4th January 2010

Hearty congratulations from the Pirates are expressed to two gifted local rugby players who played for England U18s last Thursday, helping the side secure a memorable 29-12 points victory against their Irish counterparts.

Representing England, and in the process securing a memorable 29-12 points victory at the Donnybrook stadium in Dublin, were Jack Nowell and Luke Cowan-Dickie, who are both products of Penzance & Newlyn RFC's youth section.

Prop forward Luke has played for England at 16 and 18 group level in the past, but for Jack, who has been playing for Redruth in National One this season, it was his debut for the U18s side. Playing at full-back he scored one of England's four tries in an impressive man of the match performance.

Both Jack and Luke presently attend Truro College and are members of the Exeter Chiefs Academy.

Speaking after the game, Jack commented: “We managed to push on in the second half and if we play like we did in the last 20 minutes in every game then we will be a force to be reckoned with.

“I was delighted to go over for my try towards the end – it was quite an important one for the team as it put some daylight between the two sides. I could feel the Irish guy breathing right down my neck so I just kicked on and went over.

“We’ve bonded really well as a group and as a team and I think our performance reflected the unity we’ve got now and it’s up to us to build on that.”