Premiership U23 squads: Which club's future is the brightest?
The summer months are one of renewal in the Gallagher Premiership, with the gauntlet laid down to promising youngsters in preseason to impress and push their claims for selection in the senior squad.
With the school system in England one of the best in the world and the majority of Premiership clubs now recognising the value of their academies and investing accordingly, there is no shortage of talent to be tapped into.
We have put together under-23 squads for all 12 of the Premiership clubs, to look at what the future of these sides might look like, should they manage to balance the tasks of development, opportunity and retention for these budding talents.
Bath
Darren Atkins, Gabriel Hamer-Webb, Max Wright, Max Clark, Joe Cokanasiga; Tom de Glanville, Max Green; Lewis Boyce, Jack Walker, Will Stewart; Levi Douglas, Tom Jeanes; Sam Underhill, Josh Bayliss, Zach Mercer.
Bath aren’t usually talked up as one of the better developers of talent in the Premiership and, in fairness, plenty of these players have been signed from elsewhere, but they have a young pack that is loaded.
Couple that star-studded pack with the gifted back line that hasn’t even got space to fit in promising first-year centre Max Ojomoh, and Bath look, on paper at least, like a team that should only improve in the seasons to come. It’s a nice situation for Stuart Hooper to inherit.
Mat Protheroe, Charlie Powell, Piers O’Conor, Ioan Lloyd, Jack Bates; Callum Sheedy, Harry Randall; Tom Rowland, Will Capon, Ollie Dawe; John Hawkins, Joe Batley; James Dun, George Kloska, Sam Graham.
Bristol’s U23 squad may not be loaded with some of the established stars that the other teams can call upon, something which is understandable given their stints in the Greene King IPA Championship, but it’s a group that look particularly complementary to Pat Lam’s fast-paced style.
O’Conor, Randall and Sheedy have all shown up at senior level already and if Bristol can get some impact from their emerging forwards next season, such as Capon, Dawe and Dun, they’ll take another step towards establishing the homegrown core that Lam wants.
Exeter Chiefs
Joe Simmonds, Max Bodilly (O23), Pete Laverick (O23), Sam Morley, Tom O’Flaherty (O23); Harvey Skinner, Jack Maunder; James Kenny, Jack Innard, Marcus Street; Josh Caulfield, Richard Capstick; Flynn Elworthy, Charlie Wright, Rus Tuima.
There was some rather significant bodging needed here to get Exeter a back line, with the strength in their younger players certainly lying in the pack, despite the presences of both Simmonds and Maunder.
? – @ExeterChiefs complete the signing of highly-rated @WelshRugbyUnion U18s forward and Whitchurch High School pupil Christ Tshiunza ??https://t.co/tSFSTQIYpl pic.twitter.com/YYeZlBOQ6L
— Exeter Chiefs (@ExeterChiefs) June 28, 2019
Street is, fitness-permitting, a player who should feature more regularly in the Premiership next season, Capstick is extremely highly thought of and Tuima, once he has filled out a little more, is going to terrorise defences at the senior level.
Gloucester
Reece Dunn, Jacob Morris, Tom Seabrook, Jack Reeves, Ollie Thorley; George Barton, Charlie Chapman; Alex Seville, Henry Walker, Ciaran Knight; Alex Craig, Harry Butler; Jake Polledri, Aaron Hinkley, Jack Clement.
Thorley and Polledri headline this group, whilst Seabrook, Hinkley and the front row trio will all fancy their chances of making more of an impact in Johan Ackermann’s side next season.
Barton could well be Danny Cipriani’s heir apparent and will now get a couple of seasons to work alongside and learn from the playmaker, whilst Clement is a talented all-round back row who will have the same opportunity with Jaco Kriel and Ben Morgan.
Harlequins
Louis Lynagh, Gabriel Ibitoye, Joe Marchant, Harry Barlow, Cadan Murley; Marcus Smith, Niall Saunders; George Head, Elia Elia, Kieran Sassone; Hugh Tizard, Dino Lamb; Alex Dombrandt, Will Evans, James Chisholm.
A fair few talented individuals miss out, such as first-year pros Sam Riley and Lennox Anyanwu, although that goes to show the depth Quins have thanks to their particularly rich recruiting grounds.
Players such as Dombrandt, Chisholm, Marchant and Smith are all established at the senior level and expect Ibitoye, Murley and potentially Tizard to join them this season. Jack Musk, Luke James and Jack Kenningham are also options.
Freddie Steward, Jordan Olowofela, Sam Aspland-Robinson, Tom Hardwick, George Worth; Sam Costelow, Ben White; James Whitcombe, Jake Kerr, Joe Heyes; George Martin, Cameron Jordan; Sam Lewis, Tommy Reffell, Henri Lavin.
Plenty of Leicester’s title-winning U18 sides from 2018 and 2019 feature in this XV and show the potential Tigers have in the coming years, if opportunities can be found for them, as well as them taking to the rigours and demands of professional rugby.
Steward could be one of the rare first-year players ready for a significant taste of senior rugby, whilst Kerr and Heyes should continue to impress in the front row. Geordan Murphy will be hoping Olowofela makes the leap, too.
Watch: Part one of our six-part series following Leicester’s U18 side this past season.
London Irish
Tom Parton, Ben Loader, Matt Williams, Phil Cokanasiga, Ollie Hassell-Collins; Theo Brophy Clews, Rory Brand; Brandon Baker, Ben Atkins, Luke Green; Chunya Munga, Ben Donnell; Izaiha Moore-Aiono, Fin Rossiter, Jack Belcher.
Producing talented players has never been a problem for London Irish, but retaining them? Yeah, that’s an issue.
Loader established himself in the Championship, whilst Donnell and Moore-Aiono took their opportunities on dual-registration. Green and Munga are first-year players who, although unlikely to see much senior action this season, could help provide some tight five reinforcement for Irish, arguably the one area their academy has been slightly quieter.
? | HIGHLIGHTS: We have some #MondayMotivation for you! Watch the match highlights from Saturday's bonus-point win over @CornishPirates1 here ? https://t.co/A4E2grTV4R
Including another lightening break from @_loaderr ??? pic.twitter.com/ebNfxSfMRw
— London Irish (@LiRFC) April 1, 2019
Harry Mallinder, Ollie Sleightholme, Fraser Dingwall, Rory Hutchinson, Josh Gillespie; James Grayson, Alex Mitchell; Toby Trinder, Samson Ma’asi, Ehren Painter; Alex Coles, Alex Moon; Devante Onojaife, Lewis Ludlam, Tui Uru.
As balanced a XV as you’ll see at this level in the Premiership, Northampton are in a good place with the younger players in their squad, although Mallinder’s injury issues are a concern.
Hutchinson, Grayson and Ludlam all broke out last season and it could be the turn of Dingwall, Sleightholme, Painter and Coles in 2019/20. Uru looks like a bargain signing and one who could turn plenty of heads in the years to come.
Luke James, Arron Reed, Tom Curtis, Cameron Redpath, Tom Roebuck; Kieran Wilkinson, Gus Warr; Bevan Rodd, Curtis Langdon, James Harper; Rouban Birch, George Nott; Tom Curry, Ben Curry, Sam Dugdale.
The Curry twins have distinguished themselves at the Premiership level for a couple of seasons now and it is difficult to comprehend that they are still only 21 years old. James has done well when called upon and Nott is a talent that is still yet to be fully unleashed.
Redpath, Curtis and Wilkinson provide plenty of playmaking ability, whilst Dugdale does well to keep Sam Moore and Teddy Leatherbarrow out of the one back row spot left available by the Curry twins.
Saracens
Matt Gallagher, Alistair Crossdale, Rotimi Segun, Dominic Morris, Elliot Obatoyinbo; Max Malins, Tom Whiteley; Rhys Carre, Jack Singleton, Josh Ibuanokpe; Nick Isiekwe, Joel Kpoku; Ben Earl, Sean Reffell, Andy Christie.
Unsurprisingly, and perhaps boringly at this point, Saracens are loaded at this level, with the likes of Ralph Adams-Hale, Theo Dan, Harvey Beaton, Billy Walker and Manu Vunipola unable to crack the XV at this point in time.
Malins, Isiekwe, Earl and Singleton have all shown their ability, whilst Segun, Carre, Ibuanokpe and Kpoku could all fancy their chances of featuring heavily as the club manages the workload for its Rugby World Cup stars.
Here's a bit more on Saracens' new signing @JoshIbuanokpe! ???? pic.twitter.com/irbNDOmj1P
— Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) April 30, 2019
Wasps
Matteo Minozzi, Paolo Odogwu, Sam Spink, Jacob Umaga, Ross Neal; Billy Searle, Will Porter; Tom West, Alfie Barbeary, Jordan Cordice; Tim Cardall, Anjo Ademuwagun; Will Wilson, Jack Willis, Tom Willis.
Despite only two of the players in the back line having come through Wasps’ junior academy, the club have managed to assemble a decent cast of promising players outside of Porter, with Spink joining the scrum-half as a product of the club’s pathway.
Barbeary will draw plenty of interest in his first year as a professional, whilst the Willis brothers will have ambitions on locking down starting back row spots alongside one another.
Worcester Warriors
Nick David, Alex Hearle, Ollie Lawrence, Will Butler, Mason Tonks; Jamie Shillcock, Callum Morris; Kai Owen, Beck Cutting, Joe Morris; James Scott, Andrew Kitchener; Justin Clegg, Ted Hill, Tom Dodd.
Lawrence and Hill have caught the eye over the last season or two, with the latter even being rewarded with an England cap against Japan last year. Butler and Shillcock have also had their moments.
Worcester will need to tap into the potential of Owen, Morris, Kitchener, Scott et al if they are to move away from the perennial relegation battle they find themselves in, although that is easier said than done.
Watch: The Academy – Part Two
Comments on RugbyPass
The Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
2 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
2 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
18 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
18 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
18 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
1 Go to commentsGood for him. The ABs were fooling around again with converted fullbacks that had a penetration of a marshmallow. Laumape or as Aki has shown for Ireland, go forward is important in the centres. If it had been DMac - Aki- Aumua - Ioane- Telea- Jordan in France the final result would have been different.
4 Go to commentsDan Carter a apporté son professionnalisme, des méthodes de travail, un esprit qui manquaient à l’USAP. Son influence, même une fois blessé a été énorme. Et pour citer une anecdote, certains soirs il venait de lui-même à l’entraînement des jeunes pour dispenser ses conseils. On ne peut pas compter ce qu’il a apporté au club en heures de jeu sur le terrain. Est-ce que le club en a eu pour son argent ? Avec la publicité sur son nom et le titre, je suppose que oui.
1 Go to commentsThe SA sides are suffering from a bum rap here. There isn’t a side anywhere in the world that would do things differently in their shoes. They’ve been set up to fail in the EPCR comps by vested interests, with last minute intercontinental travel requirements that costs an arm and a leg to book in advance just on the possibility they might be required. And the total nonsense that denies any chance of home venues is entirely biased and absolutely unsporting. Either EPCR, the Top14 & the Gallagher Premiership get it sorted on a fair and equitable sporting basis for ALL participants or expect the ridicule to continue. Right now, these comps are a joke!
18 Go to commentsSA sides should do the right thing and leave the champions cup, they are lowering the standard with completely one sided games, not up to the right level. The greatest club tournament in the world is being banjaxed by the weak SA sides.
18 Go to commentsCouldnt agree more. SA sides need to show more committment and really have a go at the Champions Cup. Its quite possibly the most prestigious title in Europe and SA sides need to respect that prestige and serve up their best. EPCR needs to do more to ensure that sides from South Africa and sides travelling to and from SA have a better chance in this competition. The Bulls were put in a really difficult position of having to travel there and back in one week. One could argue that this is what the SA sides signed up for and that La Rochelle didnt complain or send out weakened sides despite having to travel to SA and back and play on successive weekends but surely the situation is also unfair on La Rochelle as well and so EPCR needs to think about successive gameweeks and the travel effect of the competition
18 Go to commentsI hadn’t watched much Canes this season but sat through a replay of that Chiefs game with no distractions. That pack is beastly. I really like the look of Iose. He loves the tough stuff. The first Quins clip may be the best I have even seen for a TH driving his opposite into oblivion. i need to take your word for the contribution of Walker, but Collier there with a straight back pushing up from under was a lovely thing to see. Have you fallen in love with Baxter also, Nick? I think Stuart Barnes may have written his column about him recently, naked. He positively frothed.
15 Go to commentsSmart guy. I wish he was running the RFU or something!
3 Go to commentsWhy Barrett, when Leinster already have at least 4 top centres.?
15 Go to comments