Year 13 St John’s student – Rugby success!
Will Holley (Year 13) has recently returned home after representing St John’s as part of the Crawshays Welsh Youth Squad who were competing at the U19's international Rugby Union tournament in Lisbon from 1st – 4th April.
The tour was a spectacular success, as the team progressed through to the Final, beating some very good sides along the way, including a team representing the London Wasps Academy in Henley. The Crawshays team was superb in the Final, winning 31-0 against the pre-tournament favourites, another powerful English Academy side representing Sale Sharks, whom they overcame with a sublime performance, which drew rapturous applause from the several thousand knowledgeable spectators packing the stands on Finals day at the University of Lisbon Sports Stadium in the heart of the city.
Will represented St John’s with distinction and excelled on the field of play throughout the tournament. Following his previous strong performances for the Crawshays XV in Llandovery and London, he was given the responsibility all the kicking duties and was selected to play in all the games; he was substituted in the dying minutes of the Final only to allow all squad members the opportunity to play.
It is difficult to overstate the magnitude of what Will and his team achieved in Lisbon. Whilst other teams were well-established and well-drilled units, the Welsh Crawshays RFC squad had not played together before the first game of the tournament, meeting up for the first time in Heathrow airport on the day of travel. They enjoyed the input of an excellent coaching team provided by the Crawshays Welsh RFC, including former Wales international Nigel Meek and All Blacks Legend Xavier Rush.
Many congratulations to Will for his fantastic achievement and for representing St John’s with pride and distinction!
