The Rugby Dinner featured inspirational speeches, startling statistics and honours for all ages – but most of all, the evening was about celebrating the love of a great game.
Hundreds of boys from across the year groups gathered in the Shearly Hall for a programme that included the eagerly awaited announcement of the QE Rugby Team of the Year.
And guest speaker, Old Elizabethan Max Hassell (2002–2009) gave a stirring address, urging today’s QE players: “Remember, you’re not just representing yourself and your teammates, but a long line of former pupils who have made that shirt what it is today…Whatever you put in, rugby – and this School – will give back to you tenfold. And whatever you do, please don’t lose to Habs!”
Headmaster Neil Enright afterwards lauded a “brilliant” evening. “Rugby’s core values of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship are what makes the game special for those who enjoy the environment and culture they create,” he said. “They resonate deeply with the mission of Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet which is to produce young men who are confident, able and responsible.”
During the dinner, attendees also learned about the benefits of schools rugby – that, for example, 69% of players reported being more confident, according to research.
They were told that so far this season, more than 400 pupils had represented QE across some 22 different teams.
There were presentations of prizes for boys in Years 7–11, for the Second XV and for the First XV. Awards went to: the Most improved player; Players’ player (for both the A and B teams in Years 7–11); and Player of the season.
The achievements of boys awarded their Senior Colours were celebrated, while there was also praise for the Sports Leaders – senior pupils whose contribution has included managing Year 7 boys in their rugby fixtures, as well as coaching training on Friday afternoons.
Guest speaker Max recalled growing up within earshot of the School: “I could hear the firsts and second teams playing on a Saturday afternoon from my garden, and as odd as it may sound, dreamt one day it would be me on those pitches.”
His dream was realised a few years later when he won a place at QE. While in Year 7, he idolised sixth-former Aaron Liffchak (OE 1996–2003), the “England U18 star of the School”. Some years later, Aaron coached Max “to a silver medal in one of my proudest-ever life achievements – representing Great Britain Rugby at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, an international sports tournament held every for four years for Jewish athletes from all around the word, second in size only to the Olympics and Commonwealth Games”.
Max had played for the School, the county and the University of Bristol, and he had had “the honour of both representing my country and captaining my current club, Saracens Amateurs”.
His talent was recognised at an early stage, as he was made Year 7 captain. “I remember we had an almost unbeaten season, winning every game except a narrow 3-0 loss to St Albans. I’m proud to remember I have never lost to Habs [QE’s traditional friendly rugby rival, Haberdashers’ Boys’ School]!”
The evening culminated with the naming of the following boys, drawn from across the School, for the QE Rugby Team of the Year, 2025–2026.
- Starting forwards: Thinuka Geeganage Kapugama, U16; Dhamma Singappuli, U15; Ashar Khan, U13; Vivann Reddy, U13; Cyrus Kiani, U13; Alfie Enderby, U14; Daniel Ogidi, U15; Esa Aslam, U16
- Starting backs: Victor Varbanov, First XV (Year 12); Andy Hasanaj, U14; Aarush Mehta, U13; Jake Owens, First XV (Year 13); Yashwant Reddy Sunkara, First XV (Year 12); Jerry Ju, U14; Carl Nkouka-Backa, U13.
- Replacements: Marcus Ingal, U14; Nazif Ashik, U12; Sachin Saddi, U14; Ronith Bala, U16; Oscar Kaltenbronn, First XV (Year 12); Emile Uju, U14; Edward Corcoran, U12; George Dhapre, U15.
The evening ended with a video highlights package from the year, plus some humorous segments, put together by Neelesh Fotedar, of Year 11.
The starting team of the year attended the Gallagher PREM fixture between Saracens and Newcastle Red Bulls the following day.
Click on the thumbnails to view the images.
Active since the 1970s in promoting classical liberal ideas, he decried what he saw as the recent decline in American democracy, but expressed his beliefs that, with the application of optimism it can be successfully renewed, and that all democracies must constantly look to renewal to avoid decline and collapse.
The invitation to QE came about after Senior Vice-Captain Vu-Lam Le-Nguyen met Dr Palmer at an event organised by the John Locke Institute. QE’s well-attended talk in The Robert Dudley Studio was organised by Vu-Lam and his fellow Year 12 student, Keshav Aggarwal.
A development economist by training, he explained how important it is to understand local culture and context to create appropriate policies. Local knowledge and processes might not make immediate sense to an outsider, but there are often good reasons for those processes, perhaps based on local geography. You cannot just impose western methods and expect them to work, he said.
The new independent school, which will open in August 2026, will be in Gurugram – a satellite city of Delhi in the northern Indian state of Haryana that is known as a financial and technology hub.
QE Barnet Headmaster Neil Enright said: “We are delighted to have this opportunity to offer a rounded and enriching QE education to children in India, spreading opportunity and supporting students to become the leaders of their generation. Our school in Barnet is built upon the high levels of aspiration, dedication and active engagement of our Elizabethan community, and these are values that we think will resonate strongly in Gurugram.
Caroline Pendleton-Nash, Chief Executive Officer of Queen Elizabeth’s Global Schools, said, “The opening of Queen Elizabeth’s School in Gurugram is another landmark moment for our organisation.
Head of Digital Teaching and Learning Michael Noonan said: “We recognise the importance of digital literacy and critical thinking – and this competition is very effective at developing both.
“Their QE journey has been a fantastically successful one; they have been chosen to be form captains, sports captains, junior prefects, and now senior prefects. Their talents were obvious from their first year with us, and they have picked a number of prizes at our awards ceremonies over the years.”