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Mowden Duo Return From Georgia Tour

Mowden Duo Return From Georgia Tour

Tom Bulmer13 Jun 2019 - 12:00
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Mackenzie and Hodgson reflect on their England Counties Tour of Georgia.

Wednesday saw Mowden Park’s Ollie Hodgson and Callum Mackenzie return from England Counties’ Tour of Georgia. The 10 day tour saw the 24 man squad take on a Georgia XV in two test matches, with the series ending tied at 1 win apiece.

The opening game of the tour saw England Counties run out 15-28 winners, having led 8-18 at half time. Mowden winger Mackenzie started the game, and scored a decisive intercept try to put the game to bed late on. Ollie Hodgson came on as a first half replacement and helped England to their opening win of the tour. The second and final fixture ended in a narrow 24-23 win for the hosts. Hodgson once again came on as a first half replacement, while Mackenzie had a try disallowed for a knock on in the build-up. The visitors had led going into the final 5 minutes, before a late try sealed the win for the home side and levelled the series at 1-1.

24 year-old Hodgson was taking part in his second tour with England Counties, having played in last summer’s Tour of Romania. Asked about his latest experience with the Counties squad, Hodgson said: “The trip was a very good experience playing against two quality Georgian XV's. As a team we were disappointed not to win both games, especially after the hard work and prep we had put into the build-up.”

“It's always nice to play representative rugby and put yourself in a challenging environment but it was even better to do it alongside team mate Cal Mackenzie. You would never have guessed he was there if you looked at his social media!”

Mackenzie was making his England Counties debut on the tour, having impressed for Durham County in the Bill Beaumont County Championship. After missing out on last year’s tour through injury, the 29 year-old was delighted to have been a part of the tour: “Being selected last year and breaking my leg and not being able to go on tour was devastating. It was fantastic to get selected again this year after all the work I have put in throughout the season.”

“Pulling in an England shirt is something I have always wanted to do since I started my rugby career as a teenager. I made some great memories and some great friends.”

On behalf of the club, we’d like to congratulate Ollie and Callum on being a part of the tour. A great achievement!

Photo Credit - http://www.ickledot.uk/

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