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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Matthew Southcombe

The best young talents in England and Wales compare notes in brilliantly unique post-match analysis

The brightest young talents in both England and Wales came together after their recent clash to compare notes in a brilliantly unique post-match analysis.

Pause for a second and consider Gareth Anscombe and Owen Farrell discussing the weaknesses in each other's game, or Jonathan Davies telling Henry Slade how he'd planned to get the better of him before Wales beat England in the Six Nations this year.

Well that's exactly what Wales and England under-18s did last weekend after their match at Hartpury College.

The hosts came out on top to the tune of 38-20 on the day, but the players met up afterwards to discuss their performances.

Players sat down with their opposite number and discussed how they analysed each other beforehand, sharing different views on various aspects of performance.

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England and Wales under-18s players compared notes after a match recently (RFU)

Being coached by the same group all the time is one thing, but learning how an opponent views your strengths and weaknesses can be invaluable in terms of personal growth.

"It was actually quite an honest chat with people of a similar age," said Jack Clement, England under-18s flanker.

"I'd say we learned a lot, not just about what we did in the game, but how we can actually improve going forward, and what they found difficult to defend and attack against.

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"To have an honest point of view from someone who has played against you is actually really valuable."

This is not the first time the two fierce rivals have done this.

When Wales hosted the U18s Six Nations Festival last year, events like barbecues were put on so the players could get to know each other in a far more relaxed, informal environment.

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