Wales, England, France and Ukraine qualify for European U19 Rugby League semi-finals

Wales will take on England in the semi-final of the U19 Rugby League European Championship this Tuesday after qualifying from the seven-side group phase in third place on Saturday.
 Following the withdrawal of Scotland, it was decided that all teams would face each other in a round robin, which consisted of 20-minute 13-a-side games played throughout the day at one ground, Pasian Di Prato Rugby, Udine, Italy.
 
The other semi-final on Tuesday will be between France and Ukraine, with the latter having to drive over the border to Poland earlier this week in order to get to Italy. Ukraine, who at one stage in their game against England were leading 1-0, beat Ireland in their final match, which ended up being a winner takes all game to qualify for the semi-finals.

FULL RESULTS (please see below for Wales reports and table)
France 22-0 Italy
England 6-0 Ireland
Wales 10-0 Serbia
Italy 6-14 Ukraine
Ireland 0-24 France
Serbia 0-20 England
Wales 24-0 Italy
England 22-1 Ukraine
Serbia 0-24 Ireland
Ukraine 0-22 France
Italy 4-18 England
Ireland 6-10 Wales
Serbia 0-2 Ukraine
Ireland 22-4 Italy
Wales 0-2 France
Italy 18-10 Serbia
Ukraine 0-16 Wales
France 8-4 England
Ukraine 12-10 Ireland
France 28-0 Serbia
England 14-4 Wales
 
2022 European Rugby League U19s Championship Table

 
REPORTS
 
WALES 20 SERBIA 0
By Ian Golden
 
With just 20 minutes to carve out a win, and following a few early errors, Wales remained composed and came through 10-0 winners over Serbia to open their U19 European Championships group day.
 
Wales had a chance to score early on after being awarded a penalty 20 metres out, but the resulting set ended with the ball being spilled into touch.
 
Then on eight minutes, Gethin Thomas was just short of scoring, leaping on Oscar Fisher’s grubber as it went over the dead-bsll line.
 
However a penalty gave Wales possession back and they took advantage as Gethin Thomas crashed over. Billy Walkley couldn’t convert.
 
Then after defending a set near their own line, Wales turned attack into defence. Walkley kicked a pin-perfect 40-20 which led to Carter Barnes scoring in the corner. Walkley converted.

WALES 24 ITALY 0
By Ian Golden
 
Wales eased to a 24-0 win over Italy in their second game of the day.
 
They took the lead after just 45 seconds, from the first set of the game, when Jamie Jenkins dived over. Llewellyn Hawkes converted.
 
Bradley Williams soon added a second with Hawkes’ kick putting the score onto 12-0.
 
Rob Muirhead added the third on eight minutes, scoring in the corner, with Hawkes converting well.
 
Hawkes soon added a try of his own before converting again.
 
Lewis Ingram had a try ruled out for a forward pass but it made little difference to the result.

WALES 10 IRELAND 6
By Ian Golden
 
Wales sealed their third win of the tournament but were only in the lead after the final move of the game.
 
Ireland put Wales under pressure from the start, the first time this had happened in this tournament, winning a goal-line drop-out in the first minute. However Wales regained the ball during the resulting set.
 
Wales had early opportunities too. Great run from Isaac Morgan, but he offloaded when he should have taken the tackle and that chance was lost.
 
Mason Phillips was then short of the line after another good Wales set.
 
But it was Ireland took the lead in the ninth minute when 1 went in under the posts, converting his own try.
 
Finally, in the 12th minute, Wales got on the board after Isaac Morgan dived over. The kick was missed.
 
Ireland looked to seal the game but were held up over the line, and when Wales regained possession, they clinched the game. Fin Yates scored under the sticks and Billy Walkley converted.

WALES 0 FRANCE 2
By Andy Morgan
 
A solitary penalty in the 14th minute was enough for France to maintain their 100% record and in doing so, end Wales’ unbeaten record in the tournament.
 
Wales enjoyed early territorial dominance, aided by French indiscipline. But the French defence had yet to concede a point in the tournament and their goal line defence was ferocious, repelling successive sets after Wales had forced a goal line drop out.
 
But after that period of possession, the young Welshmen were given offside twice in quick succession and where Wales had turned down a tricky kick at goal earlier, France weren’t going to pass up the opportunity. The French centre Thibault Marty made no mistake from in front of the posts just ten metres out.
 
Wales fought hard in the final five minutes without really threatening to get over the French line. But with three wins from four, Wayne Ponting’s side remain well placed for a top four finish and progress to the semi-finals.

WALES 16 UKRAINE 0
By Andy Morgan
 
Wales under 19s secured their place in the semi-finals of the European Championships with a comfortable win over Ukraine.
 
From the moment Dylan Morgan finished off a sweeping left-to-right move in the fourth minute, there only ever felt like one outcome.
 
Both sides looked tired in what was the fifth game of the day – a game that was played almost exclusively in Ukraine’s half. Wales extended their lead in the 13th minute when Charlie Glover hit a good line to crash over near the posts.
 
The win and passage to the semi-finals was wrapped up five minutes later when Bradley Toy weaved his way to the line with a 15 metre run on the left edge. Llewellyn Hawkes missed the conversion, but already had two to his name, meaning a 16-0 win for Wayne Ponting’s young men.

WALES 4 ENGLAND 14
By Andy Morgan
 
A successful day for Wales under 19s ended in defeat to European Championship semi-final opponents, England Community Lions.
 
The Lions made dents in the Welsh defensive line in the very first set, and when a lofted kick was sent in the direction of Dylan Morgan, the wingers attempts to claim above his head were unsuccessful and only served to palm the ball into the path of Jack Newbegin for his first of two tries.
 
His second swiftly followed his first, with England players queuing up on the left-hand side to finish a flowing move.
 
At the end of a long day, Wales still refused to crumble. Dylan Morgan atoned for his earlier mistake when he claimed a looping pass from Isaac Morgan to jink inside his man, before getting on the outside of the covering defence to finish in the corner. Walkley was unable to add the extras from the touchline.
 
Any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished as Oscar Fisher fumbled from the kick-off and with the ball back in the hands of the English, they again raided down the left edge, with Newbegin turning provider for Callum Murphy.
 
Matt Alban missed all three of his conversions, but did add a penalty towards the end to ensure a 14-4 win.
 
 
WALES SQUAD
1             Isaac Morgan (Aberavon Fighting Irish)
2             Dylan Morgan (Cardiff Blue Dragons / Coleg y Cymoedd)
3             Mason Phillips (Rhondda Outlaws / Salford Red Devils)
4             William McCarthy (Aberavon Fighting Irish / Salford Red Devils)
5             Ethan Harley (Telford Raiders)
6             Billy Walkley (Aber Valley Wolves / Salford Red Devils)
7             Llewellyn Hawkes (Bridgend Blue Bulls / West Wales Raiders)
8             Oscar Fisher (Newcastle Thunder)
9             Finley Yates (Cynon Valley Cavaliers / Salford Red Devils)
10           Carter Barnes (Torfaen Tigers)
11           Scott Pritchard (Aber Valley Wolves / Salford Red Devils)
12           Gethin Thomas (Fremantle Roosters)
13           Charlie Glover (Salford Red Devils)
14           Connor Lacey (Cynon Valley Cavaliers / Salford Red Devils)
15           Alex Banks (Cynon Valley Cavaliers / Coleg y Cymoedd)
16           Lewis Ingram (Bridgend Blue Bulls)
17           Bradley Toy (Aber Valley Wolves / Coleg y Cymoedd)
18          Michael Carter (Aber Valley Wolves)
19           Robert Muirhead (Marchogion Môn Knights)
20           Jamie Jenkins (Cardiff Blue Dragons / Coleg y Cymoedd)
21           Rhys Davies (Aber Valley Wolves / Coleg y Cymoedd)
22           Dafydd Morgan (Aber Valley Wolves)
23           Bradley Williams (Cynon Valley Cavaliers / Coleg y Cymoedd)
24           Calum Jones (Aber Valley Wolves)
 
All pics by Dean Livingstone.