England U20 Men head coach Alan Dickens has named a 32-player squad for the 2023 campaign.
The squad includes eight players already capped at U20 level, with Archie McArthur, Finn Theobald-Thomas, Lewis Chessum, Chandler Cunningham-South, Greg Fisilau, Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, Louie Johnson, and Charlie Bracken, who is the son of 2003 World Cup winner Kyran.
Dickens’ side opens their Six Nations campaign against Scotland on Friday 3 February (KO 7pm) at Twickenham Stoop, the evening before England senior men contest the Calcutta Cup across the road.
The England U20 squad will convene for camp at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre on Wednesday 11 January, and will play two trial matches against Oxford University (Saturday 14 January – KO 3pm) and Loughborough University (Saturday 21 January – KO 3pm).
“Being selected for England at any level is a proud moment in their careers and hopefully this is the next step towards achieving their dream of playing for the senior side,” said Dickens.
“Those who have been selected have been playing at various levels, including Premiership, Championship, National League, and BUCS Super Rugby, where their academies have put in a lot of hard work. I’d like to thank the clubs, the coaches, and the managers for their support because their communication and collaboration has been excellent.
“We’re looking forward to taking on Oxford University in front of a lively, and hopefully packed-out Iffley Road before we back up against Loughborough the following week.
“These warmup games are an important part of our preparation for the U20 Six Nations tournament and will provide an opportunity to see players perform as a team ahead of the Six Nations.”
In addition to the Six Nations, Dickens’ side will also will compete in the World Rugby U20 Championship this summer.
England’s player pathway programme is a vital development tool for future international rugby; of the 48 players capped for England senior men last year, 42 of them played England U20.
England U20 squad:
Forwards
Archie McArthur (Gloucester)
George Patten (Northampton Saints)
Calum Scott (London Irish)
Finn Theobald-Thomas (Gloucester)
Nathan Jibulu (Harlequins)
Afolabi Fasogbon (London Irish)
James Halliwell (Bristol Bears)
Tim Hoyt (Leicester Tigers)
Harry Browne (Harlequins)
Lewis Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
Danny Eite (Gloucester)
Robert Carmichael (Leicester Tigers)
Finn Carnduff (Leicester Tigers)
Joshua Manz (Leicester Tigers)
Guy Pepper (Newcastle Falcons)
Josh Dingley (Bath Rugby)
Chandler Cunningham-South (London Irish)
Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs)
Backs
Charlie Bracken (Saracens)
Nye Thomas (Sale Sharks)
Sam Harris (Bath Rugby)
Sam Worsley (Bristol Bears)
Cassius Cleaves (Harlequins)
Joseph Woodward (Leicester Tigers)
Rekeiti Ma’asi-White (Sale Sharks)
Benjamin Waghorn (Harlequins)
Jacob Cusick (Leicester Tigers)
Joe Jenkins (Bristol Bears)
Josh Hathaway (Gloucester)
Tobias Elliott (Saracens)
Connor Slevin (Harlequins)
Louie Johnson (Newcastle Falcons)
England’s player ratings from 2003 World Cup final revealed
This is how the BBC rated Sir Clive Woodward’s England stars following their nail-biting 20-17 win against Australia in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final.
Josh Lewsey: Again proved his worth in the number 15 jersey. Made some dynamic runs and kept the pressure on the Aussie midfield. 7
Jason Robinson: Always looked dangerous with the ball. Had little chance stopping Australia’s try, but did his job at the other end touching down. 8
Will Greenwood: Handled the ball well with some creative touches and put in some big tackles but ultimately failed to shine. 6
Mike Tindall: More direct than creative, but did the job he was asked to do. Produced a vital clearance in the second half before making way for Mike Catt. 7
Ben Cohen: Worked tirelessly off the ball and did little wrong. Was given little opportunity to show his class with the ball. 6