In Valladolid, Spain hosted England A in a match that many expected to be one-way traffic. Instead, the home crowd witnessed one of Spain’s most composed and competitive performances in recent years — a display that saw them control long stretches of the game and push England’s second-tier side to the brink.
Ezeala (43')
Tries
Caluori (32'), Fisilau (62'), Tuipulotu (74'), Redshaw (77')
Richardis (45')
Conversions
Hodge (33'), Atkinson (74', 78')
Richardis (7', 24', 36', 40', 58', 72')
Penalties
Hodge (53')
In Valladolid, Spain hosted England A in a match that many expected to be one-way traffic.
Instead, the home crowd witnessed one of Spain’s most composed and competitive performances in recent years — a display that saw them control long stretches of the game and push England’s second-tier side to the brink.
For England A, the final scoreline may look comfortable, but the truth is that Spain were the better side for the majority of the contest, and only a late surge spared the visitors from a genuine upset.
From the opening whistle, Spain set the tone.
They dominated the first half through:
Territorial control
Accurate kicking
Strong, organised defence
A functioning set-piece that gave England A real problems
Spain had also found a way to really get under the skin of the young England players, which overflowed and found England A down to 13 players after 11 minutes. The exuberance to try and return the physciality was over the line for the ref and saw Nathan Jibulu and Nathan Michelow in the bin. In the 15th minute, Samuel Ezeala found his debut try wiped off for a forward pass in the lead up, and then Martiniano Cian was out of favour with the officials for a high shot and found himself spending 10 minutes in the bin in the 19th minute.
Lucien Richardis got caught out by the weather and spilled his collection close to the Spain try line. Which Noah Caluori gathered gleefully to slid in for the opening try, which Josh Hodge converted to take England ahead 6 -7.
But Lucien Richardis added 2 further penalties after a poor drop goal attempt, but took Spain into the tunnel 12 - 7 ahead and apart from the England try, they were in control of the game.
Halftime: Spain ahead, and fully deserving of it.
The second half followed a similar pattern early on.
Spain struck swiftly through a blistering break by Martiniano Cian and sublime hands in the conditions managed to release Ezeala to finally get his debut try. Richardis continued his kicking masterclass by slotting the conversion. Spain looking comfortable at 19 - 7.
George Hendy thought he had reduced the deficit after Caluori glided past everyone to cover 3 quarters of the pitch. However, the ball was knocked on in the build up, so found it wiped off after a long TMO check.
A penalty by both sides were added before Greg Fisilau managed to score from close range for England A. 62 minutes gone and the score closed to 22 - 15.
With around 10 minutes left, England A finally found the punch and precision they lacked all match.
Spain thought they had done enough when Richardis extended the lead in the 72nd minute to 25 - 15. Then John Wessel Bell found himself yellow carded in the 73rd minute, and England A had emptied the bench with fresh legs.
Spain were undone by 2 quick tries by England A through Kepu Tuipulotu and Ben Redshaw, Spain heartbroken and wondering what if!
Best performance in years: Controlled territory, tempo, and physicality for 70 minutes.
Set-piece excellence: Their scrum and maul consistently troubled England.
Defensive discipline: Kept England A off-balance and out of rhythm.
Only fatigue cost them: The final 10 minutes were the difference — a reflection of squad depth, not quality.
Under pressure all match: Struggled to adapt to Spain’s intensity and discipline.
Bench impact was decisive: Late fresh legs turned the tide.
Took their chances: Clinical in final moments despite being second-best for most of the contest.
This performance will be remembered.
Not for the loss — but for the proof that Spain can go toe-to-toe with a high-level professional side for long stretches.
Their structure, discipline, and belief continue to grow.
On another day, with slightly more depth, this could have been a historic win.
A wake-up call.
The final score does not hide the reality that they were out-thought, out-worked, and out-played for the majority of the match.
They escaped thanks to their superior depth and late-game pace.
Lucien Richardis or Noah Calouri
Both young players looked like they had been playing senior rugby for years, and clearly a step above others.
Spain pushed England A to the edge.
For 70 minutes, Los Leones controlled the match, dictated territory, and had the crowd believing in something special.
England A’s late surge secured the win, but this was a performance that shows just how far Spain have risen — and how close they are to a statement victory on the international stage.
A near-upset.
A statement performance from Spain.
And a match that will be remembered for the shift Los Leones put in.
