County quartet help England Under 16s to win

27/04/14   by Paul Bolton

England sealed their second win of the season, after last week’s victory over Scotland, thanks to An Alistair Crossdale converted try just before the break which them a lead that they clung onto in an exciting and nail biting contest.

Wales controlled the first half but a quick tap and go penalty by Nick Isiekwe after 30 minutes kept England in the game before Crossdale nudged them ahead.

The 2,000 strong crowd enjoyed moments of individual brilliance by players from both sides and it was electric running and footwork by wing Gabriel Ibitoye which gave England their only try of the second half.

Head Coach Steve Shortland said: “I am pleased for the boys because they have worked incredibly hard. Obviously we are delighted with the outcome but this programme is about development not results. Over the last week we have encouraged the boys to focus on getting the processes right, knowing that the score would then take care of itself.

“We struggled to get momentum and phase play in the first half. At the break we talked about the need to get the forwards into slightly wider channels and to create the space for our dominant runners to get the ball in hand. Our tries were scored by individual flare at crucial moments and got us out of jail.

“Full credit to Wales for the way they played today. It must have been tough on them going in two points down at half time. The game was very close and could have gone either way. It was a great challenge for both teams.”