Exeter Chiefs scored the first try of a drizzly but action-packed Tuesday afternoon at Wellington College.

Hooker Nathan Karea swiped an interception in midfield and scampered clear before turning to find prop Harry Davies, who took a neat pass and slid over close to the posts. The combination between two skilful front-row colleagues encapsulated how the RFU’s Under-16 Festival has shifted its focus.

In the past, four divisional teams – North, London and South East, Midlands and South West – took part. Since 2016, all 14 Premiership academies, the dozen top-tier clubs plus Bristol and Yorkshire, have sent squads of 30. A fleet of 420 players, rather than 100 or so previously, stay at the vast independent school in Berkshire.

Two match-days, Tuesday and Saturday, feature law variations such as mauling restrictions and time limits on penalties. These are partly based on a calculated prediction of future trends. However, heightening ball-in-play time also increases scope for decision-making. Don Barrell, the RFU’s head of regional academies, puts it best: “The more the kids touch the ball, the more they can review.”

One difference this year is that subsequent England Under-16 fixtures have been scrapped. Barrell, a former Saracens and Bedford Blues back-rower who played in the same age-grade side as Danny Cipriani and Dylan Hartley, stresses that nobody benefits from becoming an international player at this age. At the Festival itself, talent identification is not a priority. Exploring boundaries and capabilities takes precedence.