England U20s have named their 32-man Elite Player Squad for the 2017/18 season.
The squad, which will compete in the 2018 Six Nations as well as the World Rugby U20 Championship in May, will be led by Steve Bates and fellow coaches Anthony Allen, Richard Blaze and James Ponton.
Your England U20 Elite Player Squad for the 2017/18 season: https://t.co/JPqxNj6q4B pic.twitter.com/Z1XeQcgxrH
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) January 3, 2018
“By naming the squad in January we’ve been able to pick players who have been performing well in the first half of the season,” said Bates. “We have some injury issues but I think we’ve got a really exciting squad with players who have played a good amount of rugby.
“Our experienced players are going to be hugely influential as we don’t have much time together ahead of the Six Nations. The players who know what to expect will be important as they will have an impact on the playing style as well as getting the group together off the pitch and integrating everyone as quickly as possible.”
Of the 32 players, 14 have already been capped at U20 level with several part of last season’s Grand Slam winning side.