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The 2009 defeat that inspired Mark Mapletoft to 2024 England U20s glory
By Liam Heagney
Mark Mapletoft finally let the hair down on Friday night in Cape Town. Not literally. He has been lid-less for quite some time. But the cans of Coke that had always been at his right hand throughout his post-game activities at the World Rugby U20 Championship were no more.
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A green bottle of Castle Lite was suddenly the beverage of choice… and why not? England had just been crowned champions. “I’ve already necked two,” he chucked, celebratory bottle No3 in hand while shedding some light on his country’s first world age-grade success in eight years.
His phone was hopping ever since referee Takehito Namekawa’s full-time whistle confirmed the 21-13 victory where the scoreboard was massaged by France’s late consolation.
By the time he spoke with RugbyPass, he had 70-plus unread messages competing for his attention. Who did he first ring as a world champion, though?
“Who do you reckon?” The missus. “Of course. She was supposed to be picking up our youngest child from Spain today because she is underage to fly, she has been in a surf camp for two weeks and of course all this Microsoft thing has gone down.
“She is now back home and our daughter is still in northern Spain. Family crisis. So I checked in, she told me not to panic and not to worry and to focus on the game. I can’t tell you what her quote was. Very inspirational. She said if you are going to be away for four weeks, you CANNOT lose!”
This might sound daft but the play-to-your-strengths way England dominated France in the second half of the decider had its genesis in what unfolded in the Far East 15 years ago… a time when the likes of current skipper Finn Carnduff and co were a mere five years old.
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“Do you know what, this is no word of a lie, I learned that in 2009,” explained Mapletoft about England’s determination versus the French to stick to the aspects of their game they were best at, their scrum and defence. “I took the England side out to Tokyo, we flew through the group stages.
“I know it sounds crazy it’s so long ago, 15 years, and we had Lenny (Ben Youngs) and we had Courtney (Lawes) amongst others and we were probably the best team there. We had dominance up front and we went into the final and we tried to out All Black the All Blacks. That was a really good lesson.
“I was very fortunate to work with some really smart guys at Quins for a number of years. Conor (O’Shea), John Kingston, my mate Guzzy (Paul Gustard), and you have to find a way to win games and sometimes you have strengths that might not fit with your MO.
“I love to play rugby, I love to keep ball in hand. Tonight was wet, it was greasy, the boys were nervous, understandably as it was a final, and we have got strengths in our D, we have got strengths in our scrum, and we had to adapt and we did.”
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It was when France No8 Mathis Castro-Ferreria was shown a yellow card early in the second half that England pressed on the accelerator and inflicted the damage that ended the French bid to win a fourth Championship title in a row. This English power surge wasn’t new to Mapletoft… and neither was it unexpected.
“They have done that all season. All coaches get frustrated at moments in games but you have got to remember these lads are 18, 19, and 20. They are starting their rugby journeys. They’re not going to get everything right but what they found, and I don’t think it’s cliché, they found a way to win games.
CHAMPIONS! ????????#WorldRugbyU20s | @EnglandRugby | #ENGvFRA pic.twitter.com/jJSLwQNyu9
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 19, 2024
“They are so strong at the end. So strong. We said, ‘Look, we started games slowly, we can’t afford to start slowly’ and we went in at half-time 7-6 up. I’m not going to say I thought we would bring it home but I genuinely did.”
Out-half was where Mapletoft plied his trade at the turn of the millennium as a one-cap England player whose clubs were Saracens, Harlequins and London Irish.
He openly admits he doesn’t know what goes on in the eight-versus-eight shove but he enjoyed its outcome in South Africa and loved the buy-in, not only from staff but from the academies throughout England who were delighted that the national U20s team scaled the summit to become world champs.
“Look, the scrum was immense. I have never, ever played in a scrum in my life, never packed down in a scrum, so I can’t comment as to whether it’s the one, two, three, four, five, six, seven or eight but I imagine it’s a collective effort.
“The work they put in with Nathan (Catt, scrum coach) is insane. The time that Nathan, Haydn (Thomas) and Andy (Titterrell) have done as coaches with the players, honestly I have worked in a number of environments and their work ethic is second to none.
“I get to do all this fancy, flowery (media) stuff which is great but they are the guys who are really putting the time and effort in. The analysts, we are really working hard as a pathway to align everything. We have got the 20s analyst, the U18s analyst here working together. We really are trying to make this something that starts at 16 when they come in.
Showing how to dominate in the scrum! ?@EnglandRugby score their second try in this final with everything still all to play for! ???????
Watch all the action live on RugbyPass TV ?#WorldRugbyU20s | #ENGvFRA pic.twitter.com/C6JuUJrBTx
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 19, 2024
“The clubs are so supportive. We have had messages off every single academy already just saying well done, how proud they are of their lads’ effort. Whilst not everyone is represented in every single game, their support is incredible as well. I really want you to stress that because we can’t operate without the development they do as well.”
Mapletoft publicly hedged his bets in the build-up to the final, insisting that one result shouldn’t define a pathway. England didn’t go on to lose, though. Instead they competently added the World Championship to the Six Nations title they won 18 weeks earlier when beating France in Pau. It’s a double achievement the England coach doesn’t takes lightly.
“We’re unbeaten,” he enthused. “I know it might sound obvious but I think the boys felt wronged against Ireland at home (a 32-all draw 19 weeks ago in Bath). I’m not saying they used that as ammunition to move forward. Look, had we won that game who knows, sliding doors, we might have lost in Pau (the following week), but they have used it as an incredible amount of motivation.
“To go through a season unbeaten in competitive Test matches, we have had four nines and four 10s. I mean, I have got a lot of respect for Ireland, as an example, but Ollie Coffey and Jack Murphy pretty much play every single game and we have had four in each position.
“For players like Ben Coen to come in, Lucas Friday, turned 18 last week. I keep saying it, the way that the players are, I am not telling people how to do things but you get your environment right, everything else just flows from that.”
How very true. England supremely rounded off their blissful four-week tour in South Africa as champions. Mapletoft and RugbyPass will happily drink to that.
