International Round-Up | Earl, Onyeama-Christie and Willis star on World Stage
12 Sarries featured in international fixtures this weekend across six sides during an action packed weekend of rugby.
England U20:
Jack Bracken scored his third try of the World Rugby U20 Championship on Friday evening but it couldn’t prevent England U20 from suffering a first Pool stage defeat, South Africa U20 winning 32-22.
The 19-year-old reacted quickest to a loose offload in the 22, picking the ball up and finishing in the corner on the half-hour mark as Mark Mapletoft’s side held a slender lead going into half-time.
Noah Caluori came on for his England U20 debut just before half-time, replacing the injured Ben Redshaw and showed some touches of class under the high ball both in attack and defence.
And second-row Olamide Sodeke put in a workmanlike performance in sweltering conditions, playing 80 minutes against a very physical Junior Boks side that just had the edge in the second half.
The defeat was only England U20’s second in their last 17 fixtures but they now must pick themselves up for a massive game against Australia U20 on Wednesday if they want to have a chance of making the semi-finals.
Argentina:
Lucio Cinti played the full 80 against familiar faces in Buenos Aires as the centre matched up against familiar faces when Los Pumas fell short against England on home turf.
Juan Martin Gonzalez was his usual destructive self, providing an assist for Argentina's second try which put the hosts firmly back into contention in the second half of the game.
England:
Jamie George captained England to their 450th test victory with the Sarries hooker playing 70 minutes against Los Pumas before being replaced by fellow Saracen Theo Dan.
Tom Willis topped all the stats against Argentina, producing a record breaking performance across his 60 minute spell on the pitch. Tom Willis beat 11 defenders v Argentina, the most by any player in a Test at the weekend and the joint most by a forward against a Tier 1 nation since Opta have recorded this data.
British and Irish Lions:
Ben Earl had a similarly eye-catching performance in the back row against the NSW Waratahs. The Saracen made 114 metres in 22 carries beating seven defenders in the process, firmly placing him in the test match conversation as the first game against the Wallabies closes in.
Scotland:
Andy Onyeama-Christie made his return to the international stage after over 18 months since his last game for Scotland. The backrower impressed on his return as a crucial cog in the Scotland side that beat Maori All Blacks to win their first test of their Summer Tour. Fergus Burke also made his Scotland debut coming off the bench in the last half hour. The fly-half was capped by Gregor Townsend against his country of birth as the Scots prevailed 29-26.
Fiji:
Eroni Mawi featured in Fiji's opening summer tour fixture against Australia. Ahead of the Wallabies three tests against the Lions they overcame the flying Fijians who will now go onto play Scotland in Suva next week.
You can see all these internationals in one place all of next season. NW4 is the heart of rugby in North London and you still have a chance to secure your seasonal membership for the 2025/26 campaign. Make sure you catch all these international superstars by clicking this link.
