YOUTH REPRESENTATIVE

England Lionhearts showed their greater experience to punish Italian errors and indiscretions and take a big win in the first game of the two match series.

13 tries were scored by a rampant Lionhearts side against a brave, but inexperienced Italian side, who handled the ball well and defended persistently, but couldn’t find a way through a determined English defence.

Ryan Hill scored the first of his two tries after just 4 minutes and the England pack started to pound their way up the field, with Prior and Atkinson both finding space to score.

Following a sustained amount of pressure by the Italian attack on the Lionhearts line, centre Joe Schofield diffused a spiral bomb around 10 metres out from his goal line and raced down the touchline. Schofield didn’t quite have the pace to out sprint the Italian winger but he had the mind and presence to pass a very accurate and well timed ball inside to support player Jonathan Cameron who raced in under the posts to score a great try.

A further Lynch try saw the halftime score at 40-0 to England.

Despite the scoreline going against them, Italy never gave up and never looked outclassed, with Paolin and Pitturo running well, and there was a 15 minute period of back and forward play from both sides with brave defence and brutal forward play at the fore.

England, however, were always going to find a way through and after Hill scored his second try of the game, the Lionhearts were able to breach the Italian defence at will and ran in four more tries to finish off a big effort by the Italians and win the first test 68-0.

ITALY U19
Ernesto Paluello, Jaume Giorgis, Luca Pitturro, Patrick Ziliotti, Bara Soulimane, Michele Morad, Simone Paolin, Alessandra Borsello, Fausto Perissinotto, Brad Lalcagno, Riccardo Amerio, Ismail Bayoui, Catalin Diac, Alessandro Santarelli, Alessandro Caprotti, Luca Bondeuli, Lucas Faletti

ENGLAND LIONHEARTS
Jack Unsworth, Ryan Hill, Connor Moylneux, Joe Schofield, Jonathan Cameron, Ryan Johnson, Harvey Gotts, Danny Lynch, Will Prior, Jack Dullhanty, Jack Sharratt, Josh Pratt, Kye Haller, Dom Smallwood, Luca Constante, Ben Atkinson, Cameron Turnbull