Hunter's pride at England's showing

By Mark Stevens

Exeter Chiefs assistant forwards coach Rob Hunter has spoken of his pride at seeing England's Under-20s side book their place in the final of this season's Junior World Championships in France.

Hunter was an avid viewer on Tuesday evening as the Red Rose country overcame New Zealand 31-22 to advance into Sunday's showpiece against Wales at the Stade de la Rabine in Vannes.

Chiefs fly-half Henry Slade - one of five Exeter players in the current Under-20s squad - helped himself to an 18-point haul, whilst there were also notable displays from club-mates Luke Cowan-Dickie (pictured left), Sam Hill and Jack Nowell.

Exeter's fifth player, flanker Joel Conlon, did not feature against the Baby Blacks, but Hunter - who was head coach of the England Under-20s for three seasons before moving to Sandy Park - has been impressed by the displays of the quintet throughout the tournament.

"It was great to see the Chiefs lads play so well the other night," said Hunter. "They were outstanding, both in attack and defence, and collectively they helped to play their part in what was an excellent team performance. You could see there were a lot of things they have worked hard on here with the Chiefs that they've now transferred into the England team.

"The great thing about international rugby is that individual players bring different things from their clubs and you try and blend as much of that together as possible. Equally, it was good to see an English side playing with so much pride and intensity over the 80 minutes."

Standing in the way of England this weekend will be arch rivals Wales, who provided them with a stern test at Eirias Park back in March as Hunter's side claimed Six Nations glory for a third successive season.

That was the Exeter's coach last game in charge before he moved to Sandy Park and handed over the reigns to his assistant Nick Walshe, who has now assumed the role of head coach.

And Hunter knows from past experience that the Welsh, who overcame a powerful South African side 18-17 in the other semi-final, will provide a massive hurdle to overcome.

"I thought Wales were outstanding against South Africa," added Hunter. "They're well organised, they are a settled side and they have a very tough back-row who like to put their men down. Going into Sunday's final I think the form book goes out of the window. Yes, England have a good record against Wales, but New Zealand had a good record against England and that's now gone.

"Sunday, I think, will be a tremendous occasion for the lads - and I hope they get to take in the whole experience of it all - but I also think it will be a close and brutal match."

In recent years England have seen the emergence of a number of highly-rated Under-20s players, including the likes of Marland Yarde, Jonny May, Mako Vunipola and Owen Farrell, and Hunter believes the current crop of Exeter youngsters could well follow a similar path.

"That step up to the next level is getting less and less," explained Hunter. "You only have to look at the side that ran out against Argentina the other week, Marland and Jonny were both in our team in the last few years, as were Mako and Owen Farrell who are now away with the Lions. As I said, the step up is very short for some players, but it's a good opportunity for boys.

"A bit of luck does come into it at times, but you can see that all these boys are talented and that they want to learn all the time. I've no doubt after the tournament that a lot of these English boys will want to get back to their clubs and will want to push hard for places in the Premiership."