England name full-strength team as they get their U20 campaign underway in Cork
After having fallen just short of the title last season – missing out to France on points difference – England have been given a valuable boost heading into the 2019 U20 Six Nations.
With the Gallagher Premiership season having been restructured for 2018/19, the presence of the Premiership Cup over the next two weeks allows a number of teams the opportunity to rest front-line players, as well as giving England an opportunity to start the U20 campaign with a full-strength side.
Only six of the Premiership sides are in action this weekend, before the semi-finals take place the following week, and that has given England full access to the EPS for the first week of the competition.
⭐ SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT ⭐
Here's your England U20 team to face Ireland U20 in Cork on Friday night 🌹
Full preview ➡ https://t.co/WqFs7OKQeY pic.twitter.com/CuDnekJsur
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) January 30, 2019
Up front, England have selected Olly Adkins, Nic Dolly and Marcus Street, with the Exeter Chiefs tighthead returning for a third year, this time with club rugby experience under his belt. Both Kai Owen and Will Capon were ruled out with injury.
One of last year’s standouts in the World Rugby U20 Championship, Joel Kpoku takes up his spot alongside Alex Coles in the engine room, with Kpoku another to have considerable experience at club level, as well as involvement in a training camp with the senior England side.
The inclusion of Ted Hill in the back row is a milestone, with the Worcester flanker the first senior England international to turn out for the U20s after having made his debut at Test level. Both Nick Isiekwe and Tom Curry received senior England caps whilst still U20-eligible, but neither player represented the U20s after earning those first caps.
Hill is joined in the back row by Aaron Hinkley and Tom Willis, where both Josh Basham and James Dun are unavailable through injury. Again, both Hinkley and Willis have Premiership experience and both players return for second years, having taken part in the U20 Six Nations and World Rugby U20 Championship in 2018.
In the half-backs, Sam Maunder starts at nine, filling the position vacated by his older brother Jack two years ago, where he is joined by Harlequins’ Marcus Smith. With roughly a season and a half of senior Premiership and European rugby, not to mention multiple senior England training camps, Smith is the most experienced player in the group. He is set to pass the 50-appearance mark for Quins in the coming weeks.
The midfield is congested for England this season, but Tom Hardwick and Fraser Dingwall have done enough to making the starting combination for the opening week. Both players have impressed domestically so far this season, with Dingwall regularly flirting with the starting role at outside centre at Northampton Saints in both the Premiership and Europe.
In the back three, Cadan Murley starts on the left wing, after having made his way into Harlequins’ senior plans this season, scoring tries in both the Premiership and Challenge Cup. He lines up opposite Ollie Sleightholme, with the Northampton wing bagging seven tries in seven appearances for the club, in just his first year out of school. At full-back, Newcastle Falcons‘ Josh Hodge takes his opportunity.
Finally, Ben Atkins, Bevan Rodd, Joe Heyes, James Scott and Rus Tuima make up the forward replacements, with Ollie Fox, Cam Redpath and Ollie Lawrence the back line options. Both Heyes and Lawrence boast considerable Premiership and European experience, whilst Redpath continues his rehabilitation from an ACL reconstruction.
Watch: Six Nations preview – England
Comments on RugbyPass
Results probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
1 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to comments