England A travel to Valladolid this weekend eager to respond to their 31–14 defeat to the All Blacks XV and build on the developmental foundations laid throughout this mid-season window.
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Mark Mapletoft’s squad—designed as a bridge between domestic performance, the England youth pathways and full international honours—has undergone significant rotation for the meeting with Los Leones, with several young players set to take centre stage at the Estadio José Zorrilla.
Just one fully capped senior England player, Charlie Atkinson, remains from the side that faced New Zealand. The reshaped XV reflects both the heavy workload of Prem rugby and the developmental purpose of the England A programme.
Fitz Harding – who made his first representative appearance only a week ago – captains the side for the first time, while emerging Prem stars Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, Caolan Englefield and Ben Bamber all earn their first starts after coming off the bench last weekend.
Yet among the emerging faces, one player offering both experience and momentum is Exeter Chiefs fullback Josh Hodge. The 25-year-old, still seeking a first senior England cap, scored England A’s opening try against the All Blacks XV and has been one of the Prem’s standout performers in his position in recent times. For Hodge, the timing of this camp could not be better.
“We’re in the thick of it now in the Prem so to have a break with the England A’s is massive,” he said. “Coming off the All Blacks loss, we’re focusing quite hard on pushing this Spain team right to the end. It’s great being in Spain, great bit of weather… It’s looking good.”
If the mid-season change of scenery has been refreshing, the squad environment has been just as valuable. Hodge highlights the cohesion and ambition within the group: “All the players, whatever age they are, have slotted right in because they all have that ambition to play for the main England squad. The boys and the coaching staff fill you with a lot of confidence. It’s spot on.”
That confidence extends to his personal aims. “I’ve been given quite a lot of freedom. They know what I can do and told me to put the best version of myself out there. That really excites me.”
England will need clarity of execution and a sharper edge than they showed against the All Blacks XV. Hodge acknowledges the lessons: “We were potentially trying to force a few offloads… our basic errors like catch and pass probably weren’t there. But when we had our opportunities we took them.”
Spain, meanwhile, are expected to bring flair and ambition, particularly at home. But Hodge believes England’s physicality can dictate the contest. “We’ve got a big pack—hopefully we can put a lot of dominance on them and create space for our talented backline.”
The nearly 28,000 seater stadium that the game will be played at also serves as a motivation for Hodge and his teammates. “It’s going to be mega exciting playing at their local football stadium as well, sort of a bowl-shaped stadium I’ve seen pictures of and the coaches have been there and said that the turf is like a Premier League football pitch, so that excites me as well and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Spain will be at the 2027 World Cup, so should provide a stern test for England A, even if they were recently defeated by Ireland XV by a convincing margin. Whatever the result this weekend, England’s fringe players have a great opportunity that could prove to be crucial in their future development.
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