Gritty England grind way to Grand Slam
The Rugby Paper|July 18, 2021
CAPTAIN Jack van Poortvliet lauded the ‘grit’ of his England teammates after holding off Italy to clinch the U20 Six Nations Grand Slam.
ADAM ELLIS
Gritty England grind way to Grand Slam

An Arthur Relton double aided England’s cause as they recorded five wins from five to end a barren four-year wait for silverware.

Leicester scrum-half Van Poortvliet – who was a standout for England in every match – was named player of the tournament.

He said: “We are all incredibly happy and I will make sure I enjoy this time with these boys. I love this group and I have loved playing with them.

“There were a couple of big moments for us – like the turnaround against France – and the performance against Ireland set the tone for us for the final two games, some of the defence in that game was massive.

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