National History is made by Felsted’s Two Team Triumph for Twickenham

Two squads of school boys have made history this weekend, as the U15 rugby team from Felsted became National finalists in the Daily Mail Vase. They join their senior counterpart with a place in the finals, to be held at Twickenham on the 23rd March, making Felsted the first school ever to have two teams in the final of this nationwide competition.  
However this record achievement, which took place at Broadstreet FC, Coventry, was not easily achieved. The Felsted U15 squad, who were 12-0 down within the opening 20 minutes, staged an almighty come-back, having initially succumbed to their nerves.

A game changing 70 yard run by Matt Lumb led to a near miss at scoring and Felsted continued to press their opposition. A slick move allowing Matt Lumb to bulldoze his way under the posts, which was swiftly converted by James Lennon, left Felsted trailing 7-12 at half time.

The turning point in the game came soon into the second half, when Emanuel looked certain to score, but Felsted’s Stefan Warner tackled their winger when going over, forcing the knock on. From the resulting 22 restart, Felsted retreated up the field and, by going through the phases and some slick passing, Stefan Warner was able to go over on the left hand side. A tricky conversion into the wind was just missed. 12-12.

It was all to play for and it looked as if Felsted would score from some forward pressure. The ball was lost, but the clearance kick went straight to Matt Lumb on the half way line. With space out wide, Lumb ran for the line and despite a desperate tackle, managed to score in the corner. 17-12.

With ten minutes left on the clock, Emanuel came back with force, only to meet a much stronger Felsted defence, who withstood this late onslaught.

Relief and sheer delight dispersed across the squad as the final whistle blew for a 17 - 12 score, allowing the victorious Felsted team to celebrate their magnificent win.

Final preparations are underway for the Felsted squads, as they prepare for their debut at the home of English Rugby, Twickenham, on Saturday 23rd March. The U15s face Royal Latin at 11am, with the U18s taking on Yarm at 2pm. All matches will be streamed live on www.dailymailsport.co.uk.