SIX St Helens amateur rugby league players were involved in a record-breaking 124-0 win at the weekend.
Ryan Price-Jones (Clock Face Miners), Ben O’Connell, Josh O’Connell (both Pilkington Recs) and Chris Jones, Alfie Matthias, Jonny Rae (all Thatto Heath Crusaders) were in the Wales Dragonhearts squad that excelled during a quickfire tour of Poland.
Josh O’Connell contributed a try and seven goals, Matthias bagged a brace of tries, while Price-Jones, Jones and Rae also touched down as Dragonhearts, the representative side of the community game in Wales, ran riot in their first game against Poland at Stadion Polonia Andrzejów, Lodz, on Saturday night.
The 124-0 scoreline eclipsed the previous record in any Wales rugby league international, one that was set only two years ago when Wales beat Scotland 116-6 in a Wheelchair Celtic Cup win in Wrexham.
Wales Dragonhearts’ previous record was a 70-8 victory against Scotland in Bridgend in 2005.
The 23 tries scored on Saturday by the tourists was also a record for a Welsh international at any level.
Dragonhearts’ tally of 68 points after the break was a second-half international record for a Wales side.
Then on Sunday afternoon at MOSIR Tęcza, Lodz, with both sides making seven changes to their line-ups, the teams went to battle again with Wales running out 108-8 winners.
Rae got a hat-trick in this game, Ben O’Connell and Jones crossed once, while Ben O’Connell landed seven goals and Josh O’Connell one.
Head coach Simon Reynolds said: “It’s been a fantastic tour, every player has represented their families, clubs, towns and themselves with pride and we as a group have made memories along the way.”
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