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ENGLAND SAXONS 8 - 14 IRELAND 
KINGSHOLM - Saturday 25th January 2014
KO: 17:00 HT: 5-14 Att: 8,000
ENGLAND SAXONS fell to a disappointing 14-8 defeat against an experienced Ireland Wolfhounds side in front of over 8,000 fans at Gloucester’s Kingsholm Stadium.
Bath wing Anthony Watson scored England’s only try, while Gloucester’s Freddie Burns added a penalty, but Ireland struck twice – first through scrum half Isaac Boss and then fly half Ian Madigan.
Despite having over 60 per cent possession during the game England could not capitilise, although they came close to a second try in the dying moments through impressive Wasps centre Elliot Daly.
The Saxons fielded a youthful line-up with only eight caps-worth of senior international experience in the shape of Gloucester’s Charlie Sharples (4 caps) and Freddie Burns (3 caps), and Wasps’ scrum half Joe Simpson.
They were looking for a third successive win over Ireland after tight wins in Exeter and Galway in the previous two seasons but trailed early on. The Wolfhounds drove close-range lineout and Boss broke round the back of the maul to elude two tacklers with Madigan’s conversion putting them 7-0 up in the fifth minute.
The Saxons retained plenty of possession but it took them 20 minutes to strike back with Watson pouncing on an Irish error. He was pressing up on Darren Cave and when the ball ricocheted away off the centre’s chest the Bath wing accelerated away from 50 metres to score.
Burns’s conversion effort hit the post though and the Wolfhounds produced another piece of quick-witted work on the half-hour.
Madigan’s tapped penalty was followed by a twist over the line and the Leinster fly half converted his own try for a 14-5 lead his side held at the break.
The Saxons had a stiff breeze at their backs in the second half and dominated territory after that but the closest they came to reducing the deficit was when Burns hit the left-hand upright from 30 metres out.
The arrival of Northampton Saints No.8 Sam Dickinson added some more momentum and his powerful carrying set up the position for Burns to kick a first penalty on the hour to leave his side trailing by six points going into the final quarter.
Some quick hands freed up Elliot Daly with five to go but the former England Under 20 international was stopped just short of the line, and he had another chance in the final play but was held up just short before Burns made a dive for the corner but it was not to be.
Elliot Daly (London Wasps), Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby), Matt Hopper (Harlequins), Rob Miller (Sale Sharks), Sam Hill (Exeter Chiefs), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Charlie Sharples (Gloucester Rugby), Freddie Burns (Gloucester Rugby), Joe Simpson (London Wasps) Dave Lewis (Exeter Chiefs), Alex Waller (Northampton Saints), Nathan Catt (Bath Rugby), Jamie George (Saracens), Dave Ward (Harlequins), Tom Mercey (Northampton Saints), Scott Wilson (Newcastle Falcons), Charlie Matthews (Harlequins), Elliott Stooke (Gloucester Rugby), George Kruis (Saracens), CALUM CLARK (NORTHAMPTON SAINTS, CAPTAIN), Luke Wallace (Harlequins), Dave Ewers (Exeter Chiefs), Sam Dickinson (Northampton Saints)
SCORERS T: Watson P: Burns
Felix Jones (Munster), Fergus McFadden (Leinster), Robbie Henshaw (Connacht), Ian Keatley (Munster), Darren Cave (Ulster), Craig Gilroy (Ulster), Simon Zebo (Munster), Ian Madigan (Leinster), Isaac Boss (Leinster), David Kilcoyne (Munster), Jack McGrath (Leinster), Rob Herring (Ulster), Richardt Strauss (Leinster), Martin Moore (Leinster), Stephen Archer (Munster), Iain Henderson (Ulster), Dan Tuohy (Ulster), RHYS RUDDOCK (LEINSTER, CAPTAIN), Tommy O’Donnell (Munster), Robin Copeland (Cardiff Blues)
SCORERS T: Boss, Madigan C: Madigan (2)
Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)
ENGLAND SAXONS 16 - 16 SCOTLAND A
SCOTSTOUN, GLASGOW - Friday 31st January 2014
KO: 19:30 HT: tbc Att: tbc
TOM HEATHCOTE’S late penalty meant England Saxons were held to a frustrating 16-16 draw by Scotland’s second string at Scotstoun. The Saxons led 3 minutes from time with penalty try from their dominant scrum plus a conversion and two penalties from Freddie Burns and a late 3-pointer from Elliot Daly.
Earlier Byron McGuigan had got over the line for the Scots – Heathcote converting – and Henry Pyrgos added a penalty and drop goal.
For the Saxons side, with an average age of 23, it represented progress on their last two outings against the Scots after defeats in 2012 and 2013 in Galashiels and Newcastle.
But not to Calum Clark and his teammates, who despite losing Dan Robson and Henry Slade to the sin bin during the game felt they had done enough. ‘It’s not a bad result for us,’ admitted Scotland A coach Shade Munro. ‘It feels like a defeat,’ said glum England captain Clark.
Four players came in for their Saxons debuts in Glasgow with Semesa Rokoduguni, Kyle Eastmond, Adam Thompstone and Dan Robson drafted into their back line.
They controlled territory early on and Burns put them on the board with his third minute penalty and missed a harder chance after 10 minutes while Pyrgos clipped over a drop goal from his side’s first decent piece of possession in the sixth minute.
The Scots gained a toehold when Robson was sin-binned 18 minutes into the game for an alleged stamp, though, and edged in front while he was off the field with Pyrgos's penalty shot from 25m out.
Once Robson reappeared his side stepped up a gear. Daly's break down the left forced a scrum 5 metres out. Three times England drove and three times Scotland were penalised before French referee Laurent Cardona awarded them a penalty try with Burns converting for a 10-6 lead.
They increased it immediately after the interval as Burns stroked the Saxons 13-6 ahead and they came close to opening up a substantial lead from a long spell of pressure – unfortunately Thompstone could not hold Eastmond’s pass in one passage – as they kept the tempo high.
Then came a further twist, as Slade become the second Saxon yellow carded at a midfield ruck – and the Scots promptly surged up field and took advantage of their extra man with McGuigan sliding into the left hand corner. Heathcote’s touchline conversion was a beauty.
With Burns and his replacement Slade both off the field, Daly drilled over a penalty to put the Saxons three points up just after the hour although he was short from long range 5 minutes later.
It took until 5 minutes from time for Scotland to get their chance. Heathcote pulled his first penalty embarrassingly wide but he made no mistake 3 minutes from time and neither side could break the deadlock after that.
Jack Cuthbert (Edinburgh), Dougie Fife (Edinburgh), Mark Bennett (Glasgow), Alex Grove (Worcester Warriors), Byron McGuigan (Glasgow), Greig Tonks (Edinburgh), Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow), Gordon Reid (Glasgow), Fraser Brown (Glasgow), Jon Welsh (Glasgow), Kieran Low (London Irish), JONNY GRAY (GLASGOW, CAPTAIN), Rob Harley (Glasgow), Blair Cowan (London Irish), Allister Hogg (Newcastle Falcons) BENCH: Kevin Bryce (Glasgow), Alex Allan (Edinburgh), Ed Kalman (Glasgow), Tyrone Holmes (Glasgow), Grayson Hart (Edinburgh), Tom Heathcote (Bath Rugby), Richie Vernon (Glasgow)
SCORERS T: McGuigan C: Heathcote P: Pyrgos, Heathcote DG: Pyrgos
Rob Miller (Sale Sharks), Semesa Rokoduguni (Bath Rugby), Elliot Daly (London Wasps), Kyle Eastmond (Bath Rugby), Adam Thompstone (Leicester Tigers), Freddie Burns (Gloucester Rugby), Dan Robson (Gloucester Rugby), Alex Waller (Northampton Saints), Dave Ward (Harlequins), Scott Wilson (Newcastle Falcons), Elliott Stooke (Gloucester Rugby), George Kruis (Saracens), CALUM CLARK (NORTHAMPTON SAINTS, CAPTAIN), Luke Wallace (Harlequins), Sam Dickinson (Northampton Saints) BENCH: Jamie George (Saracens, Nathan Catt (Bath Rugby), Kieran Brookes (Newcastle Falcons), Charlie Matthews (Harlequins), Dave Ewers (Exeter Chiefs), Joe Simpson (London Wasps), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Charlie Sharples (Gloucester Rugby
SCORERS T: PT C: Burns P: Burns (2), Daly YC Robson, Slade
Referee: Laurent Cardona (FFR)
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