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Stadiums confirmed for England's under-20s home matches in the 2020 Six Nations
After a disappointing campaign in 2019, the England under-20 rugby side will be hoping for a much better showing in 2020 and the venues for their Six Nations campaign have now been confirmed.
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The age-grade side has led the way in taking England games away from Twickenham and London in recent seasons, playing in cities such as Brighton and Newcastle, something which the senior side replicated recently when they took on Italy at St James’ Park.
Earlier this year, the side hosted games in Exeter, Bedford and Northampton on their way to finishing third in the championship.
In 2020, Franklin’s Gardens in Northampton will again host an under-20 Six Nations game, whilst Kingsholm in Gloucester has also been added to the roster. England will take on Ireland in Northampton before welcoming Wales to Gloucester. Both fixtures will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
England’s other fixtures in the competition see England travel to Grenoble and Edinburgh initially to take on France and Scotland respectively, before finishing up in Verona against Italy.
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Northampton chief executive Mark Darbon said: “After the success of last year’s fixture in which over 5,000 supporters saw England defeat Scotland we are once again proud to be hosting the future stars of the game.
“We all know about the fierce rivalry between the two nations and followers of under-20s rugby will know that Ireland are the Grand Slam champions beating England in both the Six Nations and World Rugby Under-20 Championship last season so I’m sure England will be looking to set the record straight.
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“Those that attended last year were treated to eight tries and an exciting contest and we look forward to making this a memorable occasion under the lights here at Franklin’s Gardens.”
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Gloucester Rugby chief executive Lance Bradley said: “We’re delighted to welcome the England U20s back to Kingsholm. “International games have always proved popular here, with the Gloucester Rugby faithful turning out in numbers and creating a great atmosphere. The best up and coming English and Welsh talent will be on display so it should be a great occasion.”
The pathway has been a productive one for England, with 25 of the current 31-man Rugby World Cup squad having come through the England under-20 side.
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The group is currently without a head coach, however, as the RFU parted ways with Steve Bates at the end of the last season. England U18 head coach Jim Mallinder has also left, heading to the SRU as performance director and head of international player development Dean Ryan has made the move to the Dragons in the Guinness PRO14. Italy head coach Conor O’Shea has been heavily linked with a return to the RFU and a significant role in the player pathway.
Mike Brown fronts up at the Gallagher Premiership launch in his first interview since being excluded from England's World Cup squad https://t.co/0KLOYYQgL4
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 11, 2019
England under-20s fixtures
France v England – February 1, KO 8pm GMT, Stade des Alpes, Grenoble
Scotland v England – February 7, KO 7.30pm GMT, Myreside, Edinburgh
England v Ireland – February 21, KO 7.45pm GMT, Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton
England v Wales – March 6 March, KO 7.45pm GMT, Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester
Italy v England – March 15, KO 5.30pm GMT, Payanini Rugby Center, Verona
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Comments on RugbyPass
I hope Leinster’s proud of themselves fielding a poor team. They should decide if they’re all in or not.
1 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
23 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
13 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
6 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
6 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to comments