Worryingly I keep agreeing with Gotcha!. Great news of his deal. He is the sort of player who learns on the job and will gain every time he plays with the experience around him. The tour would offer him different learning experiences but hardly better ones at this stage. OT - what about the end to the Rabbitoh's game? Well done Julie B's big lads!

I think Ward is a fine prospect and has been well handled by the coaches and not over played. He has proven now that he has made the jump to first team squad standard and as such will learn more in the business end of our season than on some junior tour. I am sure he will have plenty more international opportunities to come.

Two words - Richard Gunn.

Similar things were said at a similar age.

There's a long way to go in Ward's career and no guarantees of putting on a senior international jersey.

marcus v another richard gunn ?

Agree 100% with Gotcha.

I'm sure a few years down the line he won't particularly regret not going on a tour with a bunch of young lads, many of whom will have dropped completely off the radar by then, just like they always do.

An academy tour will not be the making of this lad, the academy international side is in no way a pathway to senior rep honours. If he's good enough he'll make it for himself, and performing on a big stage like the Challenge Cup final is the perfect way to test himself. He'll gain more out of that than the lads going to Australia.