Bloxham’s Wasps hooker Alfie B was prominent in the England U16 XV’s 41-22 victory over Wales at a wet Bridgwater & Albion ground last weekend.
Alfie had already represented England against France at U17 over Easter, so it was unsurprising that he showed to be one of the key players in the Wales fixture, making a number of telling drives before coming off in the second half. With Wales coming back into the game and closing the gap to 34-22, there was even time for Alfie to return to the pitch in the back row. He then went on to score the last of England’s seven tries with a move he started – a chip ahead – and finished. Brilliant work!’
Alfie was watched on by a sizeable contingent of supporters and coaches from Bloxham and from Banbury Rugby Club where he learnt to play, as well as proud family members. England coach, Steve Shortland, was full of praise for his young side, saying: ‘There were two excellent sides on show today, both teams had their moments and I thought we scored some fantastic tries in tricky conditions. It was an incredible exciting game of rugby. I thought we dominated the first half, but Wales came back strong in the second, and that was a big challenge for us’.
Thank you to everyone who came to support Alfie, and a huge congratulations to the young star for a brilliant game of rugby! To see more pictures from the game, click here.’