- Mathieu Laguerre (6),
- Louis Carre (21),
- Pierre Jean Lima (37),
- Mathieu Laguerre (43)
- Curtis Teare (9),
- Gary McMahon (19),
- Curtis Teare (54),
- Elias Harrison (63),
- Liam Kenyon (66)
- Thimothe Bertrand (5/6)
- Gary McMahon (2/5)
- Thimothe Bertrand
- Corentin Rey,
- Miki Bauer,
- Mathieu Laguerre,
- Louis Carre,
- Guillame Gorka,
- David De Macedo,
- Thimothe Bertrand,
- Florien Vailhen,
- Thomas Lagan,
- Barthlelemy Rouge,
- Corentin Le Cam,
- Sebastien Bled,
- Mathieu Jussaume.
- Subs: Pierre Fourquet,
- Pierre Jean Lima,
- Francois Dorce-Hantz,
- Hugo Salabio
- Curtis Teare,
- Ben Selby,
- Rob Crompton,
- Brandon Wood,
- James Goulsbra-Miller,
- Gary McMahon,
- Calum Coleman,
- Leon Harber,
- Callum Wood,
- Jake Bradley,
- Liam Kenyon,
- George Senior,
- Louis Brogan.
- Subs: Elias Harrison,
- Ben Holmes,
- Sam Favell,
- Joe Digby
Match report
France have won the European Under 19 Rugby League
Championships, but only after surviving a dramatic late comeback from England
that just fell short.
It was very cagey early on as both sides ran it up the
middle to test the line.
France scored first when Laguerre broke the line on the left
and raced clear, stepping Teale on his way to the line after 6 minutes with
Bertrand kicking the conversion for 6-0. England answered back straight away with Captain Teare
handing off a tackle attempt and barrelling over in the corner after 8 minutes,
with McMahon missing the conversion to leave it 6-4 to France.
England came close to a second try, only for McMahon’s pass
from a great run by him to be intercepted by Gorka. France began to attack and England’s discipline began to
fail them as they conceded successive penalties, but they survived the
onslaught when Rouge knocked on in the tackle. Continual attacks came from both
sides, but handling errors were starting to creep in and both sides spilt the
ball in possession with chances available.
Finally, England completed a full set and it let to a try as
McMahon forced his way over from close range after Kenyon made great yardage
from a pass by Coleman after 18 minutes, with McMahon converting his own kick
for 10-6 to England.
France bit back straight away after a penalty was conceded
by England from the kick off. Two plays later and Carre forced his way over to
score the equalising try after 21 minutes, with Bertrand missing the conversion
to leave the score 10-10.
Both sides continued to batter the opposition line, trying
to find a gap or some other way through, with Brogan knocking on in the tackle
and Jassaume losing the ball in the tackle from a big hit by Harber. A high tackle penalty gave France a platform to launch an
attack from and Rouge took it down to the goal line, but it ended on a kick
easily fielding by Teare, who launched the next attack, which ended with a
charged down kick. From the charge down, England drove up with quick passes and
took it close, but Wood knocked on under pressure from Carre in the tackle.
Bertrand missed a drop goal attempt as the half ended France
10 England 10.
As the evening sun started to set, it was France who broke
through early in the second half, with Lima being put clear to score after a
great run by Gorka after 37 minutes, with Bertrand kicking the extras for 16-10
to France and they threatened again with a Miki Bauer run and half chance for
Fourquet. Their dynamic passing and slanted running was causing
England problems and a Bertrand kick nearly dropped back into his path, before
England countered with a couple of sly passes that almost put Selby clear.
France finally found a way through when, after a high tackle on Bertrand, France battered the England line and Leguerre was put over by De Macedo for a try converted by Bertrand for 22-10 after 45 minutes.
England took the fight to France and made some great yardage
themselves, but they struggled to find a way through the French defence, with
some big hits coming in from Les Bleus. France showed adventure in attack and their invention forced
a goal line drop out by England from a Bertrand kick, the attack finally ending
with a Bertrand penalty for 24-10 after 54 minutes.
England tried to respond and their next attack took them to
very close to the French line, but Digby was just denied a try after some
desperation tackling by France after he was put into a gap by McMahon.
They finally got some reward for their efforts after Curtis
Teare stepped through to score after a great attacking move by England that
involved 5 passes, with McMahon slotting over the extras for 24-16 after 59
minutes.
France nearly extended their lead again, only for Leguerre
to fumble the ball in the tackle after a brilliant tap tackle by Teare. They
would get some more points on the board when Bertrand kicked another penalty
after a late tackle penalty against England for 26-16.
England launched a late attack and scored a try from almost nowhere as Wood broke on the left from a Teare pass and put Harrison through to score on 67 min, but McMahon missed the conversion to leave the score 26-20.
With a desperate late attack, an arrowed kick from Coleman
fell kindly into the path of Kenyon, who dived over in the corner after 69
minutes, but McMahon again missed the kick to leave it 26-24 to France and
England were desperately unlucky not to find another chance before the final
whistle went to signal French joy and English despair.