Four Northampton Saints players have been named in the England Under-20s Men’s squad to face Bath Rugby this weekend.
Hooker Craig Wright, flanker Henry Pollock and centre Toby Cousins all start while winger Will Glister is included among an 11-man replacements bench for the match on Saturday 6 January (kick-off: 2pm).
An academy-focused Bath outfit will be led by head academy coach Andy Robinson in a match being staged at Shaftesbury Park, the home of Dings Crusaders.
The U20 EPS for 2024 travelled abroad for a maiden warm-weather training camp at Browns Sports Resort in Portugal last month before three days of gym sessions, unit work and on-field training at Bisham Abbey this week.
Nathan Catt also links up with the coaching staff – which is headed up by Mark Mapletoft and Andy Titterrell – for his first matchday since joining the RFU as the designated pathway scrum coach, facing his former club where he headed up the club’s academy line from Beechen Cliff to the Recreation Ground.
The U20 Men took on Loughborough University and Oxford University in preparation for the 2023 U20 Six Nations and continue the tradition with a rematch with the former next Saturday (13 January) before their first Six Nations tie with Italy on 2 February.
England U20 Men’s head coach Mapletoft said: “It’s been a real pleasure to bring this new cohort together over the last week, the boys have showcased a real intent on proving themselves in a game capacity for the first time.
“Our training regime has reflected the intensity we want to arrive with in Saturday’s game with Bath. We know Bath’s capabilities in producing some of the country’s best talent, so this weekend’s meeting is a suitable one for our boys.
“Myself, Andy and the rest of the coaching staff expect a really competitive 80 minutes at Shaftesbury Park. The boys are aware that the U20 Six Nations awaits in a few weeks, but our focus remains on attaining a positive performance on Saturday afternoon.”
BATH RUGBY vs ENGLAND U20 MEN
Saturday 6 January, kick-off: 2pm
Shaftesbury Park
15 Ben Redshaw (Newcastle Falcons)
14 Alex Wills (Sale Sharks) *
13 Toby Cousins (Northampton Saints)
12 Ben Waghorn (Harlequins) *
11 Sean Kerr (Harlequins)
10 Rory Taylor (Gloucester Rugby)
9 Ben Douglas (Newcastle Falcons)
1 Cameron Miell (Leicester Tigers)
2 Craig Wright (Northampton Saints) *
3 Billy Sela (Bath Rugby)
4 Olamide Sodeke (Saracens)
5 Joe Bailey (Exeter Chiefs) *
6 Nathan Michelow (C) (Saracens) *
7 Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints)
8 Lucas Schmid (Harlequins)
Replacements:
16 Scott Kirk (Bath Rugby)
17 Jacob Oliver (Newcastle Falcons)
18 James Halliwell (Bristol Bears) *
19 Junior Kpoku (Racing 92)
20 Finn Carnduff (Leicester Tigers) *
21 Zach Carr (Harlequins) *
22 Max Blinkhorn (Nottingham University)
23 Josh Bellamy (Harlequins)
24 Ollie Spencer (Newcastle Falcons)
25 Will Glister (Northampton Saints)
26 Ioan Jones (Gloucester Rugby)
*denotes a player previously capped at U20 level
England U20 Men’s 2024 U20 Six Nations fixtures
2 February - Italy v England - 19:15 - Stadio Monigo, Treviso
9 February - England v Wales - 19:15 - The Recreation Ground
23 February - Scotland v England - 19:15 - Hive Stadium, Edinburgh
8 March - England v Ireland - 19:15 - The Recreation Ground
15 March - France v England - 20:00 - Stade du Hameau, Pau
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