Harlequins 2nd half comeback sees them claim 5th spot at U18 Finals Day

Harlequins produced an outstanding second half comeback to beat Sale Sharks 34-29 and claim 5th place overall in the Aviva Premiership Academy Finals Day. After a clinical first half performance from Sale, Harlequins staged a comeback after half time, and secured the victory with a score with just three minutes left on the clock at Allianz Park.

Harlequins U18's are victorious over Sale Sharks at Allianz Park

            This fixture was a repeat of the grand final from last year, in which Harlequins were crowned champions. The previous year was also notable for the inclusion of Harlequins newest star and England Apprentice, Marcus Smith. Neither side has fared quite as well this season, both finishing third in their respective conferences, only losing to the two sides above them, Gloucester & Saracens for Harlequins and Leicester & Wasps for Sale. 

            Harlequins opened the scoring after an interception in midfield from George Hammond, setting up a promising position, before a short lineout gave Sam Riley the opening score. Sale responded immediately, working through a dominant forward pack, with their own hooker, Ewan Ashman crossing the whitewash. 

            There were plenty of turnovers in the first half as neither team was really able to lay claim to the match. A second interception from Harlequins lock Hammond and a well placed chip ahead put winger Femi Sofolarin in the corner. A penalty kick from Tom Curtis levelled the score at 10-10, before Sale edged ahead just before half-time after a yellow card to Harlequins interception king George Hammond. The resulting penalty from the yellow card gave the Sale forwards another opportunity to show their dominance as a driving maul is finished by prop Bevan Rodd.

           Sale pressed on with their man advantage in the second half and quickly raced to a 29-10 lead. A well executed wrap around from fly-half Kieran Wilkinson created space for Tom Roebuck to finish the score. And a good pick-up and offload from Ciaran Booth created a score for Nathan Pope. Harlequins had, up until this point, failed to make the most of a number of opportunities inside the Sale half. However, George Hammond made amends for his yellow card, finishing off a try for Harlequins in the corner, narrowing the gap to 29-17.

           A yellow card for Sale spurred Harlequins on further, and much like their own yellow card before the half, they scored from the resulting penalty, Hugh Tizard spinning off from the driving maul to score the try. Further indiscipline from Sale was punished as Caolan Englefield put a kick to touch within 10m from the Sale line. The maul was valiantly defended by Sale but they were unable to stop Jon Benz-Salomon levelling the score at 29-29.

          With the game in the balance with only minutes remaining it was an open game with both sides having opportunities to seal the victory. However, Harlequins found themselves inside the Sale 22 again and a bullet pass from scrum-half Englefield created enough space for Jack Kenningham to get the decisive score in the corner.

           Sale should take solace in their clinical display when presented with opportunities but in the end succumbed to the pressure from Harlequins. Ciaran Booth in the backrow put together an impressive performance with hard work at the breakdown as well as excellent handling skills in attack. Tom Curtis will be proud of his performance from the tee, nailing a number of difficult and crucial kicks, with England U18 Kieran Wilkinson capping off another impressive performance with excellent distribution and game management. With a number of excellent team members in the squad, Sale will hope to continue to build next season in fighting to return to the final fixture.

          Harlequins will be delighted with the resolve and spirit in coming back from a 19 point deficit to score 24 unanswered points in the second half. Despite having chances in the first half, they finally began to make the pressure tell in the second half and mount an impressive fightback. Back-rower Jack Glover impressed with his defensive work, centre Lennox Anyanwu looked dangerous with ball in hand and replacement fly-half Luc Smith, brother of Marcus, controlled the game in the second half and oversaw the Harlequins comeback. However, the standout performance was from lock George Hammond who offered a ferocious workrate in both defence and attack and was responsible for creating two tries as well as crossing the whitewash himself. Harlequins always produce high quality talent from their academy and this group is no different, they will provide stiff competition next season in the southern conference.

Leicester crowned Premiership U18 Academy League champions with an outstanding display

Leicester Tigers were 43-21 victors over Gloucester at Allianz Park claiming the Aviva Premiership U18 Academy League championship for the 2017-18 season. The Tigers produced a complete performance that saw them worthy champions as they overawed Gloucester, led by a fantastic display from fly-half Sam Costelow. 

Leicester Tigers and Gloucester Rugby U18's played in the
showpiece in the Academy League season at Allianz Park

             Both Leicester and Gloucester dominated their respective conferences during the regular season, and set up a scintillating contest on Finals Day. Leicester had big results in the regular season with the highlight being a 52-5 victory over conference runners-up, Wasps. The only blip on their journey was a thrilling 31-31 opening day draw to Northampton back in December. Gloucester completed six wins from six in an incredibly competitive southern conference. The Cherry & Whites set their stall out early beating Saracens 34-31 on the opening day at Allianz and then defeating the defending Champions, Harlequins, by the same scoreline.

             Both sides thoroughly deserved their place in the showpiece of the Academy League competition. However, it was Leicester who came storming out the blocks to race to a 15-0 lead in the early stages. Tries from the giant full-back Freddie Steward and the captain Cameron Jordan and well as a huge 45 metre penalty kick from fly-half Sam Costelow.

             Gloucester got themselves into the game with a score from Jack Reeves after a lengthy injury delay. However, Leicester continued to play with pace and intensity and built on their score. A moment of individual brilliance from Freddie Steward, collecting his own chip ahead, scoring his second of the day, and neat footwork from Ronnie Du Randt gave Leicester a 29-7 lead at the break.

             Leicester's impressive display continued at the start of the second half. The impressive backline working the Tigers inside the 22, before a dominant scrum gave Henri Lavin a chance to carry through the tackle to score. Costelow continued to pull the strings at fly-half, keeping Gloucester pinned deep inside their own territory. Before turning hand to attack and sliding a pass to lock George Martin who finished under the posts.

             With the scoreline at 43-7 with 15 minutes remaining the winner seemed decided. However, Gloucester finished the game on top as they managed to unlock their pacey backline. Winger Jacob Morris showed his speed with a counter attack from a deep kick, as he set replacement Louis Rees-Zammit in for Gloucester's second try. The final try came from a break down the wing from Jack Curtis, a penalty and driving maul was finished by Alex Hunt in the corner to make the final score 43-21.

             While Gloucester may feel disappointed in their performance, they should take pride in the way they continued to compete and finished the game stronger of the sides. Finishing unbeaten in the southern conference, they played some thrilling rugby throughout the contest, looking most dangerous when their backline combined with their pace and footwork. The entire back three of Gloucester, Dunn, Stanton & Morris, continually threatened throughout the game, and will be bright prospects for the future to fit into the squad already littered with talented backs.

             Leicester produced an outstanding display straight from the kick-off. The entire squad deserve a huge deal of credit for the intensity in which they played. They continually dominated the tackle area and breakdown, as well as proving clinical in attack. It was a very complete performance from an age-group side, one that senior sides would be proud of. The performance was littered with outstanding individual performances, but honourable mention goes to full-back Freddie Steward, who continued to cause problems for the Gloucester defence with his power, pace and running lines. The standout performance, however, came from fly-half Sam Costelow, who controlled proceedings with his pinpoint accurate kicking from hand, excellent goal-kicking, mature decision making and outstanding distribution. Leicester will be thrilled with the style in which they secured this victory and will hope to nail down some of the key figures for senior academy contracts.