England U18’s 2016
International U18’s Series
29th March - 6th April 2016
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Back row: Joseph Morris (KES Aston), James Grayson (Moulton College), Jarod Leat (St Paul’s Catholic College), Ben Loader (Wellington College), Dino Lamb-Cona (Cranleigh), Nick Isiekwe (Haileybury), Sam Lewis (Denstone College), Tom Curry (Oundle), Ben Curry (Oundle), Ciaran Knight (St Peter’s, Gloucester), Alex Seville (Hartpury College) Front row: Sam Yawayawa (Wyggeston & Queen Elizabeth I College) , Ben White (Leicester Grammar School), Oli Morris (New Hall), Ben Earl (Tonbridge), Alex Rayment (Royal Hospital School), Levi Davis (Denstone College), Gabriel Ibitoye (Trinity), Henry Walker (Bromsgrove), Rory Brand (Wellington College), Tom Parton (Wellington College), Beck Cutting (Bromsgrove), Jacob Umaga (Wyggeston & Queen Elizabeth I College), Josh WIlliams (Hartlepool)
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Feature, 06 Apr Meet the Curry brothers: England’s terrific twins 06 April 2016, 08:42
• Curry brothers first set of twins to start for England last week • Part of the England Under 18 squad for Five Nations To everyone else England Under 18 duo Ben and Tom Curry are identical. The twins even play in the same position. However, the sports mad pair, who both played against Ireland last week, are quick to point out their differences. “His nose sticks out a bit more,” Tom told englandrugby.com.
“Apparently my face used to be rounder but I think his is now. Ben’s put on a bit of fat.” Nephews to a former Red Rose hooker and cousin to Northamp-
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ton Saints fly-half Sam Olver, these brothers could one day earn themselves a little piece of history – England have never fielded a set of identical twins in the same team at Twickenham. The 17 year-old 6ft 2in Cheshire lads both play openside flanker but while their position may be the same, the twins again feel they are very different. “I get more turnovers than you,” claimed Ben. But with eyes widening in disbelief Tom replied within a second. “Well I get more counter-rucks but we’re both good at ball carrying,” he said. “Defensively Ben likes to chop and I like to go for big tackles.” TRULY IDENTICAL? Identical twins are incredibly rare in rugby with the only modern examples being the Ndungane brothers from South African and the Fainga’a brothers from Australia. The other rarity about the situation is just how identical they really are, the most valuable piece of information regarding their appearances is that Ben and Tom swipe their hair in different directions. However, Tom provided a much more useful difference between their appearances. “He’s got the worst side profile. His nose sticks out a bit more,” and according to their cousin Sam “It looks like Voldemort from Harry Potter” Their bond is clear to see as is their sibling rivalry. After arguing about whether the most pints of milk they had in their fridge at one time was 58 or 64, one of them simply responded: “I wouldn’t say it’s arguing, no I wouldn’t call it bickering, it’s competitive talking.” The pair tucked into a big bowl of spaghetti at lunchtime in Swansea followed by a piping hot burrito which they simultaneously reacted to when they noticed the added chilies. Tom added: “We’ve been given a diet of bagels and rice pudding by our Dad because it’s cheap and full of calories.” BRAINS V BRAWN The Curry brothers, who grew up playing for Crewe & Nantwich RUFC, are in their final year at Oundle School in the midlands and therefore their A-Level exams are looming. “This week hasn’t helped very much with revision,” added Ben. “We’re quite full on when we’re here but we managed to get two hours of revision in yesterday. “Tom does slightly less academic subjects.” However, studying and rugby are not the only things on their school curriculum.
“Last year we played football and actually really enjoyed it,” said Tom. “We both used to play centre back together at our old school but then somehow Ben’s moved to midfield which I don’t really get.” The one item they agreed they wished to have if they were marooned on a desert Island is a table-tennis table. “The last time we played table tennis at Christmas I beat him and I won so I wanted to bring it up, that’s why we haven’t played since,” added Tom. SLOWEST BATSMAN IN OUNDLE’S HISTORY Oundle’s Head Coach is former England hooker John Olver, and uncle to the Curry Twins. Tom added: “We’ve been lucky in that because there’s two of us we can influence more of what our team does and John’s let us do that. We can take stuff from England and Sale and embed it into school games and practice them.” The pair have also managed to find a set of cricket whites big enough to enjoy their summer terms at school, however Ben doesn’t enjoy his uncle’s company during the season. “He’s bad luck in cricket, every time he comes I don’t score.” But Tom provided a different reason for Ben’s limited run rate. “He’s like the slowest number three batsman Oundle has ever had.” SHARKS AND ROSES Both flankers signed a two-year deal to stay with Sale Sharks’ academy and they have trained with the first team on a couple of occasions already. “At Sale when you train you’re looking to get everything right as a team to win, whereas here you’re looking at individual decision making and skills.” England have won their opening two Five Nations Festival games against Ireland Scotland with the pair playing six and seven, despite both being opensides. “It’s more of a developmental thing rather than me being on the left because I scrummage better on the left,” said Tom. “It’s more just to let us show what we can do from both sides.” Tom also points out the inspiration the squad takes from seeing player progress through the pathway and into the senior set up, adding: “From an English perspective Maro Itoje’s a good role model. “Just the way he’s been brought up is in exactly the same environment and coached by John Fletcher and it’s nice to look up to someone who’s come through the same route as us.”
Have Calders got answer for England’s twin peaks? Posted on March 24, 2016 by admin in Brendan Gallagher Brendan Gallagher says the Curry brothers may be chasing one international place but that precedent has been set by a pair of famous Scottish forwards.
Identical twin brothers Ben and Tom Curry played alongside each other in the backrow for England U18 against Scotland last week but they could be struggling to repeat that extraordinary achievement at senior level. Star players at Oundle School the twins are both 6ft 2in, nearly 15st, and specialist openside flankers and once they move into senior ranks are likely to be in fierce competition for the same place. “I’ve tried to warn my sister Susanne and all the family that it might get difficult once they leave school,” jokes former England hooker John Olver, their coach at Oundle, who happens to be the twins’ uncle. “At school I play them six and seven or left and right and Tom also can switch to No.8 which is what he did in the second half against Scotland last week when the boys got to represent England together. “But the truth is they are both out and out sevens, certainly at senior level. There will come a point in their careers when they are competing for the same place. “They’ve been absolutely outstanding for us at Oundle. I’ve been the rugby master in charge for 20 years and I could be here another 100 years and not have the pleasure of coaching two more influential players. “They have made a stunning contribution to our rugby.” The brothers are from Bishop Heper HS in Malpas, Cheshire, which is where Ben Foden learned his rugby and, like Foden, they are also closely associated with Sale Sharks where they are members of the academy. Steve Diamond has already clocked them. Olver said: “To somebody meeting them for the first time they
are absolutely identical and I can imagine that has caused fun and games over the years at County trials and things. “I’ve obviously known them for years and coach them most days and can usually tell the difference. Ben has a slightly different gait, he takes shorter strides when he walks. Tom is slightly the more flamboyant player, Ben more unobtrusive. “But both are cracking prospects and have bright futures.” Examples of twin brothers playing together internationally, as you might expect, have been few and far between with Australia seeming to be the epicentre. Speedsters Jim and Steward Boyce played on opposite wings for Australia on four occasions, most notably during the Wallabies frst ever series win against the Springboks in 1965. Next came the Ella twins Mark and Glen who were first capped in tandem against Scotland in 1982 while younger brother Gary also won six Test caps for the Wallabies, although not concurrent with his older brothers. Both the twins and Gary were midfield backs.
joined forces four times during the mid-Seventies, notably in the side that narrowly lost 20-19 to a fully booted and suited Wales XV at the Arms Park in 1976. Italy can look to the Cuttitta twins, massive contributors to the Italy side throughout much of the Nineties, who displayed perhaps the biggest disparity in build and physical attributes. Marcello was a razor sharp world class wing – 25 tries in 54 Tests – who Italy have never come close to replacing, while Massimo was a powerful scrummaging prop. Marcello broke into the national team earlier that Massimo and retired earlier but they started nine Tests together and both went to the 1991 and 1995 World Cups. While, back in the Seventies, long serving lock Paolo Fedrigo, winner of 41 Tests, was accompanied just the once by twin brother Paolo, a prop, when Italy lost 9-6 to Portugal.
Australia’s Anthony Faingaa and Saia Faingaa More recently Australia have been able to call on a third set of twins, hooker Saia Fainga’a, a hooker, and his centre brother Anthony, who made their Australia debut together in a 20-10 Bledisloe Cup defeat against New Zealand at Christchurch in 2010. A younger brother Colby plays flanker for the Melbourne Red while another brother Vili has represented Tonga at wing forward. The only twin brothers to have played for New Zealand together are the Whettons – Gary and Alan – who lead the way statistically playing 34 Tests together with both being ever present in the 1987 World Cup. Gary was a rangy athletic lock while Alan was a mean machine blindside flanker. Argentina can boast two sets of twin brothers at Test level. Felipe Contepomi was a permanent fixture in the Pumas team for a decade or more and was occasionally joined by his twin Manuel, a strapping centre, who played at the 1999 and 2007 World Cups. Wing Daniel Beccar Varela and centre Gonzalo Beccar Varela
Jim Calder The last known example, and perhaps the most pertinent for the Curry brothers is the case of Jim and Finlay Calder who remarkably never started a Scotland match together despite longish and illustrious careers, and thereby hangs a tale. Jim was the first out of the blocks as a Test player at 21, an outstanding, rugged flanker with good pace and hands who blazed a trail for Scotland and earned a Lions place in 1983 before playing a lead hand in Scotland’s 1984 Grand Slam. But by 1985, at 26, it was over and the following season his Scotland place was usurped by twin Finlay who had been slower to devote himself full-time to the game but made mighty strides once he made that quantum leap. Such was Scotland’s riches back-row riches those days there wasn’t room for both, an either or situation. Finlay went on to captain the 1989 Lions to victory in Australia and help Scotland to a 1990 Grand Slam. He won 34 Scotland caps and Jim, 27, but alas not one coincided
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England U18 beat Ireland in 5 Nations opener
24 March 2016, 15:18 • England beat Ireland 15-12 in Bristol • Second half Parton try hands England victory Tom Parton’s second half try helped England U18 beat Ireland 15-12 in the opening round of the 5 Nations Festival at SGS College, Bristol. Full back Parton capitalised on a defensive mistake to gather up James Grayson’s kick and score the crucial try. England got off to a flying start through centre Gabriel Ibitoye who finished off some some slick handling in midfield to score under the posts in the third minute of the game. Ireland missed a couple of penalties from the halfway line but in the final play of the first half scored from a driving maul with the successful conversion levelling the scores at 7-7 at the break Despite an early penalty from Grayson it was the Irish who struck again to take the lead for the first time in the match through another well worked set piece move. But when the Irish defence failed to gather a Grayson kick through, Parton pounced to ensure a winning start for England.
U18 5 Nations Festival: England run in 7 tries to beat Scotland U18
4th April 2016 England U18 made it two wins from two in the U18 Five Nations Festival as they beat Scotland U18 4524, condemning the Scots to a third loss from their three Festival games. It followed England’s 15-12 over Ireland U18 on the
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opening day, with England’s third and final game set to come against Wales on Wednesday. John Fletcher’s U18 side led 33-3 at the break thanks to tries from Tonbridge’s Ben Earl, Wellington College’s Ben Loader, Cranleigh’s Dino Lamb-Cona, and a brace from Trinity’s Gabriel Ibitoye, along with four conversions from Wyggeston & Queen Elizabeth fly half Jacob Umaga, who moved from inside centre to fly half for this one. Scotland improved vastly in the second half though, Ben Earl grabbed his second of the game to extend England’s lead to 38-3, but from there Scotland started to exert some real pressure of their own. That pressure was quickly rewarded with a try for Scotland skipper and inside centre Cameron Hutchison, with winger Ben Appleson converting, to add to his first half penalty, making the scores 38-10. Within ten minutes that score became 38-17 as Harry Warr strolled under the posts for Scotland, with Appleson again converting. However England were quickly back on the gas, scoring a try through Denstone College winger Levi Davis, with Moulton’s James Grayson converting for a 45-17 advantage. Scotland had the final say of the game though, scoring a third try through Callum Cruikshank, with Appleson again converting to leave the final score at 45-24. Speaking to www.scottishrugby.org after the game, Scotland U18 Head Coach Ally Donaldson said: “A lot of players have put their hands up to move on
further in the game in Scotland and they will all be a lot better for this experience. It’s the biggest learning experience these guys will have ever had. To play three games at that level, with such a short turnaround is hard going.” “We scored three tries today and could possibly have scored one or two more. The effort from the boys was outstanding and we ended up winning the second-half. They have been an outstanding group to work with and have improved since we started working with them a few months ago and they can all be proud of their efforts.” The other U18 5 Nations game of the day saw Ireland fall to a surprising defeat against Italy, 22-17. Full Time: England U18 45-24 Scotland U18
U18 5 Nations Festival: England U18 storm past Wales to claim perfect Festival record
8th April 2016 England U18 put in a stunning performance to beat Wales 41-9, sealing the U18 5 Nations Festival on the final day. The day did not start well for England, whose U18 ‘A’ side was beaten 17-5 by Italy but the senior U18 side recovered things brilliantly with a stunning win over their Welsh counterparts. Both sides arrived in Swansea with two wins from their opening two games, Wales beating Scotland
and Italy, with England beating Scotland and Ireland, knowing that the winner would win the unofficial U18 5 Nations Festival crown.
England further in front, before Ibitoye showed his outstanding pace and balance to score England’s fourth.
Once you start chasing it gets a bit looser and it plays into their hands – that’s life, we’ll learn from it and move on.”
Fly half James Grayson, of Moulton College, scored 21 points, though a stunning performance from Trinity’s Gabriel Ibitoye, who has captained England in this series, saw the winger claim the BMW Man of the Match medal, of who England Head Coach John Fletcher said:
There was still plenty of time for England to find a fifth score, and it was worth the wait when it came as a sizzling move saw Leicester Grammar School scrum half Ben White go strolling over the Welsh line to leave the final score at 41-9.
“In the end it was like hitting your head against a brick wall where we lost a bit of composure and shape. The boys will take a lot out of this and hopefully it will inspire them to keep working hard for their future development.”
Speaking after the game, John Fletcher said:
Full Time: England U18 41-9 Wales U18
“The intent to look and find different opportunities to score was the most pleasing thing and then from a defensive point of view their decision making, this helped free defenders up and it’s something we’ve been working hard on in training.”
U18 5 Nations Festival Results: England 15-12 Ireland Wales 31-30 Scotland Ireland 43-0 Scotland Wales 24-9 Italy Italy 21-17 Ireland England 45-24 Scotland England A 5-17 Italy Wales 9-41 England
“Gabbs played last year for England U18s and played 16s before that and has played for Harlequins so he’s been demonstrating that form ever since he started playing, he’s one of a number of exciting players in the squad, he had some strong moments in the game last night and he’s captained the team well throughout the games.” Wales opened the scoring through a Ben Jones penalty, but England hit back as New Hall centre Oli Morris scored the first of a brace of tries, though this first came with a fair dose of luck attached as a Grayson’s chip hit the corner flag and bounced up for Morris to score. Grayson’s conversion gave England a 7-3 lead. Jones landed another penalty for the Welsh, but once again Morris struck back, this time in a more conventional manner, with Grayson once again bisecting the uprights despite a tough angle. He later added a penalty, with Jones also landing one for Wales, leaving the half time score at 17-9 in England’s favour. Shortly after the break Grayson turned try-scorer as well as kicker. Converting his own try he pushed
“It didn’t surprise me to be honest, that’s how they train every day and the team has got a lot of strengths so it’s not a surprise that they scored lots of good tries.” Wales’ Head Coach Geraint Lewis was naturally disappointed with the result, but was impressed with his side’s play for much of the tournament, saying: “The final result is a disappointing way to finish the tournament but it doesn’t take away a lot of the good things the boys have done throughout the series. We came up against a very good England side – things didn’t really go our way from the start,” “I didn’t think there was much in it at halftime – they had a fortuitous try and scored right on the stroke of halftime – but they are a very difficult team to chase as they have so many dangerous runners.
Unofficial U18 5 Nations Festival Final Table Pos Team P W D L Points 1 England 3 3 0 0 6 2 Italy 3 2 0 1 4 3 Wales 3 2 0 1 4 4 Ireland 3 1 0 2 2 5 Scotland 3 0 0 3 0 *England U18 A played one game, losing 17-5 to Italy. The result has been included in Italy’s tally, but England U18 A have not been included in the table.
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