Nick Isiekwe was part of the England U18 side that beat Italy 39-12 in the bronze final of the 2015 Rugby Europe Championship in Toulouse, France.

It was Isiekwe’s second cap after being named in the starting line-up for back-to-back games.

The Three Lions started brightly despite the difficult and wet conditions, scoring four tries in the first spell to go into the break 29-0 up.

The second half proved a tougher 40 minutes for the England team as the young Azzurri began to work their way into the match and play to their strengths. The Italians were able hit back twice in response to England’s two tries scored in the half.

The result left England in third place, with the hosts going on to rout Georgia 57-0 in the final.

John Fletcher, head coach said: “Overall it was an okay performance from the guys. It was a decent effort but felt we could have given more. The Italian scrum and driving play was strong but when we got the ball in hand we looked a threatening side.”

Reflecting on the tournament, he added: “We came out here with the ultimate goal to win all three games and continue to improve our performances.

“We are obviously disappointed not to win but overall it has been a pleasing competition for us in terms of players improving and spending time together.

“We will be looking forward to the under 19 games coming up and then the South African tests in August.”

England convincingly beat Portugal 85-5 in the opening game of the tournament last weekend before losing out to a strong French side 21-17 mid-week.