Wales hooker Harry Thomas delivered victory for Wales over England at U20 level and proclaimed: “That’s exactly what the country needed.”
Thomas and Wales summoned a stunning performance to derail England’s Grand Slam ambitions in the U20 Six Nations, securing a hard-fought 23-13 victory at Cardiff Arms Park.
The result also paved the way for France to claim their first championship since 2018 after their bonus-point triumph over Scotland moved them ahead of England, who had been eyeing back-to-back titles.
Hooker Thomas may not have added to his try-scoring tally, but his relentless work rate earned him the man of the match accolade.
The Scarlets forward played a pivotal role in dismantling England’s powerful pack, racking up 20 tackles as part of Wales’ total of 188.
“That was unreal, it was class and that’s just what Welsh rugby needed. There will be a few boys hurting tonight after that effort,” said Thomas.
“England were a tough side and we knew what sort of physical challenge we were facing, but the boys really stepped up.
“My mother was crying at the end of the game – the first time I’ve seen her cry in a while!
“We made it more personal than other games, and when it’s personal you want to play harder. They had been bigging it up all week and talking about battering us, but we showed them.”
England had set the tone early when hooker Kepu Tuipulotu produced a sublime one-handed offload to send prop Ralph McEachran over for the opening try.
Fly-halves Harri Wilde and Ben Coen traded penalties to keep the game evenly poised before Steffan Emanuel’s blistering break saw the sides go into the break level at 13-13.
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A breathtaking acrobatic finish from Wales winger Harry Rees-Weldon turned the tide in the second half, igniting the home crowd and injecting belief into Richard Whiffin’s side.
Wilde added another penalty to stretch Wales’ lead to 10 points, while the hosts’ defensive resilience—led by Thomas and captain Harry Beddall—ensured England were kept scoreless after the interval.
“The biggest thing was that crowd – from minute one it was like a 16th man,” Thomas told BBC Sport.
“This is what Welsh rugby needs week in and week out, these fans were mental, on behalf of the boys we can’t thank you enough.
“[England] have been [talking] all week so we made it personal and that showed there as we wanted it more.”
Beddall, who topped the tackle count with 23 and surpassed 100 tackles for the tournament, encapsulated the team’s determination and grit.
“I’m lost for words, some of the defensive sets from the boys were unreal. We just stuck in there together and showed how much we wanted to fight for each other – I’m just ecstatic,” said Beddall.
“We had two red cards against Scotland and our discipline wasn’t good in the first 15 minutes. Then we sorted out our scrum and kept the scoreboard pressure on them.
“We knew we’d get a try at some point. They were flying off the line and Harri Wilde put in a little dink and Steff finished it off.
“That was a huge moment in the game. Harri was phenomenal all night and his kicking off the tee was great.
“We have shown in multiple games what we can do in defence and it was immense in the last 20 minutes. They are a big side, and we just wanted to get off the line and knock them over.
“We stuck tight after Scotland, and we had a bit of confidence as underdogs. We just wanted it more than them and the fact they didn’t score in the second half shows how well we did.
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“There were a few lost heads in the last 10 minutes. The crowd were class and got behind us for the whole 80 minutes and I’d just like to thank them for that because they made a massive difference.”
The victory secured Wales third place in the U20 Six Nations standings for the first time since 2017, following previous wins over Italy and Ireland.
However, Thomas couldn’t help but lament the missed opportunity against Scotland the previous week, where discipline issues proved costly.
“The two red cards are the difference between this week and last. We still need to sort out our discipline before the World Cup – it’s a bad habit of ours,” said Thomas.
Dan Germine was sin-binned in the first half, while Wales conceded 15 penalties during the contest, an area they acknowledge needs improvement ahead of future tournaments.
“We back ourselves whenever we play, and we just came out full throttle. People had bigged up England, but they were 18 and 19-year-old boys just like us,” Thomas added.
“We just needed to keep defending as we were and after that we believed and delivered. Defence like that is all down to determination and Calon – if you’ve got that it’s half the battle.
“The crowd were massive for us and were definitely a 16th man. It’s something we need more of in Welsh rugby.
“England got a bit frantic in the end and that played into our hands. They kept trying to score off the first three phases and we were just knocking them back.
“We shouldn’t downplay how good England are, but we’re a tough bunch and never write us off. We play for the badge.
“I think we earned their respect by the end and I’m just really glad we beat them. The win in Italy was my No 1 rugby moment before this, but this is definitely up there now.”
