March 20, 2008

England Under 16s 12 Wales Under 16s 13

England suffered their first defeat at Under 16 level since 2003 when a late penalty by Wales fly half Diggy Bird won the opening match of the Four Nations Tournament in France.

The match at Bourgoin’s Stade Pierre Rajon slipped away from England despite a strong start when, capitalising on initial Welsh nervousness, they built a 12-0 lead with tries by wings Sam Edgerley and Alex Lewington.

Bird kicked a penalty before half-time to trim England’s lead to 12-3. And the outcome was settled by a second-half try by Wales’s replacement No.8, Daniel Baker, converted by Bird who added the decisive penalty from 40 metres out, five minutes from the end.

Edgerley’s try after 10 minutes began at a lineout from which England won the ensuing ruck. Fly half George Ford combined with his inside centre and captain Owen Farrell who delivered a double miss pass to Edgerley and the Wellington College left wing beat two men, handed off the last defender and scored in the corner.

With 22 minutes gone right wing Lewington intercepted and ran 40 metres for England’s second try which Ford converted though he had missed the conversion of Edgerley’s score and was also off target with a couple of penalties; Farrell also attempted a penalty from close to halfway which fell just short.

“It was that sort of match, it didn’t quite go for us,” said George Squires, England Under 16 team manager. “We played poorly after a good start and shot ourselves in the foot.

“We should have been 20 points clear by half-time and the boys are devastated, they know they didn’t perform. But these are good young players and they will learn from this.”

England lost pack leader Chris Walker to possible concussion and Squires feared the openside flanker’s tournament may be over.

With two big and strong sides in the U17 teams of Italy and France awaiting in the remaining matches, England know the Four Nations Tournament is unlikely to get any easier.

England Under 16: J Cobden (King Edward VI Lichfield & Staffordshire); A Lewington (Nottingham High School & Notts, Lincs and Derbyshire); S Stuart (Sedbergh School & Yorkshire), O Farrell (St George’s School Harpenden & Hertfordshire, capt), S Edgerley (Wellington College & Surrey); G Ford (Rishworth School & Yorkshire), R Glynn (Sedbergh School & Lancashire); M Hearn (Helston Community College & Cornwall), M Haywood (Tendring Tech College & Eastern Counties), H Allen (Hurstmere School & Kent), J Tyas (Brighton College & Sussex), S Twomey (St Wilfrid’s RC School & Sussex), J Bache (St Peter’s High School & Essex), C Walker (Settle College & Yorkshire), S Jones (Aylesbury Grammar School & Buckinghamshire). Replacements: A Davies (Lymm High School & Cheshire) for Glynn, H Thomas (Millfield School & Somerset) for Hearn, M Kvesic (Blundell’s School & Devon) for Jones, J Atkinson (Churcher’s College & Hampshire) for Bache. Not used: J Whybrow (King Edward VI Five Ways School & North Midlands), J Elliott (Bedford School & East Midlands), T Heathcote (Bishop Wordsworth’s School & Dorset and Wiltshire), S Stanley (William Edwards School & Essex), G Bee (Bishop of Hereford Bluecoat School & North Midlands), K McCartney (Wanstead School & Essex), B Vernon (Hutton Grammar School & Lancashire).

Tries:  Edgerley, Lewington; Con: Ford.

Wales Under 16:

Try: Baker; Con: Bird; Pens: Bird 2.

Four Nations Tournament 2008 fixtures:

Thursday March 20:

England U16 12 Wales U16 13 (Stade Pierre Rajon, Bourgoin, 5pm)

France U17 v Italy U17 (Stade Pierre Rajon, Bourgoin, 6.30pm)

Sunday March 23:

England U16 v Italy U17 (Stade Jean Etcheberry, Vienne, 3pm)

France U17 v Wales U16 (Stade Jean Etcheberry, Vienne, 4.30pm)

Wednesday March 26:

Wales U16 v Italy U17 (Stade Vuillermet, Lyon, 5pm)

France U17 v England U16 (Stade Vuillermet, Lyon, 6.30pm)

Ends