Young Exiles Beat English Colleges
The Irish Exiles Under-19 squad arrived at Imperial Medical College where, after only an hour of training together, they put in a performance that was both physical and clinical to run out 43-23 winners over the English Colleges XV.
The Exiles certainly took advantage of the fantastic playing conditions on the day with the backs able to express themselves on an equally superb surface.
The Exiles pack began well, overcoming the considerably larger Colleges forwards. This enabled the Exiles to cross for two early tries and immediately put pressure on the English Colleges side.
The Colleges recovered from this poor start and to their credit managed to claw their way back into the game, creating a very physical encounter for the Exiles to contend with.
However, the Exiles back-line maintained their dynamism throughout the match and were a constant threat to the Colleges defence, meaning that there were several breaches of it throughout the game.
It was electric pace and powerful finishing that allowed the Exiles to notch up seven tries but the lineout was also notably strong. Declan Farrell threw in brilliantly and this consistency certainly contributed to the two tries scored from driven lineouts.
The forwards battled fiercely in the scrum against the big Colleges pack and were extremely successful considering the short period of time the pack had trained together.
There were several stand-out performances in what was an excellent all-round team display.
Corey Hircock scored two tries and was a key figure in the victory, alongside Nat Macdonald, Jack Tovey, man-of-the-match Rowan Halsall and Callum Threlfall.
Sean McCarthy, Charlie Mulchrone and also the young Caolan Ryan also deserve praise for their fine efforts.