Players from Bristol Bears, Bath Rugby, Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester have all been selected by new England men’s U20 head coach Mark Mapletoft for a two-match tour of Georgia
The series, with matches on Saturday, 27 May and Thursday, 1 June, is part of England's preparations for the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa next month. The 29-player squad includes Bristol Bears centre Joe Jenkins and prop James Halliwell, Bath fly-half Sam Harris and second-row Harvey Cuckson, Exeter Chiefs number eight Greg Fisilau. Gloucester hooker Finn Theobald-Thomas has also been called up although he will move to Leicester Tigers this summer.
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Leicester’s Lewis Chessum captains the squad, which includes nine uncapped England U20 players, however all have been part of the England Rugby pathways programme previously.
The World Rugby U20 Championship will be held for the first time in four years, running from 24 June to 14 July, and featuring the top 12 U20 rugby nations. Played over five match days, England is in Pool B where they will face Australia, Ireland and Fiji.
England men’s U20 head coach, Mark Mapletoft, said: “Congratulations to all players selected for the tour of Georgia. These two matches will allow us to test ourselves on the road against a physical outfit with a tight turnaround, just like we'll face at the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa."
England men’s U20 squad
Forwards
Afolabi Fasogbon (London Irish)
Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks)
Chandler Cunningham-South (London Irish)
Craig Wright (Northampton Saints)*
Ethan Clarke (Harlequins)*
Finn Carnduff (Leicester Tigers)
Finn Theobald-Thomas (Gloucester)
Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs)
Harry Browne (Harlequins)
Harvey Cuckson (Bath Rugby)*
James Halliwell (Bristol Bears)*
Lewis Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
Nathan Jibulu (Harlequins)
Nathan Michelow (Saracens)*
Tristan Woodman (Sale Sharks)
Zach Carr (Harlequins)*
Backs
Alex Wills (Sale Sharks)*
Benjamin Waghorn (Harlequins)
Cassius Cleaves (Harlequins)
Charlie Bracken (Saracens)
Connor Slevin (Harlequins)*
Jacob Cusick (Leicester Tigers)
Joe Jenkins (Bristol Bears)
Joseph Woodward (Leicester Tigers)
Louie Johnson (Newcastle Falcons)
Nye Thomas (Sale Sharks)
Rekeiti Ma'asi-White (Sale Sharks)
Sam Harris (Bath Rugby)
Toby Thame (Northampton Saints)*
*Uncapped England U20
