Northumbria’s Ben Douglas was part of England’s Under 20 squad that went unbeaten to achieve Six Nations glory. The tournament, which took place 2 February to 16 March, saw Ben travel to France and Italy to represent his country, helping England go on to win the tournament with four wins and one draw.
Arguably one of Rugby’s most famous tournaments, the Six Nations sees England, France, Italy, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, play against each other to become Six Nations Champions. The Under 20s competition kicked off with England beating Italy 36-11 on Italian soil. Ben and the team then went on to claim maximum points in all but one fixture and were crowned champions after a 45-31 win away in France.
Ben, who when not on internation duty is part of the Newcastle Falcons Academy setup, has worked his way through the England youth ranks representing the under 18s and 19s prior to joining the under 20s.
This means the Northumbria student is no stranger to the international stage, however, when asked what it means to pull on the England jersey, Ben says: “It means loads, playing for England at any level was always something you dream of when you are younger. Whilst meeting lots of good blokes from all around the country along the way, it’s class.”
Ben reflected on the recent Six Nations tournament, explaining how: “I think a highlight for me and the rest of the lads would be winning the Six Nations, beating France away in a packed out stadium.”
It seems Six Nations success has only increased Ben’s future aspirations within the world of Rugby. When asked about the future, Ben replies: “I’d like to play as many games for Falcons as possible, and like any other rugby player, playing for England would be a dream as well.”
The Falcons player remains focused on the not so distant future with him completing his university degree in the coming years.
Representing your country at any level constitutes a huge achievement for any athlete, let alone winning the competitions as grand as the Six Nations, meaning a huge congratulations is in order for Ben!
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