England Counties edge out Romania 'A'
June 10, 2003

Romania A 24 England Counties 26
England Counties struck with the last move of the match to pull off a superb comeback win against Romania A in Constanta.

The tourists looked down and out after conceding the softest of tries two minutes from time after failing to ground the ball following a missed penalty attempt.

But they won the ball back in injury-time and kept it alive to create an opening for Middlesex centre Jan Bonney to cut through the cover and stroll over to score.

The pressure then fell on the youngest player in the squad, 20-year-old Sale and Cheshire wing James Moore, whose successful conversion was followed by the final whistle.

In the first half Cumbria fly-half Peter Murphy kicked penalties in the third and 24th minutes but Razvan Stanca converted his own try just before half-time.

Murphy's third penalty edged his side in front at the start of the second half but England conceded a second try to flanker Cosmin Ratiu after 45 minutes and a successful penalty opened up an eight-point.

But following Marian Tudori's sin-binning for obstruction England scored their first try when Cornwall lock Lee Soper won a lineout and Gloucestershire hooker Paul Price following round to drive over.

Moore landed the conversion and then kept his nerve two minutes from time from 45 metres to put England in front for the first time since the interval.

But when Iulia Andrei's penalty sailed wide of the right-hand post no-one took responsibility for grounding the ball and Constantin Gheara dived on it to score the softest of tries.

Andrei's conversion left the Counties needing seven points to win the game, but against all the odds they delivered with Bonney and Moore clinching the improbable victory.

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