Tag: gabriel ibitoye

World Rugby U20 Championships: Team Of The Tournament

Another U20 Championship has come to a close, and what a year it’s been.

Here’s the team of the final day (*where the selection was close, it went towards a player who wasn’t in the team of the tournament*)

New Zealand were deserving winners, and it could be argued that it was one of the most talent-rich years in the tournament – with England, Scotland, France, Italy, Georgia, and South Africa all having some of their better classes in recent years. We’ll look at each team’s year and future professionals in the coming weeks.

Because of that, it was a tournament rich in talent, so picking the best XV of the Championship proved very difficult. We’ll look at each team’s year and future professionals in the coming weeks, but this article is all about the best of this year.Alex Shaw will provide his own XV later, but Conor and Benedict picked their own XV for the 2017 U20 Championships:

Alex Shaw will provide his own XV later, but Conor and Benedict picked their own XV for the 2017 U20 Championships:

See Also: World Rugby U20s: Team of Semi-Finals

15. Will Jordan (New Zealand)

A constant spark for New Zealand. He could create for himself, or finish whenever Ennor or Leger provided a spark.

His talent and threat epitomised this frightening New Zealand backline. Jordan was nominated for the player of the tournament, and shone in the final against England.

Mentions need to go to Argentina’s Delguy and Australia’s McNamara who were shining lights for their countries.

Special Mentions: Bautista Delguy (Argentina), Liam McNamara (Australia)

14. Darcy Graham (Scotland) / Caleb Clarke (New Zealand)

The main point of contention between the two of us.

I went with the prolific back three flier from Scotland, Darcy Graham. The shifty second-coming of Stuart Hogg, the new Edinburgh full-back was the epitome of the free-running Scots. He made line-breaks and scored tries for fun in a brilliant tournament, and should be making an impact for Edinburgh next season if all goes well.

Graham makes the team after being selected in the Six Nations team of the tournament too.

Benedict plucked for the monstrous 18-year-old Caleb Clarke. A younger version of Waisake Naholo, Clarke has that terrifying blend of pace, footwork, and power that will terrify opponents for the next decade plus. And he’s only just turned 18. He terrorised England in the final, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Atkins continues to have nightmares about him.

13. Braydon Ennor (New Zealand)

Ennor’s dismantling of Ireland was the single best performance of the tournament. It’s rare an 80-minute performance can show how intelligent a player is, combined with his immense physical talents.

Ennor always makes the right decision, can shift gears and glide through a gap if it arises – and can use his quick hands to release those outside him.

Fantastic future ahead of him, even if the 13 position is stacked in New Zealand.

12. Orbyn Leger (New Zealand)

It’s very clear from his play that Leger is used to playing at 10. Leger dominated our team of the days in the pool stages, and kept his standards high throughout the tournament.

His distribution, lines of running, and decision making guided the dangerous New Zealand backline around the park. This was a masterclass of second-five eighth play.

11. Gabriel Ibitoye (England)

The favourite for the player of the tournament according to Alex and Benedict, and I can’t argue with that either.

He didn’t start for England in the Six Nations because of the presence of man-mountain Joe Cokinasinga, and Ibitoye has grasped his opportunity with enthusiasm.

His ridiculous acceleration and speed, as well as his footwork and finishing ability, gives England another dimension.

10. Max Malins (England)

It was a tournament of standout no.10s, but England star Max Malins was a class above. An injury derailed Romain Ntamack’s star turn – leaving Malins alone.

Gabriel Ibitoye and Zach Mercer earned the English player of the tournament nods, but Malins was right behind them. Makes intelligent decisions on when to kick, knows how to create for others around him – and can make a break by himself.

He’s the latest in a long line of talented English 10s at this level – and Saracens will have a quality backup to Farrell very soon.

He wasn’t at his best in the final, but still showcased his talent with a fantastic pass to Earl to get England’s first half try.

Malins is one of three players who made this team after being in our team of the Six Nations too.

Special Mention: Romain Ntamack (France)

9. Gela Aprasidze (Georgia)

The diminutive scrumhalf was the heartbeat of this passionate Georgian side. A contender for the team of the day every time he played, Aprasidze was rewarded with a three-year deal at French club Montpeiller.

He marshalled his forwards with authority, kicked his team into great position, and kept Georgia in games with his placekicking from distance. A wonderful player.

Scored the try of the tournament against Ireland, spotting the gap and stepping past two covering defenders.

1. Ugo Boniface (France)

The most impact for the longest period of at loosehead prop was France’s Ugo Boniface. Not always France’s first choice loosehead – and that he’s in this team shows how much of an impact he made.

He scored the last minute try against Argentina to win, and dominated against Georgia – when other props struggled.

2. Asafo Aumua (New Zealand)

In the area of most ‘weakness’, or rather least strength in New Zealand rugby, Aumua is emerging as a potential Mealamu/Coles hybrid.

A hooker with bags of potential, he does the little things right – he can scrummage and his lineouts are tidy – but it’s in the loose where he separates himself.

Aumua had two standout 30-50 metre runs to set up tries against Ireland and France, and we will be seeing him in Super Rugby sooner rather than later. He was simply unplayable in the final too.

He was consistently brilliant through the tournament to edge out France’s excellent sub (why?) hooker Mauvaka, Samoa’s Noel Sanft (the single best hooker performance of the tournament against Australia), and Ireland’s impressive U19 hooker Ronan Kelleher.

Special Mentions: Ronan Kelleher (Ireland), Beato Mauvaka (France)

3. Sham Vui (Australia)

Never before has there been such a dominant figure at tighthead prop. At scrum-time, Vui was peerless. He made scrums look like mauls running at a pace of knots – and was able to transfer this power in the loose with multiple breathtaking carries.

If the U20 championship was ever going to nominate a front five player for the player of the tournament – it was going to be Vui.

Special Mentions: Pouri Rakete-Stones (New Zealand)

4. Isaia Walker-Leaware (New Zealand)

A man amongst boys. Walker-Leaware was one of the best carriers in the tournament. It seemed like whenever he touched the ball, he would carry two or three attempted tacklers for 5-7 metres every time.

Special Mentions: Beka Saghinadze (Georgia)

5. Ruben van Heerden (South Africa)

Expected to lead the Springbok enforcer role, Ruben never disappointed. The Blue Bulls player was colossal at line-out time, around the park and in defence. After a lacklustre and unconvincing forward display for the Baby Boks in 2016, the class of 2017 returned some much-needed respect to the Baby Bok pack and Ruben led the way.

Special Mentions: Harry Hockings (Australia)

6. Juarno Augustus (South Africa)

The standout player for South Africa bar none. Augustus has a bright future in the back row. A leader by example. Augustus’ does a lot of the dirty stuff with power and grit – carrying the hard yards knowing that the opposition is targeting him.

His breakdown work is incredible too.

7. Liam Wright (Australia)

Liam Wright is everything you want from an openside. He dominates the breakdown at any game he plays.

His support play in attacking is exemplary, and there’s an air of George Smith about his play. If you are a young openside, you could do worse than follow everything that Wright does on the pitch.

Special Mentions: Ben Earl (England), Will Jones (Wales), Ilia Spanderashvili (Georgia).

8. Zach Mercer (England)

What can you say about Mercer that’s not already said. Yes, there are the flash things- like the amazing offloads and two tries. But there is more to Mercer’s game than that.

Many people’s player of the tournament, Mercer is one of the most exciting English prospects in a long time.

Mercer backed up a special Six Nations in which he was the unanimous player of the tournament.

Special Mentions: Caelan Doris (Ireland)

See Also: The U20 Team Of The Six Nations

 

World Rugby U20s: Team Of Day Two

What a day of U20 rugby. Tournament contenders came to the fore, the supposed weak teams stood up and asked serious questions, whilst pretenders lost again.

New Zealand and England flexed their muscles in big wins; Samoa and Georgia entertained in thrilling defeats – whilst Ireland and Scotland split an eight-try thriller that forces Ireland to ask a lot of questions about themselves.

Argentina and France played out a thrilling game that swung back and forth – even in the last few minutes.

Here was our best XV from the day’s action:

See Also: World Rugby U20s: Team of Day One

15. Will Jordan (New Zealand)

Mils, Milner-Skudder, Smith, McKenzie are some of the high-quality fullbacks to come from NZ. Step up young Jordan who was dazzling. Quick brain, feet and a turn of speed. Scored arguably the individual try of the tournament.

Special Mentions: Blair Kinghorn (Scotland), Miriani Modebadze (Georgia), Liam McNamara (Australia)

14. Darcy Graham (Scotland)

Unlike day one, winger was a hotly contested position. Jack Kelly was impressively strong in a two-try losing performance – but there is no stopping Darcy Graham again. Ireland could not handle him at all, and they won’t be the last. Graham is ready to step up and make an impact for Edinburgh next season, another Stuart Hogg.

Special Mention: Jack Kelly (Ireland)

13. Ross McCann (Scotland)

Playing out of position. McCann was electric out wide for Scotland. Dovetailing well with Graham and Kinghorn, McCann made some great runs or supported other breaks to continue Scotland’s impressive play. A fantastic outing.

12. Orbyn Leger (New Zealand)

Leger makes the XV for the second time in as many rounds and did so with another consummate performance at the heart of New Zealand’s back line. The former Samoa U20 standout showed all the physicality with ball-in-hand to cause the Italian midfield plenty of problems, whilst his game was nuanced enough, with smart passing and kicking, to keep the Italians guessing.

11. Gabriel Ibitoye (England)

Two more tries for Ibitoye takes his tally at the tournament to four, as he shone once again stationed on England’s left wing. His stepping and finishing frequently bamboozled Welsh defenders, whilst his counter-attacking helped England dominate the territorial battle.

Special mention: Caleb Clarke (New Zealand)

10. Juan Daireaux (Argentina)
Two early penalty misses and it looked like Juan was set to have a bad day. Intercepting a chip in the air for the first of his two tries he sped away to score. He found his MOJO thereafter and Argentina dominated for much of the game.
9. Jack Stafford (Ireland)

The young Munster scrumhalf plays the game very like his senior counterpart Conor Murray. Tall, strong, and quick-thinking – Stafford was the source of all the good things about the Irish play. His quick tap got them their first try, and his service was sharp. He should be the starter for Ireland going forward.

1. Kwenzo Blose (South Africa)

Slotted in at loose head, Blose was solid at scrum time. Up against the highly respected Georgian scrum the South African proved devastating at scrum time and with ball in hand as South Africa battled past Georgia.

2. Noel Sanft (Samoa)

If Samoa and Australia swapped hookers and centres, Australia could have beaten Samoa by as much as England did. Instead, there were just four points in it. Sanft was the centre of everything for Samoa.

His playmaking ability created linebreaks, his offloads created tries, and he made turnovers at the breakdown.

Special Mention: Ronan Kelleher (Ireland)

3. Shambeckler Vui (Australia)

Even more devastating from Vui than he was on day one.

His powerful carrying was monstrous, and when he came on the scrum went from dominant to a clinical dismantling. There is no stopping Vui, he is what most people thought Tanela Tupou would be. He’s ready for the senior ranks. He should be nominated for player of the tournament.

Special mention: Alejandro Luna (Argentina), Wickus Groenewald (South Africa), Kieron Assirati (Wales)

4. Marcos Kremer (Argentina)

Dominant with ball in hand, in the air and at the tackle point. The impressive Jaguares lock was outstanding today as the Los Pumitas lost out in a see-saw clash that was sensational against France.

Special Mentions: Oisin Dowling (Ireland), Marco Capelli (France)

5. Harry Hockings (Australia)

Second- row was the most hotly contested position this week so it would take something special to claim a spot. So Hockings claiming four Samoan lineouts, showcasing his quick hands for tries, and powering through Vui at scrum time stood out for Australia.

He was simply awesome, and much needed for Australian rugby.

Special Mentions: Callum Hunter-Hill (Scotland), Niccolo’ Cannone (Italy)

6. Ilia Spanderashvili (Georgia)

Spanderashvili was my man of the match in a 24 point losing effort against South Africa. That’s how good he was.

He is the heir apparent to Gorgodze and was the source of the Georgian dominance in the first half. He carried everything. He dominated the lineout. He was the source of inspiration for the hosts.

7. Ben Earl (England)

This was Earl’s first game since injury curtailed his U20 Six Nations, but there looked to be no rust on the Saracens flanker, who put in a fine spoiling performance at the breakdown. He harassed Wales for 80 minutes, as well as showcasing his ball-playing skills, proving a very adept linkman between the pack and backs.

8. Gabriel Licata (Italy)

The heir apparent to Sergio Parisse continued his excellent campaign with a performance that the veteran Azzurri would have been proud of himself. Licata was more than a physical match for New Zealand and frequently kept phases alive with smart and accurate offloads. The future looks bright for Italy if they can transition these youngsters successfully to the seniors.

See Also: World Rugby U20s: Team of Day One

World Rugby U20s: Team Of Day One

What an entertaining day of U20 Rugby. The World Championship got off to a thrilling start, not least from the hosts Georgia giving a strong Argentinian team a run for their money in the game of the day.

Italy pulled off a minor shock in beating Ireland with a last minute score, claiming their first tournament win since 2014, whilst South Africa and France played out a draw.

England and New Zealand claimed bonus point wins, and Australia managed to beat Wales with a stunning solo try from Reds back Izaia Perese in the final minutes to break the deadlock.

With that, a number of players stood out and, just like during the Six Nations, we’ll be doing a team of the day for every gameday of the tournament. Without further ado:

See Also: Zach Mercer vs Samoa – Analysis

15. Romain Buros (France)

Counter attacking excellence, high ball excellence and awareness. Will he have the tournament 15 jumper by the end of the tournament? Started well enough for opposition to keep a closer eye on him.

Edges out Kelly after the Irishman was moved to wing after Colm Hogan’s injury – with his effectiveness minimized after a great start.

Special Mention: Jack Kelly (Ireland)

14. Calvin Nash (Ireland)

Nash was Ireland’s main source of attacking play. He regained the ball from garryowens, showcased his pace to make several gainline breaks, and finished two tries. This was Nash’s best performance for Ireland U20s so far, and looks ready for Munster senior rugby from next season. Ireland need more from him to be competitive going forward.

The wing spots were the harder choice with five players impressing for two spots.

Special Mention: Darcy Graham (Scotland)

13. Dominic Morris (England)

The outside centre had a fine outing for England before he pulled up clutching his hamstring in the second half. His support running was excellent, as he frequently popped up on the shoulder of England’s power carriers. He also stepped his way to two well-taken tries in his side’s 12 try romp over Samoa.

Special mention: Marco Zanon (Italy)

12. Orbyn Leger (New Zealand)

A classic New Zealand second five-eighth, last year’s Samoa U20 outhalf Leger provided the direction and thrust that the baby Blacks needed in a contest that was closer than the scoreline shows. Whenever Leger had the ball in his hands, New Zealand looked much more dangerous – his running, passing, and kicking were all huge weapons which were a big reason for the difference between the teams.

11. Gabriel Ibitoye (England)

Power, work ethic and superb running lines. Rewarded with two tries the powerful winger was a handful as he manhandled the Samoans while also displaying great footwork in attack. Defensively sound too. Will score a few more this month.

Special mention: Tima Fainga’anuku (New Zealand)

10. Romain Ntamack (France)

The son of Emile was in fine form against South Africa, controlling the game well during the heavy downpour in the first half, before kicking on and keeping the scoreboard ticking over in the second with a couple of well-taken drop-goals. South Africa pulled off a comeback once Ntamack was subbed off and the French coaches may be kicking themselves that they squandered a win for a draw by replacing the talented fly-half.

9. Matias Suaze (Argentina)

What a livewire Suaze is. In a game that had a fantastic performance from Georgian scrumhalf Gela Aprasidze – Suaze stole the show. The commentators likened him to Argentinian legend Agustin Pichot, and you can see why. His sniping try was the highlight of an electric performance.

1. Ollie Dawe (England)

England had scrum superiority throughout their game with Samoa and Dawe was the cornerstone of that advantage. The Bristol loosehead continued his rich vein of form that dates back to the U20 Six Nations and he turned the screw on the inexperienced Samoan front row.

2. Ronan Kelleher (Ireland)

Coming on in the first half, Kelleher was the sole source of going forward ball in the first half for Ireland, and continued his impressive play as Ireland fought back. Kelleher’s introduction improved the Irish lineout, and was one of the few Irish forwards able to compete with Italy at the breakdown.

3. Shambeckler Vui (Australia)

Not too long ago, the Australian scrum was known as a joke. It’ll be a while before that happens again if this showing is any sign. Shambeckler Vui was awesome. The tighthead prop obliterated the Welsh scrum, and was a wrecking ball with ball in hand too.

It was a day with a lot of scrums getting on top – most notably Australia, New Zealand, and Georgia, but Vui was the standout.

Special mention: Ryan Coxon (New Zealand)

4. Beka Saghinadze (Georgia)

It feels wrong that there is only one Georgian player in the team, but Tabidze and Aprasidze were narrowly pipped. The Georgian set-piece was key to their competitiveness, and the numerous lineout steals from Saghinadze – combined with his carries and scrummaging power – earns his spot.

5. Dino Lamb-Cona (England)

Reminded me of Andries Bekker. Ability to play the game tight while also showing line out prowess in a game England had supremacy at set-piece. Assured performance.

6. Juarno Augustus (South Africa)

Augustus switches over to blindside to make room for another exemplary N8, but in any other round, he may have been a shoe-in for the spot. He carried with brutal effectiveness for South Africa and was one of the few players to consistently threaten the French defence. He was similarly consistent in his defence, an area where the majority of the Baby Boks were worryingly loose.

7. Liam Wright (Australia)

When an openside flanker dominates the breakdown as much as Wright does – especially when renowned ballhawk Will Jones is on the pitch – you know it’s a good performance. Wright had three huge turnovers, with the last one with six minutes to go, sealing his place in the team of the day.

8. Zach Mercer (England)

It feels as though Mercer doesn’t know how to have a bad game. He was thoroughly impressive throughout the U20 Six Nations and Aviva Premiership and got his World Rugby U20 Championship off to the perfect start against Samoa. He scored two tries, directly assisted another and helped create two more, before being subbed off in the 44th minute with the game long since won. This Junior World Player of the Year candidate just boosted his portfolio dramatically.

See Also: Zach Mercer vs Samoa – Analysis

England 2017 U20 Six Nations Squad Breakdown

Following Martin Haag’s resignation in October of last year, there has been an unusual hush around the England U20s.

That silence was finally broken earlier today when the 32-man squad for the 2017 U20 Six Nations was announced.

There was no announcement of a new head coach, which – as we understand it – means that the Rugby Football Union’s head of international player development, Dean Ryan, will take control of the squad.

We kick off our coverage of that tournament by taking a close look at the players selected and what the fans can expect from them over the next two months.

It is worth noting before delving into the squad that a number of the players named have been in regular action for their Aviva Premiership sides so far this season and could well be kept back for club duty during the tournament. Of those regularly featuring U20-eligible players, only Paolo Odogwu has not been included in the EPS and presumably Sale Sharks have deemed him too integral to their plans to feature at all for England.

Right, into the squad.

Squad Breakdown: Forwards

Starting up front, the props and hookers in the EPS may be the biggest question mark in this class. It’s an area where England have always prospered at age-grade levels but it’s an inexperienced group, with only Jake Pope and Curtis Langdon (both Sale Sharks) having played for the U20s previously.

Pope is joined by Alex Seville, Ciaran Knight (both Gloucester), Joseph Morris (Worcester Warriors) and Ollie Dawe (Bristol) in the squad’s prop department, with the Gloucester duo and Morris having represented England U18s last season and Dawe doing likewise in 2015.

There is definitely potential in the group but it is largely untested at U20 level and that’s a theme that permeates the entire front row, with hookers Langdon and Jamie Blamire (Newcastle Falcons) not having a wealth of experience between them.

Langdon was a part of the London Irish U18 side that won the Aviva Academy League last season and was a driving force behind that campaign with his work at the set-piece, as well as winning three caps with the England U20s and would be the likely candidate to start against France on Saturday 4th February.

Experience is sparse in the second row, also, with locks Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Ted Hill, Justin Clegg (both Worcester Warriors) and Josh Caulfield (Exeter Chiefs) all stepping up from U18 duty last season. What the group lacks in experience, however, it more than makes up for in potential.

Isiekwe is very highly-thought of at Saracens’ academy and was unlucky not to be fast-tracked into the U20s last year, such were his physical performances at U18 level, whilst Hill has been fast-tracked this year and already cuts a physically-daunting figure for a 17-year-old.

The back row is stacked with class, most notably Tom and Ben Curry (both Sale Sharks) and Zach Mercer (Bath), all of whom have featured regularly in the Premiership and Europe so far this season. Mercer has even caught Eddie Jones’ eye with his barnstorming performances for Bath.

From the video below, that comes courtesy of BathRugbyTV, you can see that Mercer’s youth is no barrier to effective communication and leadership on the pitch.

If made available by their clubs, this trio would almost certainly make up the starting back row.

Depth and competition behind them is provided by Jack Nay, Ben Earl (both Saracens), Zac Xiourouppa (Worcester Warriors) and Joe Mullis (Gloucester). Earl is a powerful number eight and the obvious replacement for Mercer if Todd Blackadder can’t afford to part with the young man, whilst Mullis is a dual hooker-openside, that represents a throwback to the amateur era. Nay and Xiourouppa, the latter of whom has picked up European experience in the Challenge Cup this season, will offer options on the flanks.

Squad Breakdown: Backs

After a number of years of slim pickings at the scrum-half position, England are spoiled this season.

Harry Randall (Gloucester) featured for the U20s last season after being fast-tracked as a result of injuries at the position and represents the archetypal sniping half-back, with the acceleration to make himself a threat at the fringes. Jack Maunder (Exeter Chiefs) has shown really nice balance to his game with the Exeter first team this season, featuring heavily in the Champions Cup, including the club’s recent visit to the Stade Marcel-Michelin to take on Clermont, and Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints) is the younger brother of former England U20 scrum-half James Mitchell.

With Will Chudley injured at Exeter, it may be that Maunder’s services are required in the south-west, so don’t be too surprised if this ends up as a Randall-Mitchell tag team for the Six Nations, with Maunder coming in for the World Championship in the summer.

At fly-half there are three clear options, Jamie Shillcock (Worcester Warriors), Theo Brophy Clews (London Irish) and Max Malins (Saracens). All three featured for the U20s last season, albeit in differing fashions.

Brophy Clews took on the mantle of starting fly-half, Malins was deployed at full-back and Shillcock was used to cover England’s injury crisis at scrum-half. Since then, Shillcock has gone on to play a significant role for the Worcester first team at both fly-half and full-back and has made up plenty of ground on Brophy Clews and Malins, both of whom had significant injuries in the second half of 2016.

Shillcock is just another of the players who could find himself yo-yoing in and out of this squad over the next two months due to club commitments, something which could give Brophy Clews and Malins the edge on him. The ability of all three to also play at full-back shouldn’t be disregarded, either, and we could well see at least two of these guys on the pitch at any one time.

Moving on to the centres and both Max Wright (Yorkshire Carnegie) and Dominic Morris (Saracens) return from last year’s group, although neither was an incumbent in the team, with Harry Mallinder and Joe Marchant having been the favoured combination. They are now joined by two U18 graduates in the forms of Jacob Umaga (Wasps) and Will Butler (Worcester Warriors).

Umaga, the son of former Samoa international Mike and nephew of All Black great Tana, is a very gifted playmaking inside centre, who also has experience at fly-half. As adept a ball-carrier as he is a distributor, Umaga will look to fill the Mallinder void in the England side and is one of the many players in this group to keep an eye on beyond the age-grades over the next few years.

Finally, we come to the back three.

Sam Aspland-Robinson (Harlequins) returns for another year with the side, where he is joined by club teammate Gabriel Ibitoye (Harlequins), Ratu Joe Cokanasiga and Tom Parton (both London Irish). As back threes go, it may well be the most potent group England have ever assembled at U20 level, especially factoring in the ability of the three fly-halves to also feature at full-back.

Aspland-Robinson has some of the fastest feet in age-grade rugby, Ibitoye is a well-rounded outside centre/wing who has captaincy experience from U18 level and full-back Parton is playing a significant role in London Irish’s campaign to return to the Premiership.

It is Cokanasiga, however, who is the man to watch. At 6’ 4” and weighing in at 114kg, his physical dimensions alone are a scary proposition, but factor into that his pace, ability to break a tackle and offloading game and you have a wing who can potentially set the Six Nations and World Championship alight this season.

 

 

Without wishing to border on hyperbole, this may be the best England U20 side to have been put together since the classification came into being in 2008.

It is certainly inexperienced and there will be kinks to work out as a result of that, but in terms of current ability and how good these players, on an individual basis, could be in a few years’ time, it would seem to be unrivalled in English history.

With seven of this squad – Curry, Curry, Mercer, Maunder, Shillcock, Brophy Clews, Cokanasiga – currently playing senior rugby, as well as Odogwu and Leicester’s Will Evans not included (for now), it is an unprecedented – across any nation – level of senior involvement for an U20 class.

Time will tell how much we see of these players during the U20 Six Nations but England showed last year that having struggles in the tournament, developing depth and building chemistry, ahead of welcoming those star players into the fold for the summer, can have very beneficial effects.

First up on England’s agenda will be the Six Nations but they will have their eyes on defending their title at the World Championship in the summer and at this point, it would take a very brave man to bet against them.

 

Expected 23 (if all available)

15. Jamie Shillcock

14. Sam Aspland-Robinson

13. Gabriel Ibitoye

12. Jacob Umaga

11. Ratu Joe Cokanasiga

10. Theo Brophy Clews

9. Jack Maunder

1. Ollie Dawe

2. Curtis Langdon

3. Ciaran Knight

4. Nick Isiekwe

5. Josh Caulfield

6. Ben Curry

7. Tom Curry

8. Zach Mercer

 

16. Jamie Blamire

17. Jake Pope

18. Joseph Morris

19. Ted Hill

20. Ben Earl

21. Harry Randall

22. Max Malins

23. Tom Parton