England's Camp Designed To Boost The Next Generation Of Red Roses

This weekend, more than 60 of the country’s most promising players aged between 18 and 23 will gather for a unique “positional camp,” designed to refine the physical, technical and tactical nuances of their specific roles on the pitch.

England Women’s U20 head coach LJ Lewis, who has led the 20s since 2023, explains what the camp will entail. “Friday and Saturday we’ve invited in a select of players across our under-18 teams up to under-23s, focusing on front five. So we’ll be doing line-out tomorrow (Friday), scrum and some breakdown work on Saturday, and then similarly a backs-specific camp on the Saturday and Sunday.”

While England’s pathway setup has long focused on development, this camp takes things further. Forwards and backs follow bespoke programmes, with front-rowers immersed in scrummaging detail and the backs honing their “triple threat” skills — running, passing and kicking — in position-specific contexts.

“Scrum and line-out are such technical spaces that the players need time, and it’s not just game time; they need that development.”

It’s an approach that feels both analytical and deeply human. The goal isn’t simply to build better athletes, but to nurture self-aware players who understand their craft. “We’re very much trying to encourage our players to become self-led,” Lewis says. “It allows them to look at their Individual Development Plan and focus on that specific area of their game. It gives them the opportunity to explore drills they can really do themselves — that they could take away and that could help.”

Lewis describes the atmosphere as one of growth and alignment, not just within age groups but across the entire England pathway. “The real key bit for me is the whole pathway,” she says. “It’s not just an under-18s programme and under-23s; it’s a whole pathway. If we want to develop a player, it’s not just a two-year journey — it could be a four or six-year journey.”

That holistic mindset is reflected in the coaching team. Across the weekend, Lewis will be joined by leading figures in the women’s game, including Red Roses World Cup-winning coaches Sarah Hunter, Nathan Catt, Louis Deacon and Lou Meadows. Their presence not only raises standards but connects the aspiring players directly to the highest level of the sport.

“It gives the Red Roses coaches a snapshot of the player group,” says Lewis. “It’s also a really easy area to align with them, so there are some key principles we can align positionally to what they’re looking for. I think it drives that connection to the above, alongside that whole pathway.”

And that “connection to the above” feels especially powerful in a post-World Cup moment where every young player dreams of wearing the rose. “You’re wanting to be a Red Rose — but it’s not just being a Red Rose," she says. "You’re now going to be carrying on the winning of the World Cup piece. You’re part of writing the next chapter.”

For now, though, the camp represents a tangible step forward — a way to bridge that gap and create meaningful development experiences for young players. “Success for me,” Lewis explains, “is players leaving here with a really clear identity around their setup — what they need to do around that."