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2022 Euros Day 2 round-up
England had an unbeaten day two at the 2022 European Touch Championships.
Men’s Open
England went through day two unbeaten to keep them very much in contention for top spot in the league table.
The tone was set in the opening round of the day, when Hanro Rossouw and Will Lupton both scored hat-tricks in an 11-0 win over Scotland. Vaughn Meredith, Will Serocold, Horatio Price, Charlie Thomson and Sam Jones also crossed as England got a solid win under their belt.
The afternoon’s Home Nations clash with Ireland had been hotly anticipated throughout the week, and this was reflected by the support that both teams had on the sidelines.
England came out of the blocks firing, and while Ireland had plenty of pressure it was the men in white who were more clinical, opening up a 5-3 lead by half-time. Youngsters Lupton, Josh Henderson and Ben Grinter were joined on the scoresheet by the slightly-less-young Dom Tripp and Jon Weston-Stanley.
England also outscored Ireland in the second half – Will Serocold, Horatio Price and Lupton all crossing – to finish the game with an 8-4 win, but Saturday’s re-match will certainly be one to watch, not least because both teams had a pair of players sin-binned, reflecting the competitive nature of these contests.
England have three games on Thursday, facing Scotland and Wales as well as France, when they will be wanting to put right the wrongs of day one.
Women’s Open
England continued their unbeaten run on day two.
Wales were seen off 8-3 win, but England had to turn up the heat in the second half having only led 3-2 at half-time. Nicola Wise’s second half hat-trick helped no end, with Emily Rona-Roper and Julia Unsworth adding to first half efforts from Bronte Sykes (2) and Kensie McNaught.
England then turned on the style against Ireland, scoring seven in the first half and eight in the second on the way to a 15-3 win. Rona-Roper, Emily Simon and Emily Irons all got hat-tricks, with Sykes and Wise both scoring a pair.
The day finished with a 17-0 win over Belgium which included five tries from Wise, four from Carly Wynne, two each for Rona-Roper and Danni Gregory, with McNaught, Lydia Ticehurst, Julia Unsworth and Georgina McKavanagh all crossing in the first half.
England play Scotland, France and Wales on Thursday.
Mixed Open
England and Wales continue to lead the way in the Mixed Open, with England notching two more wins to keep pace with the Welsh.
The day opened with a comfortable win over Italy, and while the 16-4 win told its own story this was emphasised by a first half in which England outscored the Italians 10-1. Isobel Hobson and Dan Mayall both got hat-tricks, James Plimsoll and Meghan Pemberton scored twice each, and Josh Ingram, Harry Goldman, Anna Crossley, Toby Phillips, Tom Lawton-Davies and Jamie Ironside completed the scoring.
England had another cracking first half against France in their late lunchtime clash. Hobson’s hat-trick added to scores from Teddy Brooks, Phillips, Lawton-Davies and Ironside as the team eased out to a 7-2 lead. The second half was edged by France, but by then it was too late for the French as Ironside completed his hat-trick and Phillips lit up Instagram with one of the finishes of the tournament so far.
England and Wales go head-to-head on Field 1 at 9:35am on Thursday, with England’s other matches coming against Scotland and Jersey.
Womens 27
England remain at the top of the table, thanks to three more wins on day two.
The first game was against Scotland, and while the 6-3 win got the job done it was close in the second half. Anna Wilson’s hat-trick and Isobel Thomas’s pair was added to by Rachael Keane.
Having shaken the rust off against the Scots, England turned on the style against Ireland, running in 10 unanswered tries in the first half alone. Jamie Cone led the way with three, Wilson (2), Thomas and Keane added to their day’s tally, and Rosie Kells, Niki Bird and Lucy Snape rounded things off.
It was a similar story after the break, as Wilson went over three more times to make it five in the match. Sallianne Buttsworth, Katy Fielding and Thomas also scored, as did Katherine Jones, who ensured that every player in the 16-strong squad will leave the 2022 Euros with at least one try to their name.
England open their Thursday against Wales, with further matches against Switzerland and Spain.
Mens 30
England and France went into Day 2 tied at the top of the table, and it stayed that way after the teams went head-to-head in England’s only match of the day.
Nothing could split the teams at either half-time or full-time, with 3-3 becoming 5-5 at the hooter. Steven Holland’s hat-trick led the way for England, with Nathan Bourke scoring in the first half and Neil Hennigan crossing in the second.
England now have a game in hand over the French, who went on to beat Switzerland in their second match of the day, but will make up that difference with clashes against Sweden and Ireland on Thursday.
Mixed 30
England opened up their day against France, and while they led 3-2 at the break the French fought back to tie things up come the final hooter. Ryan Miemczyk scored twice in the first half and Sean Macdonald twice in the second, with Tim Hughes scoring the team’s fifth try in a 5-5 final result.
The Lions had sat out the morning, but they continued their own winning run with an 8-3 success against Scotland at lunchtime. The scoring was shared amongst the team, with Marcus Evans scoring in each half and Martin Bunn, Georgia Blessed, Abi Walters, Claire Rylance, Annabel Jansen and Fraser McPherson all crossing the whitewash.
The two England teams went head-to-head in the day’s final round of matches. There had been four tries between them in the previous match, but this gap narrowed considerably to just the one, England pipping the Lions 8-7. The margin had also been just one at the break, with Clayton, Christopher Wall (2), Tim Hughes and Rob Grist scoring for England and McPherson (2), Eimear Conroy and Ben Edwards replying for the Lions.
The second half was tied 3-3, Clayton adding a second for England, Macdonald and Brent McDougall the other scorers, and Akshan Jirasinha, Richard Moody and Tom Simpson in reply for the Lions.
Round 3 between England the Lions is on Thursday morning, with England playing Scotland and the Lions facing France in their other matches of the day.
Womens 35
England were in action in Round 1, but they did not let the early start stop them continuing with their winning momentum from day one as Ireland were seen off 12-1. The tries were divided relatively equally between the halves – Olivia Jones getting another hat-trick, Lois Lau, Julia Kang and Rebecca Maxwell getting a pair each and Sammie Phillips, Kylie Hutchison and Leah Cuthbertson scoring once.
The wins continued against Wales, and after having shut the Welsh out 5-0 in the first half – Vicky Tomlinson (2), Julia Kang (2) and Sue-Ellen Godde the try scorers – they went on to complete the victory in the second 20 minutes, Tomlinson completing her hat-trick and Louise Rickard and Lois Lau both crossing.
The day’s final game was against Scotland, and again England were in dominant form. Tomlinson added four to her personal tally, Rickard scored a hat-trick, Phillips and Hutchison both crossed twice, with further tries coming from Godde, Maxwell and Kate Hyde.
England’s campaign continues with clashes against Ireland and Wales on day four.
Mens 40
The Mens 40 team had just the one game during the day, but it was both a must-win against France and a memorable occasion for both Travis Kenny and Zhayne Nel, who hit the 100 and 50-cap milestones respectively.
They served up a thriller in the top-of-the-table clash, with the teams matching each other try for try.
Dougie Benzie, Ben Blackburn and Jon Irwin saw the scores tied at 3-3 at the break, with Blackburn and Irwin adding to their personal tallies and Joseph Hartley and Campbell Allen also crossing to secure an 8-7 victory which consolidated England’s first place.
England play Scotland and Ireland on Day 3, before making up their game in hand on Friday.
Mens 45
England remained unbeaten after day two thanks to a pair of wins over continental opposition.
First up was Portugal, who were unable to match England in the second half as the men in white pulled away to turn a 3-1 half-time advantage into a 9-4 final result. Bill Lees led the way with three tries, Josh Bingley, Alex Berger got two each, and Ken Pollard and Lloyd Hook each crossed once.
In the day’s second game against France it was England’s first half showing which paved the way, as Bingley and Berger were joined by Simon Cooper, Adrian Williams and Mike Roa on the scoresheet. The second half was closer, Hook scoring the only try as England completed a 6-2 win.
England open with a Home Nations clash with Wales on Thursday, with their other game coming against Switzerland.
Mens 50
Having been able to take things easy in a morning off, England began their day with a lunchtime win over Ireland. Ryan Anglem scored twice in the first half, with efforts from Simon Witton and Ian Spencer putting England in charge at the break. Spencer added a second after half-time, with Christopher Davies and Iain Grisewood completing a 7-3 win.
They went a score better against Wales in the afternoon, as Anglem scored twice in each half to set the team on the way to an 8-2 win. Witton crossed twice in the first half, with Grisewood and Mark Elliott completing the scoring.
England complete their round robin on Thursday with games against Singapore and Ireland.
