Mark Mapletoft and Andy Titterrell have selected a 32-player Elite Playing Squad for the 2023/24 season.
The selection, which has been made earlier than in previous seasons, sees the pair aim to tighten cohesion within the collective and build into the upcoming U20 Six Nations and U20 World Championships in resolute fashion.
Mapletoft takes charge in his first full campaign steering the pathways side after three years of involvement with the England U18s, as well as a decade worth of experience coaching Harlequins prior.
Former England international and British & Irish Lions tourist Titterrell continues his pathway role into a fourth campaign, specialising in coaching the team’s pack after joining the national set-up from Wasps in 2020.
The current cohort includes 12 previously capped players for the U20 Men; Joe Bailey, Harry Browne, Finn Carnduff, Zach Carr, Toby Cousins, Afolabi Fasogbon, James Halliwell, Nathan Michelow, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Ben Waghorn, Alex Wills and Craig Wright will be looking to impart their experience on the wider squad and build on their previous showings.
In a largely refreshed cohort, the elected players consist of 19 forwards and 13 backs with all 10 Premiership Rugby academies represented in the makeup of the team.
The player pathway programme at England Rugby is a crucial structural foundation to develop the future of international rugby in England; with two members of the 2022 U20 Men’s Elite Player Squad (Henry Arundell and Will Joseph) now capped at senior level.
28 of the 33 senior England men’s players at the 2023 Rugby World Cup are capped England U20 representatives, with all but one of the squad having represented England at least one age-grade.
The U20 class of 2024 will prepare for another year of competitive action with camps at Browns Sports Resort, Portugal and Bisham Abbey across December and January, as well as a newly announced pair of exhibition warm-ups against Bath Rugby and Oxford University.
Mapletoft’s men take on a select XV from the Somerset outfit on 6 January 2024 at Dings Crusaders RFC (17:00 GMT kick-off) whilst a meeting with the university side follows a week later at Oxford University (13 January, 14:00 GMT kick-off).
Italy awaits in the opening meeting of the 2024 U20 Six Nations (2 February 2024, 19:15 GMT kick-off), with England hosting both Wales (tickets available here) and Ireland in next year’s competition.
Ahead of the squad announcement, head coach Mark Mapletoft expressed his belief in the 32 players selected for his U20 side this season.
“Andy and I have assembled an extremely talented group to take us into this season, we have every confidence in their ability as well as their mindset as a team,” he stated.
“It’s a pleasure to be heading up the U20s side, I thoroughly enjoyed my time involved with the U18s and rest assured, I will continue to work closely with Jonathan [Pendlebury, England U18 Men’s head coach] and Will [Parkin, England U18 Men’s assistant coach] to ensure a streamlined experience for our boys in the pathway.
“Over the next few months, we will be working towards establishing continuity within our play and link together these very special players to best represent the England shirt in 2024.”
Titterrell commented: “It’s been great to work alongside Mark [Mapletoft] over the summer and the U20 World Championships were a good reflection of the hard work and dedication we’ve put in so far – he’s added great value to the U20s programme.
“We have liaised closely with Premiership clubs, academies and universities following our time in South Africa as to best advise our decision to select this squad, and for that I thank them.
“As a unit, we’ll strive to maintain that intensity in our output on the training paddock and in our upcoming fixtures against Bath and Oxford University to lead into our trip to Italy in February.”
England U20 squad:
Forwards
Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks)*
Cameron Miell (Leicester)
Craig Wright (Northampton)*
Jacob Oliver (Newcastle)
Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester)*
James Halliwell (Bristol)*
Billy Sela (Bath)
Joe Bailey (Exeter)*
Jack Bennett (Bath)
Olamide Sodeke (Saracens)
Finn Carnduff (Leicester)*
Harry Browne (Harlequins)*
Tom Burrow (Sale)
Nathan Michelow (Saracens)*
Reuben Logan (Northampton)
Henry Pollock (Northampton)
Zach Carr (Harlequins)*
Kane James (Exeter)
Lucas Schmid (Harlequins)
Backs
Archie McParland (Northampton)
Ollie Allan (Leicester)
Josh Bellamy (Harlequins)
Rory Taylor (Gloucester)
Alex Wills (Sale)*
Toby Cousins (Northampton)*
Sean Kerr (Harlequins)
Charlie Myall (Leicester)
Ben Waghorn (Harlequins)*
Will Glister (Northampton)
Malelili Satala (Leicester)
Ben Redshaw (Newcastle)
Ioan Jones (Gloucester)
England U20 fixtures:
2 February – Italy v England – 19:15 GMT – Venue TBC
9 February – England v Wales – 19:15 GMT – The Recreation Ground
23 February – Scotland v England – 19:15 GMT – Venue TBC
8 March – England v Ireland – 19:15 GMT – Venue TBC
15 March – France v England – 20:00 GMT – Venue TBC
Three more rugby law changes for 2024
After engaging in thoughtful discussions with a few rugby experts, we’ve made a bold move to propose three potential game-changing alterations that could positively impact the sport without compromising its integrity or inviting any form of misconduct.
#1. Marking outside the 22
In the annals of the game, the fair catch rule, tracing its origins back to the very genesis of written laws in 1846, holds a storied legacy. Once a pivotal element, it has gradually receded into the shadows, its significance occasionally diminished.
In the bygone era, a mark could be asserted from any kick on the field. Gradually, restrictions crept in; certain kicks were exempt, confined only within your own 22 meters. Further modifications emerged, demanding the ball be propelled into your 22 by the opponents, untouched by your own side.
This evolution birthed the infamous box kick, a beloved tactic among scrum-halves, sometimes favoured over passing to the fly-half.
The essence of this change lies in discouraging excessive kicking, a move aimed at reshaping the very fabric of the game.
