We'll be back, say Manchester

It was as if they had been tripped up with the gates of Twickenham openingbeforethem but Manchester Grammar School have vowed to pick themselves up andcome back stronger after losing 20-19 in the last minute of their DailyMail Under 18 Cup semi-final to holders Campion.

'We didn't get going quickly enough and conceded a fairly soft try early inthe game,' said coach Dave Muckalt.

'With hindsight, our forwards shouldhave slowed the game down a bit more and we should not have tried to playat the same pace as Campion, who were much better in all departments thanwe anticipated. They were easily the best side we've played this season,with bags of pace behind the scrum. We only showed glimpses of our bestform and maybe we were a bit naive made up for our tactical mistakes byputting bodies on the line.

'I thought it was a game we could have won but it is a measure of Campionthat although they wqere four points down and time was ticking away theymanaged to come up with the winning try.'

Manchester head into some important sevens and ten tournaments and willtour South Africa in the summer to lay the foundations for their next DailyMail campaign.

'We have ten lads coming back and we hope to find the ladsto bring us up to strength when we go on tour. We'll be back and be muchwisewr for the experience'