Scottish Universities 0
England Students 42

THEOLOGY student Michael Rickner needed no divine intervention as he capped a dream debut by leading England Students to a six-try hammering of Scottish Universities tonight.

The Exeter University blind side flanker scored two of England’s six tries while wing Andrew Wright collected a first-half brace that set his side up for an emphatic victory at a wet and windy Lasswade.

Twenty-year-old third year student Rickner said: “It was difficult conditions and you couldn’t do much else in this wind but to keep hold of the ball. We have trained hard for two days since coming together and we wanted to play some rugby and it paid off. There was a lot of enthusiasm and energy from the guys.”

Wright, who showed he has speed as well as a 6ft 3ins presence, added: “It was good to keep them to nil and everyone is pretty happy. We tried to keep the tempo up and run everything.”

England now meet Irish Colleges at Henley next Friday and coach Steve Hill was delighted that his team had bounced back from their 45-9 defeat to France in Tournon a fortnight ago.

“I’m very pleased, especially considering the difficult conditions. We adapted very well in the first half, kept the ball in hand and were patient,” said Hill. “A number of players really put their hands up tonight and we will try and keep as many of this squad together as we can. We know Irish Colleges are going to be tough. They put 40 points on this team (Scottish Universities) in Belfast so I think it will be a very equal match up next weekend.”

England played the first half conditions perfectly for a 14-0 lead, keeping the ball moving through hands against a howling wind in their faces.

With the forwards dominant and Rickner, man-of-the-match open side Michael Denbee and No 8 Thomas Booth acting as link men, they kept possession and allowed Thomas Hockedy some early runs down the left wing.

Wright grabbed his first try after 10 minutes when Hartpury College fly-half Tristan Roberts broke through the middle and centre Philip Ellis linked with jack-in-a-box No 9 Dominic Shaw and Bath University full-back Christopher Ashwin, who came into the line to provide the final pass.

England’s ‘keep-ball’ tactics paid off with Wright collecting his second try in the 29th minute when impressive hooker Mathew Cross put him away and he beat his defender on the outside to touch down behind the posts. 

They were helped by the sinbinning of Scotland left wing Timmy Bergin for tackling a player without using his arms while their own Plymouth University and Albion flanker Denbee saw yellow in the second half for playing the ball on the floor with his hands.

By then England had came out firing with Adrian Griffiths winning a line-out and Rickner emerging with the ball after a driving maul to the line.

England made wholesale changes in the 56th minute and one of them – Peter Clarke – was the immediate beneficiary when he dropped down on the ball from a pushover scrum.

Toby Henry, who played for England Universities when they recorded a 73-11 win over the same opponents in 2006, collected England’s fifth try when he was put clear down the wing.

Roberts added his sixth inch-perfect conversion to Rickner’s second try two minutes from time.

Scottish Universities: J Manning (Glasgow Caledonian); J Geddie (Edinburgh),  P Saunders (Heriot Watt), M Mcallister (capt, Heriot Watt), T Bergin (Aberdeen); D O’Hagan (QMUC), G McRorie (Stirling); G Holmes (Aberdeen), C Samuel (Stirling), N McAuley (Strathclyde), M Jenkinson (Dundee), J Rupar (Aberdeen), A Thomson (Glasgow), S Dryer (Dundee), M Wylie (Aberdeen). Replacements: G Hume (Heriot Watt) for McRorie 53, J McKinnel (St Andrews) for Thomson 58, W Butler (Edinburgh) for Samuel 63, M Lewis (St Andrews) for O’Hagan 65, S Service (Glasgow) for Geddie 65, D Dunnett (Aberdeen) for Wylie 66.

Sin-binned: Bergin 19-29

England Students: C Ashwin (Bath University); A Wright (Loughborough University), T Gregory (Oxford University), P Ellis (Hertfordshire University), T Hockedy (Exeter University); T Roberts (UWE Hartpury), D Shaw (Newcastle University); R Whitehall (UWE Hartpury), M Cross (Loughborough University), R Lutton (Oxford University), A Griffiths (Bath University), P Browne (Durham University), M Rickner (capt, Exeter University), M Denbee (Plymouth University), T Booth (Bath University). Replacements: J Moyce (St Mary’s) for Cross 50, T Henry (Oxford University) for Shaw 56, R Anderson (Imperial Medics) for Griffiths 56, P Clarke (Oxford University) for Booth 56, T Stevenson (UWE Hartpury) for Ashwin 56, T Fidler (Bath University) for Whitehall 63, D Locke (Northumbria University) for Hockedy 70.

Sin-binned: Denbee 45-55

Scorers: Tries: Wright 2, Rickner 2, Clarke, Henry; Cons: Roberts 6

Referee:  C Lafon (France)