Inside NSB - the state school at the top of English rugby union
Next, they head to the gym for a 30-minute strength and conditioning session, before grabbing a quick breakfast, changing into their school uniform and heading to their first lesson. This is just the start of a typical week for students who play rugby at Northampton School for Boys, also known as NSB, who are attempting to win a schools league and cup double in rugby union this season. They have recently been crowned the best rugby school in England, finishing top in the Daily Mail Trophy, a merit-table competition played during the autumn term by some of the biggest senior schools in the country, many of which are private, such as renowned rugby nurseries Sedbergh and Wellington College.
As the first state-school team to finish top in the history of the competition, which kicked off in 2013, NSB are bucking the trend. According to Department for Education statistics, in the 2024-25 academic year, 6. 4% of pupils in England attended independent schools.
Meanwhile, 26 members (63%) of England's wider 2026 Six Nations squad of 41 players went to independent fee-paying schools. NSB are hoping to complete the double this season when they play Epsom College in the Under-18 Continental Tyres Cup final at Twickenham on 19 March, while they have also reached the national schools cup final in two other age groups. The school has 19 players in Northampton Saints' under-18 academy, another 21 players in the under-16 foundation stage, and has seven under-18 internationals.
Past NSB players include England internationals Steve Thompson, Courtney Lawes and Ollie Sleightholme. "The culture here is what stands out," said Kai Campbell, one of the players. "Everything here is earned.
At private schools the facilities are provided, but here there are no silver spoons, we have to put the work in. " Prop Aidan Reid - one of English rugby's rising stars and in the current England Under-18 squad - moved from fee-paying Bedford School to NSB a few years ago. "We don't have the facilities, but we have coaches and parents that care, who ultimately want to be the best and compete," Reid said.