England's persistence pays off

Wales Schools 6

England Schools 9

The simple fact that they beat Australia makes this season's English Under-18s special but there was nothing much beyond dogged persistence to commend the tryless performance that luckily saw off the Welsh at Llanelli last night, writes Steve Bale. On the other hand, this was their first win in Wales at this level since 1983.

Of dogged persistence there was plenty - there would have been something seriously amiss if there had not been - but all too little of the dashing threequarter running which had decorated their play in the would-be Wallabies' first defeat in the British Isles since 1974.

Thus for England this match was an uncomfortable slog, albeit in perfect conditions for a running game, and for that they had enough of the requisite bulk and power as well as a staunch defence to counterbalance their persistent lack of discipline. Having narrowly beaten Scotland at Twickenham last Saturday, they are now half-way to repeating their 1994 Grand Slam.

They also lost to New Zealand by a considerably narrower margin than Wales, whose curious season has encompassed a rare defeat by the Scots and an even rarer first win in France since the same year England last won here.

At Stradey the Welsh offered more in ingenuity, more of the instinctive rugby which appears to have been battered out of the senior national team. So all is not lost, even if last night's game was lost because neither ingenuity nor instinct is of itself sufficient.

You do need the ruthlessness to take chances and in this Wales suffered through a baleful mixture of navety and ill-luck. To make the point, when Darren Case cut past three Englishmen on a brilliant run he could not resist the temptation to cut past a fourth. Predictability, the temptation was his, and a glorious chance's, undoing.

Instead of leading as they should have been, Wales fell behind to two penalties by Jeremy Cook and after Richard Field had relieved himself of the kicking duties David Hawkins kicked one for Wales to leave the half-time score at 6-3.

Cook extended the English lead with another penalty which was ultimately followed by Hawkins's second but this was a dismal return for the pressure, largely generated by their heart-warming spirit of adventure, Wales exerted. Finally Hawkins missed another, easier kick and England survived.

Wales: Penalties Hawkins 2. England: Penalties Cook 3.

WALES SCHOOLS: D Case (Neath); P Hallett (St Alban's), T Davies (Neath), D Hawkins (Neath), M Williams (Glan Taf); G Roberts (Treorchy), G Downs (Rhydfelen); E Fear (Llanhari), C Wells (Neath), M Gibbs (Pontypool), A Grabham (Glan Taf), R Edwards (Tregaron), M Cook, G Newman (Neath), R Field (St David's, capt). Replacements: R Parks (Monmmouth) for Edwards, 68.

ENGLAND SCHOOLS: T Barlow (Newcastle-under-Lyme); P Sampson (Woodhouse Grove), J Ewens (Colston's), K Sorrell (Campion), J Cook (Millfield); J Hurst (Stonyhurst), M Wood (Harrogate); M Worsley (St Ambrose), R Protherough (King's Worcester), C Cano (Thomas Alleyne), J Beardshaw (Gresham's), W Fuller (Wallington), J Cockle (Prior Park), G Wappett (Bradford, capt), J Worsley (Hitchin). Replacements: M Cornish (Ivybridge) for Wappett, 17; C Pawson (Skinner's) for Cook, 61.

Referee: D Leslie (Preston).