Richard Hill pinpointed the impact of his young guns as they fired late on to secure victory over Bucharest Wolves – with young Academy duo Nile Dacres and James Currie both pivotal in the dramatic late try.
Head Coach Hill opted to give the youth on his bench the chance to shine in the final quarter at Stadionul Arcul de Triumf despite the result still being undecided.
However, his faith was rewarded as the likes of Currie, Dacres, Ollie Frost, George Porter and Ollie Hayes all impressed to claim a 24-13 win in the Amlin Challenge Cup.
“Young Nile Dacres came on and did very well to win the penalty at the end that we tapped and went to score. He contributed and James scored the try to get the bonus point so I am very pleased with that,” said Hill.
“In the back row we clearly have a problem and so we had to start with Sam Betty, Jake Abbott and Chris Jones.
“I was hoping to get the four tries and be able to pull some of those players off quickly, but that didn’t happen because we were only just winning midway through the second half.
“You think do you keep them on or use the other young lads on the bench. It was a slight gamble, as you are taking off the more experienced guys, but I have to say those lads really stood up.
“I had full faith in them and they all contributed to the final result. I was pleased for them because they have played a part in it.
“It is Nile’s first time in this group and hopefully he has enjoyed his experience out here in Bucharest.”