Positive Start to Season by 20s
Old Wesley U20s 49 – St Mary’s 14
Before kick off both u20s shared a moments silence for Stephen Jameson of St Marys – who died suddenly last week. Old Wesley extends our sympathies to the Jameson family and the wider St Mary’s community at this difficult time.
Energia Park – Season Opener 2025/26
Old Wesley’s U20s got their campaign off to the best possible start with a commanding 49–14 win over St Mary’s at Energia Park.
Mary’s struck first after 12 minutes, breaking through to lead 0–7. Wesley replied immediately – a powerful maul saw Jason Shirley crash over, though the conversion drifted wide (5–7). A misplaced Wesley pass gifted Mary’s another score and with the extras added it was 5–14.
Wesley’s response was outstanding. Sustained pressure and a high tackle on Sam Ryan saw Mary’s reduced to 14 men. The pack took charge – first Shirley drove to within metres of the line before Andrew Gordon powered over, then straight from the restart another maul delivered Shirley’s second. At the break Wesley led 15–14, their dominance at set-piece beginning to tell.
The second half was all one-way traffic. Early changes brought fresh legs as Dan Cox, Paddy Bramley, and Hugo Jacob entered the fray. More penalties from Mary’s allowed Wesley to set up camp in their 22, and Joe Cullen eventually crossed after a series of phases. Moments later, Gavin Agar picked off an intercept and nearly went the length, with Gordon finishing the pressure for his second try of the day.
From there, Wesley cut loose. Jacob’s sharp handling created space for Bramley to score, Andrew McAdams adding the extras to stretch the lead. Then came a special moment – Milo Campbell choreographed a slick lineout move that sent Shirley over for his hat-trick. Bramley added his second soon after, quick-tapping a penalty to catch Mary’s defence napping.
By the final whistle, the scoreboard read 49–14 to Old Wesley, a statement performance built on forward power, relentless tempo, and clinical finishing.
Tries: Shirley (3), Gordon (2), Cullen, Bramley (2)
Conversions: McAdams (2)
Team Sheet
Starting XV:
Joe Cullen, Jason Shirley, Gavin Agar, Kevin Cussen, Andrew Gordon, Harry Shannon, Sam McMullin, Milo Campbell, Sam Ryan, Andrew McAdams, Zach Treacy, Joss O’Keefe, David Gilmore, Josh Bennett, Matthew Plant.
Replacements:
Paddy Bramley, Daniel Cox, Hugo Jacob.
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The Under 20s is a very important element of rugby at Old Wesley acting as a vital connection between Schools rugby and Adult rugby. We wish our team all the best for the rest of their season and encourage supporters to follow and attend the matches.
The Under 20s will compete in Premier 2 this season and will kick off their campaign with a home fixture against Navan on Sunday 12th October.