Wales’ U20 RBS 6 Nations Grand Slam dream will stretch to the final round of the Championship after the scored six tries to beat England 42-16 at Ashton Gate.
It leaves Wales just needing to beat Italy to seal a maiden U20 6 Nations Grand Slam, while for England it is a third defeat in four games this season.
It also completes the Triple Crown for Wales. By half time in this game Wales had amassed as many points and tries against England as they had ever done so previously over the course of an entire game.
England took the lead from an early Mat Protheroe penalty before Sean Evans scored the opening try for Wales despite replays suggesting he may have come short of the try line, though England’s Sam Smith was later awarded a similarly close call just short of the break for England’s only try.
Between those two, Wales scored a further three tries, through Harri Millard and Dan Jones, before man of the match Keelan Giles scorched through, collecting his own kick, to score Wales’ fourth of the half.
England’s late Smith try narrowed the half time gap to 28-10, before Protheroe cut the gap further early in the second half with another two penalties.
Wales, following a sin bin period, then got lucky as a pass went over Protheroe’s head, going dead and giving the away side a five metre scrum, from which Keddie went crashing over. With ten minutes left on the clock Keelan Giles went over for his second try of the day, intercepting from 70 metres out to secure the 42-16 victory.
Speaking after the game, England U20 Head Coach Jon Callard said:
“We started off slowly this evening and our systems broke down in defence. Ill-discipline gave Wales field position and credit to them, they came up with some special plays and took their chances and suddenly we are 21-3 down and chasing the game.”
“At this level it only takes one small error and you’re another five points behind. I was pleased with how we regrouped at half time, we started building well in the second half, but unfortunately the instinctive tap down and resulting yellow card then killed our momentum.”
“I’m as disappointed as everyone about the result but we need to take encouragement in seeing this as a further learning opportunity and then aim to bounce back against France. There have been lots of changes to the squad because of injuries and club call ups and although results are not going our way, this group has grown since the first game against Scotland and are working hard to keep improving.”
Full Time: England U20 16-42 Wales U20
Elsewhere on Friday night, Ireland U20 beat Italy U20 19-13 in a tight game.
Italy were 13-6 up at half time before Ireland scored thirteen unanswered points late in the second half, there was a debut for Epsom College skipper Niall Saunders, who came on to good effect at scrum half.
Scotland U20 meanwhile went down to France U20 36-21, ending a four game unbeaten run at home.
Team News:
England U20
15 Max Malins (Saracens)
14 George Perkins (Saracens)
13 Charlie Thacker (Leicester Tigers)
12 George Worth (Leicester Tigers)
11 Ollie Thorley (Gloucester)
10 Mat Protheroe (Gloucester)
9 Max Green (Yorkshire Carnegie)
1 Lewis Boyce (Yorkshire Carnegie)
2 Jack Singleton (Worcester Warriors)
3 Will Stuart (Wasps)
4 Huw Taylor (Worcester Warriors)
5 Andrew Kitchener (Worcester Warriors)
6 George Nott (Sale Sharks)
7 Sam Smith (Worcester Warriors)
8 Callum Chick (Newcastle Falcons, captain)
Replacements:
16 Curtis Langdon (London Irish)
17 Tom West (Wasps)
18 Billy Keast (Exeter Chiefs)
19 Alex Moon (Northampton Saints)
20 Zach Mercer (Bath)
21 Callum Waters (Harlequins)
22 Joe Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs)
23 Paolo Odogwu (Leicester Tigers)
Wales U20
15 Rhun Williams (RGC)
14 George Gasson (Dragons)
13 Harri Millard (Cardiff Blues)
12 Owen Watkin (Ospreys)
11 Keelan Giles (Ospreys)
10 Daniel Jones (Scarlets)
9 Reuben Morgan-Williams (Ospreys)
1 Corey Domachowski (Cardiff Blues)
2 Dafydd Hughes (Scarlets)
3 Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Blues)
4 Shane Lewis-Hughes (Cardiff Blues)
5 Adam Beard (Ospreys)
6 Tom Phillips (captain, Scarlets)
7 Shaun Evans (Scarlets)
8 Harrison Keddie (Newport Gwent Dragons)
Replacements:
16 Ifan Phillips (Scarlets)
17 Rhys Fawcett (Scarlets)
18 Leon Brown (Newport Gwent Dragons)
19 Bryce Morgan (Newport Gwent Dragons)
20 Morgan Sieniawski (Cardiff Blues)
21 Declan Smith (Scarlets)
22 Billy McBryde (Scarlets)
23 Joe Thomas (Ospreys)
Ireland U20
15 Brett Connon (Newcastle Falcons)
14 Hugo Keenan (UCD / Leinster)
13 Shane Daly (Cork Con / Munster)
12 Conor O’Brien (Clontarf / Leinster)
11 Jacob Stockdale (Belfast Harlequins / Ulster)
10 Johnny McPhillips (Queens University / Ulster)
9 Stephen Kerins (Sligo / Connacht)
1 Andrew Porter (UCD / Leinster)
2 Adam McBurney (Ballymena / Ulster)
3 Conán O’Donnell (Sligo / Connacht)
4 Peter Claffey (Galwegians / Connacht)
5 James Ryan (Lansdowne / Leinster) Captain
6 Cillian Gallagher (Sligo / Connacht)
7 Will Connors (UCD / Leinster)
8 Greg Jones (UCD / Leinster)
Replacements:
16 Hugo Kean (St. Mary’s / Leinster)
17 James Bollard (Dublin University / Leinster)
18 Ben Betts (Munster / Young Munster)
19 Sean O’Connor (Cashel / Munster)
20 Max Deegan (Lansdowne / Leinster)
21 John Poland (Cork Con / Munster)
22 Paul Kiernan (UCC / Munster)
23 Terry Kennedy (St. Mary’s / Leinster)
Scotland U20
15 Ruairi Howarth (Gala)
14 Ben Robbins (Currie)
13 Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints)
12 Tom Galbraith (Melrose)
11 Darcy Graham (Hawick)
10 Adam Hastings (Bath Rugby)
9 Hugh Fraser (Heriot’s)
1 Murray McCallum (Heriot’s)
2 Jake Kerr (Boroughmuir)
3 Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors)
4 Callum Hunter-Hill (Stirling County)
5 Scott Cummings (Glasgow Hawks, captain)
6 Andrew Davidson (Glasgow Hawks)
7 Matt Smith (Glasgow Hawks)
8 Ally Miller (Melrose)
Replacements:
16 Lewis Anderson (Ayr)
17 George Thornton (Bishop Burton College)
18 Callum Sheldon (Leeds Beckett University)
19 Stephen Ainslie (Currie)
20 Scott Burnside (Boroughmuir)
21 Ruaridh Dawson (Newcastle Falcons)
22 George Taylor (Melrose)
23 Robbie Nairn (Harlequins)
