Trio of final defeats fuelled triumphant Saints Under-18s at Kingsholm

Charlie Reed’s side stormed to Kingsholm on the back of four bonus-point victories in the pool stages.

And they extended that formidable form to defeat Bath 31-14 in the showpiece, ending a run of three successive final defeats to lift the shield for the first time since 2014.

“It’s our fourth year in the final and we’ve gone and done it,” said 18-year-old second row Lawrence. “That’s something you had to say to the lads: this can’t be the fourth repeated year, that’s it.

“It’s quite surreal to be honest. The season builds up to this from pre-season and there’s so much training and time and hard work that goes into this and it builds up to this, even from our DPP [Developing Player Programme] days at Under-15 level, this is what it builds up to.

“So to be in the programme from all the way back then, to all the way up here, it’s just something really special to be honest.”

History appeared to be repeating itself at half-time at Kingsholm as 2024 champions Bath took a seven-point lead into the interval.

However, Saints produced a clinical second-half performance with Jack Lewis striking for a second try to follow his first-half effort, before James Hudson and Aiden Reid also added tries.

Fly-half Hugh Shields was faultless from his five efforts from the tee.

“I said to the boys before the game, not everything’s going to go our way, but if we stick in this lads, if we stick together, we will have one hell of a night and that’s exactly what happened,” added Lawrence, who attends St Joseph’s College and originates from Shelford Rugby Club.

“Our lineouts didn’t go great, but we stuck at it and we fought through.

"We have got a great coaching staff and they all make key points. It’s narrowed down to literally individual points that can’t get out of your heads.

“We go in with three defensive points, maybe two attacking points and we stick by them. If we do that week after week then progressively, over time, you're not going to perfect your game, but you’re going to get something near to that.”