Late tries from replacement hooker Koree Britton and flanker Billy Vunipola secured victory for England’s Under 18s – who included Warriors Academy ace Matt Kvesic in their starting line-up – in a tight contest in Italy on Saturday.
Britton and Vunipola struck in the last 10 minutes of the game in Calvisano to secure a 28-12 win and extend England’s winning run at this level to 15 internationals since the summer of 2007.
England had a perfect start when scrum half Dan Robson struck in the second minute from a quickly-taken penalty after a dynamic opening spell.
Flanker Sam Northcote-Green added a second 20 minutes later and captain George Ford converted all four tries.
“Credit to Italy, they stuck at it, played with a lot of fire, tackled hard and made us work hard at the breakdown,” said head coach John Fletcher, who made 10 changes to the starting line-up following last month’s 33-16 win over France.
“We created a lot of opportunities in the first half but only scored twice. We were inconsistent and lacked a bit of precision, and you could argue we left six or seven tries out there.
“But overall I’m very pleased because you have to learn by playing in difficult environments against sides who use different tactics. We kept playing the way we wanted to and kept on pressing, then took two chances towards the end.”
England Under 18 fixtures 2009/10
December 13: England U18 30 Australia Schools 28
February 21: England U18 33 France 16
March 6: Italy U18 14 England U18 28
March 28: Wales U18 v England U18 (Swansea)
April 2: England U18 v Ireland (Llandovery 4pm)
April 7: England U18 v Scotland (Llandovery 2pm)