England overcame Wales to retain their Student Four Nations crown, but the foundations for success are laid long before the tournament begins.

“THE best international student match I’ve seen since we hosted New Zealand in 2018 – and the best performance from Wales I’ve seen since 2015!”

That was the considered view of England Universities Team Manager David Butler following his side’s 24-14 victory over hosts Wales in the last game of the 2026 Student Four Nations competition.

The fixture was a winner-takes-all clash, both sides having already disposed of Ireland and Scotland. And, ultimately, stoic defence by an England side that was reduced to 12 men following the sin-binning of James Leach led to the English claiming the title for a ninth successive season.

Part of the reason for England’s long-term pre-eminence is the ingrained habit of planning well in advance of each summer’s Student Four Nations.

The tried-and-tested selection process always begins, for England, in the autumn, when regional trials are held in all corners of the country.

From those trials, players are selected for the Midlands, North East, North West, South East, South West and Yorkshire.

Those who shine the brightest are selected, in turn, for the North versus South Origin game, from which the England Universities squad emerges.

The Student Four Nations triumph is perhaps all the more impressive for the fact that England, who enjoyed a 100 percent winning record in 2025, were unable to win the President’s Cup. That accolade went to Great Britain Teachers, who beat the Students 34-10 at Lock Lane before accounting for UK Armed Forces at Goole.

England’s win over Wales nine days earlier perhaps mirrored their defeat at the hands of the Teachers, who were without sin-binned Ryan Morley in the closing stages but who, through terrific defence, kept the holders at bay.

That was what England did to Wales after having lost Leach, who was yellow-carded for a professional foul with 10 minutes left. The Welsh, who were ten points adrift at the time, applied terrific and sustained pressure but were unable to breach a valiant rearguard.

Butler reflected: “Leach was very apologetic when he came to us in the stand after having been sin-binned for holding down. We pointed out to him that, as a prop, it was incredible that he’d been able to chase back anyway. And we also made the point that if he hadn’t delayed the play-the-ball, Wales would almost certainly have scored so, in that sense, he did the right thing.

“Very impressively, though, we held out against a side that was also playing for Clive Griffiths, who was retiring as head coach after 50 games in charge of Wales Students and nearly 40 years of serving his country as a coach, including at full international level. They were hugely improved since his return late last year and I hope they continue that into future seasons because the competition needs games like that game!”

He revealed: “We’re already planning for next year – ‘filling up buckets’ – in terms of appointing coaches. Ethan Yates and Jay Woodley were the Origin coaches last time, assisted by Mark Sloan, while former Student players who became professionals, such as Matty Chrimes and Craig Banks, have coached in our system.

“It’s important to get the coaches right; it’s a process that, previously, led to people such as Richard Tate, Adam Houston and Sloan taking on the role of head coach.

“Later in the year, we’ll be inviting ambitious players to attend our regional trials. Clive Griffiths followed a similar route with Wales, which to some degree explains why the Welsh went so close this time.”

It’s now for Ireland and Scotland to adopt similar strategies if they are to battle for the title rather than seek to avoid the wooden spoon. There was general disappointment when the Irish were unable to raise a team for the closing fixture with the Scots at Hawick, but the fact that Ireland left it until March before advertising for a coach goes some way to explaining the background to that issue.

By contrast, and as Butler has explained in the past, England name their train-on squad as early as possible and provide details of expenditure surrounding accommodation, travel and other costs, enabling all involved to prepare well in advance.

Butler said: “Wales went close to the title because they had several camps, and played a number of games against Wales A, the RAF and one or two club sides in the build-up to the Four Nations. That preparation led to a big improvement and it was good to chat with Clive – who is a great bloke; we’re only opponents for the 80 minutes of a game – afterwards. If all Student Four Nations games were like that one, very evenly contested, people would be flocking to matches.”

He concluded: “Perhaps, ultimately, the Teachers wanted it more than us in our President’s Cup fixture, and we wanted it a little bit more than Wales in Neath.

“Meanwhile, it was disappointing that Ireland conceded to Scotland; we will work with them to share learning.”

First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 523 (August 2026)