Wales and England Community Lions emerged triumphant in the U16s and U18s Four Nations competitions respectively. For Wales it was the third time in
succession they have won the U16s title, beating England 18-0 in the deciding game at Halton Farnworth Hornets.
The margin of defeat meant that Ireland clinched second spot on points’ difference in the closest competition to date since the annual tournament was
introduced in 2023. “The players have worked very hard for six months to get to this point” noted Wales head coach Paul Berry. “In the decider we were very
good in the first twenty minutes before it became a scrappy game in the heat, but that’s the sign of a champion team that you can still come up with the
win.”
A domestic quota was put in place and exceeded in all games with at least six home-produced players being involved in the matchday squads, demonstrating
progression in all of the countries and a reduction in the reliance on heritage players.
The biennial U18s tournament, which alternates with the European U19s championship, saw England go through undefeated. “We saved our best performance to the
end for the winner takes all game against Wales, keeping them to zero,” commented England coach, Gary Hewer.
England and Wales are more dominant at this age group owing to more developed domestic competition, but again the domestic quota was exceeded by all four
nations.
“It is fantastic to see the U16s and U18s Four Nations Competitions continuing to flourish and improve in standard,” said IRL head of membership and
competitions, David Butler. “This year’s competitions have raised the bar in terms of standard and awareness, with all sides focussing their efforts on
promoting the fixtures and increasing the coverage and we’ve seen some very healthy attendances at games. We will review collectively over the next couple
of months and start the planning again for next year.”
U16s Results:
24th May – England 26 – 22 Scotland – Halton Farnworth Hornets
31st May – Wales 38 – 12 Ireland – The Gnoll, Neath
28th June – Ireland 12 – 12 England – Newforge, Belfast
29th June – Scotland 18 – 40 Wales – Biggar RFC
12th July – England 0 – 18 Wales – Halton Farnworth Hornets
12th July – Ireland 24 – 8 Scotland – Garda Westmanstown RFC, Dublin
U16s Table:
Wales – 6 Pts
Ireland – 3 Pts
England – 3 Pts
Scotland – 0 Pts
U18s Results (venues as U16s)
24th May – England 32 – 12 Scotland
31st May – Wales 34 – 12 Ireland
28th June – Ireland 6 – 32 England
29th June – Scotland 20 – 34 Wales
12th July – England 34 – 0 Wales
12th July – Ireland 44 – 6 Scotland
U18s Table:
England – 6 Pts
Wales – 4 Pts
Ireland – 2 Pts
Scotland – 0 Pts
