Grand Slam prize for England Under 21s
26th March 04
England's U 21s created a bit of history in France on Friday evening, winning their first ever Six Nations Grand Slam 25-18 in Brive.
In front of a very vocal crowd of some 5,000, England were never going to accept anything less than victory and their success sent a positive message north to Paris where the England world champions are set for their RBS 6 Nations Championship show down against France on Saturday night.
After France had opened the scoring with a 14th minute penalty England started to deliver with a try from Bath hooker Rob Hawkins, converted by Brad Davies of Gloucester to lead 7-3.
Davies had been a late replacement for Quins fly half Adrian Jarvis who hasn't fully recovered from a leg injury sustained in the last game against Wales.
England wasted no time in adding to their points when Quins centre Chris Bell touched down again converted by Davies.
France managed a try to bring the half time score to 14-8 and immediately put England under pressure at the start of the second half with a penalty.
London Wasps flanker Tom Rees (a late replacement for injured Leicester Tigers flanker Will Skinner) responded minutes later with a try, allowing England to stretch their lead to 19-11.
Ross Laidlaw of London Irish came off the bench to replace Brad Davies and managed a penalty 30 minutes into the second half but the French stayed in contention eight minutes later with a try from their centre, converted by the full back.
So with minutes to go before the final whistle the French were only 4 points adrift from England.
However at 40 minutes Ross Laidlaw secured his second penalty to bring the final score to 25-18 and England's proud U21s had achieved the Grand Slam in Brive, deep in the geographical heart of French rugby.
From a jubilant England changing room U21 manager, Peter Drewett felt his players deserved to savour the moment.
He said: "That was great rugby tonight and these players deserve a lot of credit for what was a very keenly contested match that demonstrated skill and ambition from both sides. I hope this proves a real springboard for these young players careers."
Drewett felt the England captain deserved special credit.
"Clive Stuart-Smith has shown total commitment throughout the championships and has kept the side together and well controlled and that's no mean feat for any captain," he said. "The last 3 games have proved to be incredibly tough challenges but have made it a very special year for us. These young players have shown they can think correctly under pressure and this really has been a very special day for one and all."
The England U21s now look forward to the World Championships in June that will be held in Scotland.
Drewett is convinced tonight's success will not bring any complacency with it.
He said: "What this gives us is a solid foundation to build on for the World Championships. There's still a lot to do before June but winning the Grand Slam helps us on our way. What's clear to me though is that these players have got to this point thanks to their regional academies and club directors of rugby. We are very aware of this and clearly grateful."
ENGLAND
15. Jon Clarke, Northampton Saints
14. James Bailey, Bristol Shoguns
13. Chris Bell, NEC Harlequins
12. Andy Reay, NEC Harlequins
11. Marcel Garvey, Gloucester
10. Brad Davies, Gloucester
9. Clive Stuart-Smith, Leeds Tykes (captain)
1. Nick Wood, Gloucester
2. Rob Hawkins, Bath
3. Tom Warren, Worcester
4. James Percival, Worcester
5. Christian Day, Sale Sharks
6. Ben Russell, Saracens
7. Tom Rees, London Wasps
8. Ben Skirving, Saracens
Replacements
16. Stuart Friswell, Leicester Tigers
17. Aston Croall, Saracens
18. Geoff Parling, Newcastle Falcons
19. Luke Narraway, Gloucester
20. Richard Wigglesworth, Sale Sharks
21. Ross Laidlaw, London Irish
22. Henry Barratt, NEC Harlequins
England Scorers: Tries - Rob Hawkins; Chris Bell; Tom Rees; Con - Davies (2); Pen - Laidlaw (2)
