March 26, 2008

France U17 24 England U16 24

England Under 16 let slip a 17-point lead in an otherwise creditable 24-24 draw with the hosts France in the final match of the Four Nations Tournament in Lyon this evening.

The French were fielding an Under 17 side on average eight months older than England’s, who, as in their previous two matches of the tournament, were unable to register a single point in the second half.

Left wing Sam Edgerley raced to two tries in the opening eight minutes, and was followed over the line by hooker Michael Haywood and right wing Alex Lewington as England built an interval lead of 24-7.

But England suffered a heavy penalty count against them in this match and during the tournament, with some questionable decisions at the scrummage and contact area, and France pegged them back to level with a converted try in the last minute.

A double penalty against England from a midfield offside was a particularly baffling call to the visiting coaches this evening.

Nevertheless England 16 Group lead coach Gareth Rees was a proud man as he bowed out after four years in the role, and five years as an assistant coach before that.

“A lot of these boys have shown in their skill level, application and desire that they will be seen again in similar arenas,” said an emotional Rees after the final whistle at the Stade Vuillermet in south-east Lyon.

“In my nine years with the 16 Group we have always set out a framework which allows the players to develop and express themselves. There will always be times when they might come unstuck but they have to build the confidence to back themselves as they grow in the game.

“My thoughts after this evening are with the players because they tried so hard to make tweaks in a fairly unstructured game plan in order to win this Test match.

“I couldn’t have asked more in terms of commitment and their attempts to do the right things in the right areas of the field.”

Good footwork through the middle by centre Sam Stuart set up Edgerley’s first try; from the breakdown fly half George Ford – watched by his father, Mike, the senior England defence coach – put Edgerley in at the left corner.

Edgerley’s second was more of an individual effort, with Ford converting.

And when Haywood peeled off a driving maul to score in the corner, England led 17-0 after 17 minutes.

France replied with a converted try, then the home side spilled the ball attempting to clear up a kick in behind and Lewington ran through to score, with Ford’s conversion making it 24-7.

Two converted tries by France in the second half, with a penalty goal in between, made it all-square by the end.

“The boys tried like hell, they really did, against a big, physical French side,” said George Squires, England U16 team manager. “We were pegged back in the second half but the boys never let their heads drop.”

The Four Nations Tournament was won by Wales U16, who scored five tries in a 41-15 defeat of Italy U17 in Lyon earlier today.

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), J Bache (St Peter’s High School & Essex), J Atkinson (Churcher’s College & Hampshire), B Vernon (Hutton Grammar School & Lancashire), S Jones (Aylesbury Grammar School & Buckinghamshire). Replacements: K McCartney (Wanstead School & Essex) for Hearn, S Twomey (St Wilfrid’s RC School & Sussex) for Bache, M Kvesic (Blundell’s School & Devon). Not used: G Bee (Bishop of Hereford Bluecoat School & North Midlands), H Thomas (Millfield School & Somerset), A Davies (Lymm High School & Cheshire), T Heathcote (Bishop Wordsworth’s School & Dorset and Wiltshire), S Stanley (William Edwards School & Essex), J Elliott (Bedford School & East Midlands), J Whybrow (King Edward VI Five Ways School & North Midlands).

Tries: Edgerley 2, Haywood, Lewington; Cons: Ford 2.

Four Nations Tournament 2008 results:

Thursday March 20:

England U16 v Wales U16 12-13 (Stade Pierre Rajon, Bourgoin)

France U17 v Italy U17 54-0 (Stade Pierre Rajon, Bourgoin)

Sunday March 23:

England U16 v Italy U17 12-3 (Stade Jean Etcheberry, Vienne)

France U17 v Wales U16 16-17 (Stade Jean Etcheberry, Vienne)

Wednesday March 26:

Wales U16 v Italy U17 41-15 (Stade Vuillermet, Lyon)

France U17 v England U16 24-24 (Stade Vuillermet, Lyon)

Ends