Perhaps most importantly, there is a huge cultural weight placed on rugby.
St Joseph’s first team are presented with their festival shirts at a special assembly before singing, some in tears, to the rest of the school.
“It really is as close as you can get to a professional experience or lifestyle, without actually being paid for it,” says Wenham.
The RFU has a network of rugby managers to try to embed the game in state schools.
Sixteen of the best compete in the ACE (Academy, Colleges and Education) League. England internationals George Martin, Joe Heyes and Harry Randall all rose up through that route.
But, those institutions are thinly spread and tight on resources.
Private schools, where fees can exceed £50,000 a year, will always have more to invest.
They are not entirely closed shops, however. You can attend, even if you can’t pay.
Because top rugby-playing private schools don’t just spend on facilities, they also invest in talent, offering highly sought-after scholarships and bursaries which can dramatically reduce fees.
So, while England captain Maro Itoje finished his education at Harrow, bumping up the team’s percentage of private-school attendees, he arrived there at 16 on a scholarship from St Georges, a state school in Hertfordshire.
Ollie Lawrence and Tom and Ben Curry similarly finished their education in the private sector, after being awarded scholarships.
St Joseph’s recent success story is Emmanuel Iyogun, who now plays for Northampton and has represented England A. He arrived on a scholarship from Woodlands School, a state school in Essex.
England international Anthony Watson and his former club and country team-mate Beno Obano, who went to Dulwich College on a scholarship at 16, valued such schemes so highly they set up their own, funding Harlan Hines’ switch from a state school in south-east London to Marlborough College in 2022.
A large proportion of England’s elite players may emerge out of private schools, but their talent wasn’t necessarily born in them.
There may be fewer scholarships on offer in the future though.
Since January, VAT has been payable on school fees.
The move, which the government predicts will raise billions for state schools, has put pressure on private school’s registers and balance sheets alike.
Various figures in the industry have predicted that scholarships may have to be squeezed.
As headmaster of Mount Kelly School, a private school in Devon, Guy Ayling is already making difficult decisions around awards for pupils.
“Bursaries and scholarships have a cost attached,” he says. “That is the bottom line. They are costs like food, utilities and teacher salaries, and it is therefore something we have to consider.
“It is the way of the world moving forward; there is potentially going to be less money in the system and when there is less money in the system, you don’t spend as much, including on helping families with financial assistance.”
Fewer scholarships would mean more kids in George Paul’s position.
The 23-year-old grew up in Peterborough. He played at Wisbech rugby club, but as he and his ambitions grew in the game, he wanted more rugby than his school would provide.
He had a scholarship offer at Wisbech Grammar, a nearby independent school, but with family finances and siblings to consider he didn’t take it up.
Instead, aged 15 and finding his club side weakened as other talented kids switched into the private school system, he chased competitive rugby through a different route.
