Wales vs England Junior World Cup Final 2013.

First topic message reminder :

SUNDAY 23 JUNE - KO 17:45 - Stade de la Rabine in Vannes FRANCE
 


Coverage -


Sky Sports 2 - 17:30 - 20:00
TG4 - 17:35 - 19:37
S4C - 17:35 – 19:37

Referee: Mike Fraser (New Zealand)

Assistant Referees: Andrew Lees (Australia), Mathieu Noirot (France)


Wales:
Jordan Williams (Scarlets/Llanelli); Ashley Evans (Ospreys/Bridgend), Steffan Hughes (Scarlets/Llanelli), Jack Dixon (Dragons), Hallam Amos (Dragons/Newport); Sam Davies (Ospreys/Swansea), Rhodri Williams (Scarlets/Llandovery); Gareth Thomas (Scarlets/Carmarthen Quins), Elliot Dee (Dragons/Bedwas), Nicky Thomas (Ospreys/Swansea), Carwyn Jones (Scarlets/Carmarthen), Rhodri Hughes (Ospreys/Swansea), Jack Jones (Ospreys/Rovigo), Ieuan Jones (Dragons/Newport), Ellis Jenkins (capt, Blues/Cardiff).

Replacements:
Ethan Lewis (Blues/Cardiff), Thomas Davies (Blues/Cardiff), Dan Suter (Ospreys/Bridgend), James Benjamin (Dragons/Bedwas), Daniel Thomas (Scarlets/Llanelli), Joshua Davies (Dragons/Bedwas), Owen Jenkins (Blues/Pontypridd), Thomas Pascoe (Blues/Pontypridd).



England:
Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs); Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby), Harry Sloan (Harlequins), Sam Hill (Exeter Chiefs), Ben Howard (Worcester Warriors); Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Alex Day (Northampton Saints); Alec Hepburn (London Wasps), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs), Scott Wilson (Newcastle Falcons); Tom Price (Leicester Tigers), Dominic Barrow (Leeds Carnegie), Ross Moriarty (Gloucester Rugby), Matt Hankin (Saracens), Jack Clifford (Harlequins) (capt).

Replacements:
Scott Spurling (Saracens), Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi (Northampton Saints), Tom Smallbone (London Irish), Harry Wells (Leicester Tigers), David Sisi (Bath Rugby), Callum Braley (Bristol Rugby), Ollie Devoto (Bath Rugby), Henry Purdy (Leicester Tigers).


What a fantastic semi final stage to lead to this great finale to the annual Junior comp.


Wales and England me in the finale of the Six Nations where England's massive and talented pack tore Waes apart exploiting their weakness at scrum. The Welsh lads seem to have improved their scrum massively and tonight took SA to pieces at the scrum.

It is wonderful to see two NH teams in the final, both deservedly so.

MotelMoneyMurderMadness wrote:Hi All
I'm interested to know if any of these lads went to bog standard state schools and came through the club system or if they came through more traditional schools?

Do you mean the Wales team too? If so, then most would have come through the normal state secondary/high school system as far as I know. I think ALL of them though came through he academy system (i.e. one of the 4 region's academy teams), where they're picked up from the school and club game at U14/15 level and put on a regional development pathway.

One thing I noticed reading this months Rugby news was that most of the Lions players were identified early or had very privileged backgrounds as most of them in their player profiles gives information of their 1st rugby tour, most seemed to be overseas to the likes of SA, AUS etc.
 
My 1st tour was a 40min bus trip to Devon!
 
Not sure about the current crop of  U20s, but some of them need a new barber!

Saint, no issues but....

" Anyway, good to be back to back 6 Nations champions and have your U20s team regularly doing well in the JWC. Though you wouldn't know how that feels so just take my word for it ."

Is quite patronising and not really anything to do with the U20's

Thanks Griff, I was hoping to hear about the Welsh team too.

VictorU3 wrote:One thing I noticed reading this months Rugby news was that most of the Lions players were identified early or had very privileged backgrounds as most of them in their player profiles gives information of their 1st rugby tour, most seemed to be overseas to the likes of SA, AUS etc.
 
My 1st tour was a 40min bus trip to Devon!

I think it is just a case of time moving on. When I was in school our team toured to Waterford and Wexford, which isn't too much of a trip seeing as the irish ferry is on our door step. However a few years after me they were touring to the US (Boston I think).

We didnt play much rugby at my school let alone have a tour. When we did dig out the Rugby kit it was a very unpleasant experience, mostly inflicted on us when it was too wet and muddy to play football.

While I was at school we had a single games lesson that involved rugby. And that was touch rugby (and I think based on League). Loads of football, fair bit of cricket, bit of athetics, even some tennis, squash and badminton.

I went to Independent school in the South West, so we played a lot of rugby. Didn't Tour anywhere further afield than UK or Europe though, think my brother's year went to Italy on tour but we only went as far as West France or Scotland

At School we toured the Scottish borders when I was 16, New York and Texas when I was 18 - had to clean a lot of cars to raise funds for the latter.

At University toured the Channel Islands with the ladies hockey team - not much rugby played, France and Argentina.

After that it was just Easter tours to South Wales.

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Saint, no issues but....

" Anyway, good to be back to back 6 Nations champions and have your U20s team regularly doing well in the JWC. Though you wouldn't know how that feels so just take my word for it ."

Is quite patronising and not really anything to do with the U20's

At the time I felt it was the best to response to someone who comes across as anti-welsh, though it was probably unnecessary to post it.

The Saint wrote:

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Saint, no issues but....

" Anyway, good to be back to back 6 Nations champions and have your U20s team regularly doing well in the JWC. Though you wouldn't know how that feels so just take my word for it ."

Is quite patronising and not really anything to do with the U20's

At the time I felt it was the best to response to someone who comes across as anti-welsh, though it was probably unnecessary to post it.

You think everyone and everything is anti-Welsh though, you really are a professional victim. 

Some fans were being ungracious on here, they happened to be welsh.  Unfortunately this wasn't an isolated incident, and gives the welsh posters on here a bad reputation at times.  Which must be annoying to the decent folks on here as well.

Nothing more to it, no hidden agenda or anti-whatever.  Lets drop it now. 

Sounds like I missed out on the tours as a lad then, but then again, the way rugby was presented by my Mr Sugden from Kes style PE teacher, I doubt I would have signed up.

My experience after drifting into my club however, was a revelation and I soon began to love the sport. Had some cracking tours since...however the week long hangover that followed our 5 day drinking binge in Riga was dreadful.

Strange thing about Riga..we were amazed at all the truly beautiful tall blond women...never seen so many. But all the blokes were like hairy little hobbits. Weird...