Harry Mallinder has said that leading England to the Under 20 World Championship by beating Ireland on Saturday is the “icing on the cake” following a season which saw him break in the Saints first team and become a firm favourite at the Gardens.
Speaking after the match, Harry said: “It’s been an amazing journey.
“We were very unfortunate to lose the likes of Theo early on, but it was a great show of our character to come back and the icing on the cake to win the tournament.
Mallinder’s side secured a 45-11 victory at the AJ Bell Stadium to win their third world title in four seasons. With his international success, coupled with his performances at Franklin’s Gardens, he says that his achievements will give him a huge boost going into next season.
“I’ll take great confidence from this and from this year. For me personally, it’s been great for me to breakthrough at the club but there’s nothing bigger than playing for your country.
“You don’t get to win World Cup finals very often so I’ll enjoy tonight and have a nice few weeks off. My body’s a bit sore but I can’t wait for next season and to start again back at the club.”
The Under-20s win on Saturday evening capped off a remarkable day for the Saints as both Mallinder and Dylan Hartley captained their respective England sides to impressive victories. Following their victory, Mallinder highlighted the camaraderie between all the England squads as hugely encouraging.
“It’s been a great summer (for Saints boys) but I think what we’ve enjoyed the most is that relationship between the Seniors and the Saxons.
“We’ve heard from them, we’ve had their support throughout the tournament and that’s a huge boost for us because as players that’s where we want to be in a couple of years’ time.
“Getting that message from Dylan on his Facebook Live before the game was a big thing. It spurred me on to be honest; it’s nice to see.”
