Luton duo help East Midlands U20s win Jason Leonard Trophy

Luton duo Toby Hunt and Callum Lodder shone as East Midlands were crowned Jason Leonard U20s National Cup champions after a hard-fought 44-29 victory over Hertfordshire at Twickenham on Saturday.

The pair began their rugby journey more than a decade ago at Newlands Road, first pulling on boots together at just five years old, both products of the highly regarded Luton RFC minis section. Their progression through the club’s youth and academy system has been closely intertwined ever since, developing side by side into two of the region’s most promising young talents, earning selection for Northampton Saints’ academy system, where they represented the Premiership club from U13s through to U18s.

With Hunt named skipper for the contest at the home of English rugby, then despite eventually lifting the trophy, East Midlands found themselves under early pressure as Hertfordshire dominated possession and territory during the opening 15 minutes. However, resolute defence kept the scoreboard blank allowing East Midlands to gradually assert their physical dominance, the breakthrough arriving in the 19th minute with a converted try, as they struck again moments later to make it 14-0.

Hertfordshire responded well with a slickly worked try to reduce the deficit to 14-7, but a flashpoint shortly afterwards saw the Hertfordshire full-back shown a yellow card following an altercation inside the East Midlands 22. With the extra man, East Midlands regained control and powered over for another converted try before adding a penalty on the stroke of half-time after Hertfordshire were penalised at a ruck. The kick sailed between the posts to give East Midlands a commanding 24-7 lead at the break.

East Midlands extended their advantage shortly after the restart, crossing again to move 31-7 ahead and seemingly out of sight. However, a period of ill-discipline changed the complexion of the contest, as repeated infringements brought a team warning from the referee before their fly-half was also shown a yellow card.

The numerical advantage sparked Hertfordshire into life and with momentum firmly on their side, they scored three unanswered tries to dramatically cut the deficit to just seven points at 31-24 by the 62nd minute. Showing the composure of champions, East Midlands steadied themselves and launched a sustained spell of pressure deep inside the Hertfordshire 22, their patience rewarded with another try to restore breathing space at 38-24.

Hertfordshire refused to go away and crossed again within minutes, although a missed conversion left East Midlands holding a crucial nine-point advantage with 10 minutes remaining. The decisive moment came on 74 minutes when Hertfordshire conceded a penalty and Hunt opted for the posts, the successful kick stretching the advantage to 41-29.

As Hertfordshire desperately chased the game in the closing stages, East Midlands' defence stood firm, as they forced a turnover and advanced deep into opposition territory, the final flourish arriving on the stroke of full-time when they kicked a superb drop goal from behind a ruck to seal a memorable 44-29 victory.

Hunt and Lodder were two of the stand-out performers on the day, Hunt leading from the front throughout, dominating the forward battle and captaining his side with authority, while in the backs, Lodder repeatedly threatened the Hertfordshire defence with a series of incisive line breaks and attacking runs. Their contributions played a significant role in East Midlands' national triumph and provided a proud moment for Luton RFC as two of its home-grown talents helped deliver silverware on one of rugby's biggest stages.