Academy Manager Mark Hewitt heaped praise on Colin Dickson and Josh Watkins after the young wingers helped the Cavaliers to a 66-30 victory over the Army at Sixways last night.
Dickson went over for two tries and Watkins was instrumental in creating others as Hewitt’s side racked-up ten tries on a cold early spring evening.
“Colin and Josh stood out. They played extremely well and they put their hands up by showing what they could do,” said Hewitt.
“It’s hard to highlight a player as man-of-the-match when everyone plays well but they certainly impressed me.”
The Cavaliers named a strong starting line-up for the clash against the army and included a string of experienced Premiership players including Craig Gillies, Shaun Perry and Sam Betty.
And according to Hewitt, the younger players in the team will have benefitted from sharing the field with established professionals.
He continued: “Cavaliers rugby is great when you can mix senior players with youngsters. The youngsters flourished last night because they had some experienced people around them.
“It was all about going out there to play attacking rugby, enjoying it and giving the youngsters a chance.
“Some of those youngsters were still at school and it was the first time they’d played senior rugby. It was good to see everyone challenging themselves.”
The army were using the game as preparation for their Babcock Trophy clash against the navy at Twickenham next month.
And Hewitt has tipped last night’s opponents to win the match for the third consecutive year.
He added: “The army were a tough side to crack and we had to work hard to win. They always prepare well and it was very competitive last night.
“The game at Twickenham will be a massive occasion, as it always is. I’d imagine the army will be favourites again this year.
“Being an ex-serviceman myself, I know how much these games mean to players and I wish both sides the best of luck.”