A dozen 2024 champions named in new 50-man England U20s EPS squad

Mark Mapletoft has included a dozen of last season’s double-winning England U20s squad in his group for the 2024/25 campaign that will competitively begin with their January 30 Six Nations fixture away to Ireland. It was last March when the class of 2023/24 clinched the championship with a win away in France and they followed up that success by securing World Cup glory in July in South Africa.

Five players who started in that 21-13 final win over the French in Cape Town – Benjamin Coen, Kane James, Ben Redshaw, Henry Pollock and Angus Hall – have all been named in Mapletoft’s new squad. Showpiece decider subs Olamide Sodeke, Jack Bracken, Josh Bellamy and Lucas Friday are also included along with Jacob Oliver, Archie McParland and Billy Sela, three other players capped last term.

Absent from the squad on this occasion is the Racing 92-based Junior Kpoku, another starter from last July’s final who is still underage for the U20s grade, but a newcomer that will catch the eye is Bath’s Tyler Offiah, the son of rugby league legend Martin.

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A statement read: “Head coach Mark Mapletoft and assistant coach Andy Titterrell, who guided the U20 men to success in the 2024 U20 Six Nations and World Rugby U20 Championship, return for their respective second and fifth seasons of involvement leading the team.

“The recent men’s professional game partnership established the expanded EPS to enable greater playing opportunities in the international arena for those in the ‘confirmation’ phase of the pathway development system.

“The player pathway programme at England Rugby is a vital structural foundation to develop the future of international rugby in England; with 30 of the 36 senior men’s touring party to New Zealand and Japan this summer previously capped in the men’s pathway age-grades.

“The largely refreshed cohort includes 12 previously-capped U20 internationals that achieved the ‘double’ silverware in the respective continental and inter-continental championships.

“Benjamin Coen and Kane James of Exeter Chiefs, Newcastle Falcons’ Jacob Oliver and Ben Redshaw, Archie McParland and Henry Pollock (both Northampton Saints), Saracens trio Olamide Sodeke, Jack Bracken and Angus Hall, Vilikesa Sela (Bath Rugby), and Josh Bellamy and Lucas Friday of Harlequins all rejoin the team this term.

“Mapletoft’s fresh intake includes a further 32 squad members boasting previous pathway caps who have now graduated into the U20 programme, including recent U18 men’s captain and Premiership Rugby U18 Academy League winner Connor Treacey. Six new players are welcomed into the England men’s pathway as previously uncapped age-grade players.

Mapletoft said: “I’d like to congratulate all members of our EPS on their inclusion in this season’s group. As this year has shown, it’s an incredibly exciting time to be an England rugby fan and these players are already intent on making the U20 shirts theirs.

“The ability to select more players this year not only shines a light on the breadth of talent that is being produced in this country, but it also ensures these young men receive the best possible experiences and learnings to progress as rugby players and as people.

“Our determination to constantly evolve and front up was testament to the character fostered by last year’s group. Whilst their cycle concludes, the key principles we implement throughout our pathway are a continuous process and I have every confidence this squad can replicate the successes of their predecessors.”

England U20s 2024/25 elite player squad 
Forwards (27):
Aiden Ainsworth-Cave (Northampton Saints)
Charlie Barker (Saracens)
Oscar Beckerleg (Exeter Chiefs)
Thomas Burrow (Sale Sharks)
Tom Dye (Northampton Saints)
Lucas Gulley (Exeter Chiefs)
Reggie Hammick (Saracens)
Kane James (Exeter Chiefs) *
Seb Kelly (Sale Sharks)
Jack Lightbown (Sale Sharks)
Reuben Logan (Northampton Saints)
Alfie Longstaff (Sale Sharks)
Josh Mann (Exeter Chiefs)
Ralph McEachran (Sale Sharks)
Jacob Oliver (Newcastle Falcons) *
Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints) *
Tye Raymont (Sale Sharks)
Oliver Scola (Northampton Saints)
Vilikesa Sela (Bath Rugby) *
Olamide Sodeke (Saracens) *
Jimmy Staples (Harlequins)
Ollie Streeter (Harlequins)
George Timmins (Bath Rugby)
Connor Treacey (Bath Rugby)
Kepu Tuipulotu (Bath Rugby)
Charlie West (Saracens)
Samuel Williams (Leicester Tigers)

Backs (23):
Nicholas Allison (Exeter Chiefs)
Josh Bellamy (Harlequins) *
Jack Bracken (Saracens) *
Conor Byrne (Harlequins)
Benjamin Coen (Exeter Chiefs) *
Ollie Davies (Sale Sharks)
Lucas Friday (Harlequins) *
William Glister (Northampton Saints)
Charlie Griffin (Bath Rugby)
Angus Hall (Saracens) *
Dom Hanson (Sale Sharks)
Jack Kinder (Leicester Tigers)
Nick Lilley (Exeter Chiefs)
Frank McMillan (Harlequins)
Archie McParland (Northampton Saints) *
Charlie Myall (Leicester Tigers)
Gethin O’Callaghan (Bristol Bears)
Tyler Offiah (Bath Rugby)
George Pearson (Leicester Tigers)
Ben Redshaw (Newcastle Falcons) *
Campbell Ridl (Exeter Chiefs)
Jonny Weimann (Northampton Saints)
Toby Wilson (Sale Sharks)
*denotes a player capped in a competitive U20 fixture