Walker predicts brighter future for England (From Craven Herald)

Walker predicts brighter future for England

8:52am Thursday 28th June 2012 in Sport

England Under-20s, captained by Settle’s Chris Walker, rounded off their IRB Junior World Championship campaign in South Africa with a hard fought 17-13 win against Australia for seventh place.

Head coach Rob Hunter’s side had trailed 13-3 at the break but a spirited second-half display that included three penalties from Tom Heathcote and a try from hooker Koree Britton secured the win.

Walker, who plays for Championship side Leeds Carnegie, said: “We’re delighted with the win.

“We didn’t make it easy for ourselves but the spirit we showed in the second half is what we’re all about.

“Of course, we’re disappointed with our seventh-place finish – we came here to try and win – but there’s enough talent in this group to learn from this year and I know that they’ll give it their best shot in France next time around.”

Flanker Walker was accompanied for the whole match by clubmate Dominic Barrow, who played in the second row.