UKAF U23 v England Counties U20 Report – Military vs Cancer 2026

UKAF U23 21 – 33 England Counties U20
Saturday 4 July 2026, Castle Park, Doncaster

UKAF U23 v England Counties opened the Military vs Cancer triple header at Castle Park. However, a sharp England Counties Under-20 side won 33–21, scoring five tries to three.

The Counties side was effectively England’s second string at Under-20 level. In fact, the main squad was away at the World Rugby U20 Championship in Georgia. Later in the day, UKAF Women beat a North East Women’s XV 31–17. Then the Men closed the event with a 42–26 win over a North of England Select XV. All proceeds went to Military vs Cancer, which supports serving and former personnel facing cancer.

Before kick-off, a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight flew over the ground. Afterwards, the York and Nottingham Military Wives Choir led the national anthem.

A fast start from Counties

Playing into a stiff breeze, UKAF spent most of the opening quarter in their own half. Meanwhile, Counties moved the ball quickly and kicked cleverly into space. After six minutes, blindside Dylan Brown finished a series of pick-and-goes from a lineout. The conversion made it 7–0.

Six minutes later, Counties struck again. A kick was charged down, and scrum-half Chris Thorndike gathered the bounce. He then stepped the last defender to score. The conversion missed, so Counties led 12–0.

UKAF eventually found a way back. After 23 minutes, the forwards carried hard through the middle. Then an offload from the floor sent Veremo Waqanidrola into space. The centre stepped the full-back and raced clear. Kyle Smith converted to make it 12–7.

UKAF U23 v England Counties: trading blows

UKAF grew into the game after that. Despite losing Ronnie Fulford to injury, they pressed into the Counties 22. Their forwards then went to work with a series of pick-and-goes. Finally, tighthead Ben Dodd drove over, and Smith’s conversion gave UKAF a 14–12 lead.

Counties hit straight back, though. Their right wing claimed the restart, and a penalty took them to the corner. From there, loosehead Harry Coxell powered over. As a result, Counties led 19–14 at half-time.

Counties pull away

The second half was barely a minute old when Counties scored again. Their left wing chipped over the top, and replacement scrum-half Archie Hamer won the race to touch down. The conversion made it 26–14.

UKAF’s defence then held firm through a difficult spell. Ben Hurford-John and James Moseley both made try-saving tackles near the corner. However, UKAF’s lineout struggled all afternoon, which limited their chances.

With 20 minutes left, Counties scored the try of the match. A slick lineout move put outside centre Connor Pew through a gap. He then fended off the full-back to score. The conversion stretched the lead to 33–14.

A late reply

Even so, UKAF kept going. Waqanidrola broke clear for the third time, but the Counties defence scrambled well. Then, in the final minute, Tom Clifford’s offload sent Woodrow Facey up the field. Moments later, Hurford-John stepped off his left foot to score. The conversion made the final score 33–21.

In the end, the Counties co-captains, Dylan Brown and Louis Haley, lifted the trophy. Even so, UKAF can take heart from a committed display against a strong side.

Watch the full replay on YouTube