Ob Izaak Lifts The Cup For Wales

On Friday 15^th June OB Izaak Duffy (SCH, 06-08) was part of the Wales Students’ Rugby League side who beat England 20-18, at Wrexham Racecourse ground, to win the British Isles Rugby League Four Nations Championship. Wales had already beaten Scotland 74-4 and Ireland 64-4 before the England game – all in the space of five gruelling days – to take the trophy back to Wales for the first time since 2009.

Wales Students’ Coach Clive Griffiths said: “It was a tough game against England, and Wales were only in the lead for the last five minutes, but that’s where it matters”.

Griffiths believes his players were worthy winners, saying: “We deserved to win the tournament and on the balance of play against England, we just about deserved the final win. Against England we didn’t play as well as we can do and we know that. England exerted more pressure on us than Scotland and Ireland put on us. Our players attacked their hearts out in the second half. England didn’t score anything after half-time and that was the difference, the defence won us the game.

Clive added: “The character of the boys won the game. They lived up to their trademarks today. I am so, so delighted to bring the cup back home to Wales. Wales Students are a very important team in the big picture of Wales Rugby League. A lot of players leave the under 18s and decide to go to university. There’s a gap to fill in terms of Rugby League development and this competition, as you can see, is a good standard for these lads to play.”