Leeds high-flier Ben Redshaw believes England’s unique ‘brotherhood’ came to the fore in their emphatic Six Nations Under-18s Festival win over Ireland.
England ran in nine tries in a 56-14 win over the tournament hosts to finish their campaign with two wins from three matches.
A one-point defeat against France and a tentative victory over Italy left Redshaw and co with much to think about but it all came together when they dismantled the hosts in Donnybrook.
“It was a brilliant way to finish,” said Redshaw, who captained England in all three matches.
One to remember for @EnglandRugby💪
— Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) April 16, 2023
Dublin doubles from Archie McParland and hooker Kepueli Tuipulotu help set up victory in the final match of the #U6N18 Men's Festival 👊 pic.twitter.com/9w151hgwJK
“The conditions were perfect for us and we went out and executed what we had spoken about.
“We wanted a first start and we kept firing from there.
“Everything went the way we wanted it to, even the way we reacted to things when they went wrong.
“I’m really proud to be wearing the jersey and couldn’t wish for a better group to be playing with.”
There was much for head coach Jonathan Pendlebury to be pleased with, as England scored a host of stunning scores from sublime solo efforts to mesmeric team tries.
Redshaw, who is on the books at Newcastle Falcons, hopes his side can take a lot of confidence from their convincing win over a side who were previously unbeaten.
“Work rate is something we desire and when you have players working around the corner, getting into position and running off nine and ten, it’s almost impossible to defend,” he said.
“We pride ourselves on our work rate and our willingness to battle when things get tough.
“As a player this whole experience has made me take into consideration everyone else’s view and how important it is to bring all those voices together.
“We’ve built a lot on our brotherhood and what happens off the pitch to try to put that onto the pitch.
“How close we all are is really reflected in our performances.”
Looking ahead, the Sedbergh School student says his experience of the Under-18s Festival has provided some vital learning ahead of the step up to Under-20s.
“We’ve experienced three different styles,” added Redshaw. “Each team has brought something different to the table and we can learn from them and take that forward.
“Playing Under-20s would be a dream. I’ll take everything as it comes but I just want to really appreciate the little things such as our performance against Ireland and everything else will fall into place as long as we keep working hard.”
“I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunity given to me by the coaches and I’m really thankful to have done it.”
The Six Nations Under-18 Festivals are a vital development platform for future starts of the men’s and women’s game, extending to match officials and coaches. To find out more, visit: www.sixnationsrugby.com
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