International rugby returns to famous English venue

Oxford University’s Iffley Road has been chosen as the venue for the England U19 men’s fixture against a Japan National High School team next March.

Mark Mapletoft, the Head of the RFU’s Men’s Player Pathway, will be hoping that more talented youngsters like Saracens star Noah Caluori will emerge from the match, which will take place on 20 March, kick-off 2pm.

Major international touring teams, such as the Springboks, the All Blacks and Australia, used to play fixtures in the amateur era against Oxford University at the famous old ground, as recently as 2001 in the case of the Wallabies.

In 2003, Iffley Road hosted matches in the now defunct World Rugby U21 Championship, while it has been used for age-grade internationals at various points since then.

The venue previously hosted England U20 men’s 44-5 victory over the university’s Blues side in 2023, and Japan National High School Team’s 45-14 win against Oxford University earlier this year.

England U19 men rounded off their calendar year with a seven-try, 49-17 victory over Wales at the Centre for Sporting Excellence, Ystrad Mynach last Friday.

Meanwhile, the Japan National High School Team return to England after a three-match tour in 2024, which included a thrilling 52-47 result in March where England U19 emerged victors.

The aforementioned Caluori, Will Knight, Aidan Ainsworth-Cave, Oli Scola and Seb Kelly all featured on the day and went on to earn their U20 debuts or add to their caps this summer.

England U19s will also face their French counterparts in April, this time at Doncaster’s Castle Park.

“Last Friday was a valuable first outing for a group with immense motivation to stake their claim in the England men’s pathway,” said Mapletoft.

“Whilst the group will naturally evolve between now and March, the aim to build togetherness across the pathway will remain and the U19 side embodies our bond across age-grade staff and players.

“As proven last season, our home fixture against Japan is an exciting addition to our schedule and will serve as an opportune window for our cohort to continue to develop.”