Exeter Chiefs scored the first try of a drizzly but action-packed Tuesday afternoon at Wellington College.
Hooker Nathan Karea swiped an interception in midfield and scampered clear before turning to find prop Harry Davies, who took a neat pass and slid over close to the posts. The combination between two skilful front-row colleagues encapsulated how the RFU’s Under-16 Festival has shifted its focus.
In the past, four divisional teams – North, London and South East, Midlands and South West – took part. Since 2016, all 14 Premiership academies, the dozen top-tier clubs plus Bristol and Yorkshire, have sent squads of 30. A fleet of 420 players, rather than 100 or so previously, stay at the vast...