England claim Student Four Nations title

England are the Student Four Nations champions, after their victory over Wales at the weekend gave them a 100 per cent record in the competition.

The England Students beat Wales 42-26, in a hard-fought encounter in which both sides fielded several players from the professional ranks.

“It was a very good final game. I thought we played well, we won the second half but gave ourselves a bit too much to do after the break,” said Wales coach Latham Tawhai.

“It’s been a fantastic week, the players have been magnificent and have been great to work with. Hopefully the players will take the experience they’ve gained back home which will benefit their clubs.”

Meanwhile, in the tournament’s other concluding fixture, hosts Ireland triumphed over Scotland to hand the woodent spoon to their Celtic cousins.

The clash ended in a 20-8 win for the Irish

Scotland coach Nathan Graham was pleased with the opportunities the tournament had afforded for blooding and developing players.

“We missed a lot of opportunities by not getting organised well enough,” he said.

“There was plenty of effort as usual but we weren’t smart enough. We were all gutted after the game – the staff and the players. We need to be better than that.

“The most positive aspect is how many young players we have blooded this week.

“There are quite a few teenagers in this squad, boys stepping up from the Under-19s, and that is tough for them as they are playing against fellas who are 21, 22 or 23. That is a big difference in rugby league.

“They will have learned a lot, I hope.”