Success for rugby students in international tournament

The Myerscough Academy gave a fantastic account of themselves, with the U19s becoming runners-up in the prestigious international tournament, narrowly losing out 17-14 to local side CDUL.

The squad headed to Lisbon to pit their wits against teams from 14 countries including Spain, Portugal, Italy, USA, Australia, and Argentina in the annual event. In total, 80 teams played in 300 matches across different age groups.

The Portugal Rugby Youth Festival is quickly establishing itself as the best European rugby tournaments for youth teams, giving Myerscough students team an unforgettable experience both on and off the pitch. All matches were played within the Lisbon University Stadium Complex.

A tough schedule for the squad saw them play games over a two day competition, in 40 minute matches. Myerscough were unbeaten in their first four games to qualify for the final.

The coaches at Myerscough College Rugby Academy, said: ''The players were very focused on every game and always exceeded expectations. We're very pleased with how they played. Games with foreign teams are not easy and it took a lot of determination on the field to achieve the results.''

''The way the whole tournament has been run has been excellent.''

''It was a brilliant few days with a great group of young men. We are very proud of our team in reaching the final but we just didn't have enough left in the tank to see the job through... We wish speedy recoveries to our injured players. Finally, thank you for all the support both, from the parents who came out to Portugal, and for all the messages from back home.''

You can see more photographs about the trip on the Myerscough College Rugby Academy Facebook page.