage count with a try from lock Joseph Mourino.

But King’s sealed a 22-7 victory in front of 3,225 spectators thanks to a superb solo score from centre Willem Humphries.

“When you have lost two years in a row you are desperate not to make it three,” Ford said.

“Even when we were a man down, we managed to keep the pressure on in the set-piece and just kept calm which was important on a night like this.

“We put a lot of pressure on their lineout which gave us a lot of ball and we took our opportunities when they came.

“The set-piece was key to winning.”

RGS’s ill-discipline at the breakdown also cost them early on as Preston opened the scoring with a fourth-minute penalty.

James Mann missed a long-range kick that would have levelled the scores but RGS wanted more than that as they camped out in King’s School’s half.

They applied plenty of pressure, but inaccuracy let them down with Angus Rees running into a team-mate as he tried to wriggle through.

There was little between the two sides until Ollie Berlet produced a moment of magic one minute before the interval.

The fly-half showed great awareness and touch in tricky conditions to poke the ball through to Lowe who gathered and dived over.

While the first try was down to brilliance from the backs the second was all about pack power.

With 46 minutes on the clock, King’s looked set to score as they drove towards the line before the maul was collapsed and referee Lex Allan awarded them a penalty try.

Facing a 15-point deficit RGS had it all do but they refused to give in as midfield duo Mann and Flynn Vries spearheaded several attacks.

Shortly after Preston saw yellow for a high tackle, RGS finally got off the mark. Tim Haggitt did brilliantly to kick the ball through to James Aikman who was stopped short following a fantastic cover tackle. RGS then recycled the ball and Mourino finished under the posts.

A quickly-taken Mann conversion got RGS within seven points of King’s School.

But Humphries settled the contest when he skipped through a gap and sprinted home for a superb try that Berlet converted.

RGS head of rugby Simon McGarry-Cross was disappointed with his side’s first-half discipline and inability to gain field position in the second period.

“Conceding a try at the end of the first half was a killer and the first score after half-time was crucial,” McGarry-Cross added.

“We probably didn’t fire as many shots as I would have liked.

“I thought King’s were very smart and played the ball in the right areas. They did very well.

“But this group has still had the best start to a term in probably 20 years.

“There is lots to play for so hopefully we will come back firing after half-term.”