With the RFU, in their UK-blinkered wisdom, banning all junior age group rugby teams from playing after April, the islands’ academies met head on for the first time without the main spotlight being on the seniors’ May battle for the second oldest rugby trophy in the world.
Many thought that would be to the detriment of the occasion, but, if that classic, no-holds barred clash remains a unique focus, its absence merely allowed for a longer and more fulfilling occasion for the Siam stars of the future.
Supporters for the 16 games turned up in their hundreds upon hundreds over the course of the day, with mums, dads and grandparents adding to the friendly festival atmosphere. Jersey again proved excellent hosts, though the competition on the pitch was as fierce as ever, with the ambulance service called on four times through the day for a variety of mishaps and the headline game between the U18s producing a surfeit of testosterone and three sin-binings.
Full report in today’s JEP
