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Wales Deaf 18 – 5 England Deaf
31st January 2015, Cardiff Arms Park

With a new injection of youth into the squad that included 5 new starting debuts, England were more competitive than they were 12 months ago, however it was not enough to defeat a strong Wales side.

England forced Wales to work hard at retaining the Broadstreet Cup at Cardiff Arms Park, but despite Wales being reduced to 14 men for the closing stages, they could not find an ending to their improved product.

England could have grabbed 7 points late on had Hitchin’s Ollie Fountain’s long range conversion attempt not struck the upright.

Head Coach of England Deaf Rugby, Sean Fletcher, said: “Getting beaten in Cardiff is horrible. But the positive is that it was 36-3 here last year and now we are 18-5.

“We should have had another try and a true reflection would have been 18-10 for me. But it’s a massive step from where we were this time last year.

“The difference is that we are competitive in our defensive and attaching lineout in our mauling, we have now got to find the gel between the forwards and backs, which will come with more games together. We prepare better, we get together a frequently as we can.”

Despite the defeat there were many positives to take from the game, as Sean Fletcher added: “The Welsh guys came to me and said it the most competitive game we have had for a long time.”

For more information on the England Deaf Rugby team go to www.pitchero.com/clubs/englanddeafrugbyedru