The match started brightly for the JSA with several attacks coming up just short and only some poor kicking and good scrambling defence from Bedford kept the score sheet clean. An injury to captain Owen Giles, together with some sloppy set piece work, unsettled the JSA and allowed the Bedford side to apply pressure in the Saints half for the next 15 minutes. The breakdown was fiercely contested preventing any continuity for either team to build on before the break.

By 10 minutes into the second half the JSA had no fewer than seven U17’s on the pitch, in some cases two years younger than their opposition. Fly half Jordan Davies finally put the first points on the board with a well struck penalty. With the forwards winning good lineout possession and driving forward the Bedford defence was sucked in for scrum half Harry Peck to dart from the 22m line to score by the posts. Davies converted and added a further penalty to take the score to 13-0 with 20 minutes to go.

Centre Ollie Storey made some aggressive tackles and won crucial turnovers while fellow England U16 and Bryanston School pupil Rupert Freestone, who was making his debut, was held up just short of the line after a dummy and an impressive 20-metre burst.

Bedford looked dangerous from driven lineouts and some excellent last ditch tackles from the JSA kept them at bay. The JSA were determined to keep the visitors from scoring any points and despite a sin bin for the final 10 minutes it was the JSA who looked the more likely to add to their score and it was Davies who kicked a final penalty to make the final score 16-0.

The JSA players will be playing for their schools and clubs from next week until Christmas. During the Christmas break the Academy will be arranging some fixtures when long-term injured players Liam Neal and Nick Greenhalgh will be available to play after completing a conditioning programme that has been running for the last few months. The U16s will be playing a friendly against Towcester U17s on January 6th.

Congratulations go to former Old Scouts RFC No. 8 Rob Milligan who has been selected into the England U18’s Conference squad who have been training at Bisham Abbey last week.