photo by Ian Lovell

A spirited performance by the Wales under 16s wasn't enough to subdue a very solid English outfit.

Prompted by the classy half back pairing of Lee Williams and Cain Southernwood, England scored 9 tries to none.  This was a bit unflattering to the Welsh lads, who tried hard until tiring in the last 20 minutes.

A crowd of just under 500 attended, including the Mayoress of Caerphilly, and of course the obligatory stray dog who decided to line up in the English backline for the 1st five minutes. Rousing versions of "Land of Hope and Glory", followed by the Welsh anthem,  and even "Advance Australia Fair" for out down under friends heralded the start of the game.

After early Welsh pressure, where Captain Tom Beaumont nearly made the line, England struck with two tries in 5 minutes, by Southernwood, and English captain Liam Hulme. Wales then settled down and for the next 20 minutes, play swung too and fro with near misses at both ends.  Kriss Wilkes, the Welsh fullback especially involved. Wales, though showed their in-experience by running the sixth tackle, and attacking too near the touchline, but of course it is all part of the learning curve.

The stalemate was broken, by a try by winger Jordan Burke, which made for a 16-0 half time score.

With the 2nd half, as the Welsh lads tired, Lee Williams started to run the show, and the cracks began to appear.  A pair of tries by prop James Donaldson, along with one by James Rimmer stretched the lead to 30-0. Even though the likes of David Povey and Ian Marshall tried valiantly to stem the tide, tries by Richard Lepori, Matthew Sarsfield, and a solo effort by hooker Adam Milner, soon followed.

A couple of conversions by Burke, lead to a final 46-0 win for the English lads.

Wales: Kriss Wilkes, Nathan Davies, David Povey, Liam Kennedy, Kyle Blakemore, Tom Beaumont, Rhys Pritchard, Adam Davies, Josh Carter, Jake Brown, Owen Thomas, Sam Powell, Thomas Rees, Adam Clayton, Nathan Lewis, Ian Marshall, Hywel Lloyd, Dale Jones

England: Jordan Burke, Gareth Butcher, Paul Davies, James Donaldson, Billy Harris, Liam Hulme, Richard Lepori, Tom Lillecrop, Tom Marren, Adam Milner, Adrian Raw, Darren Reed, James Rimmer, Matthew Sarsfield, Cain Sothernwood, Liam Thompson, Logan Tomkins, Lee Williams

Tries: Southernwood, Hulme, Burke, Donaldson (2), Rimmer, Lepori, Sarsfield, Milner
Goals: Burke 5/9

Referee: Ian Curzon
Half-time: 0-16

Article by Tony Evans
  8 Apr 2007