Bristol Bears and Gloucester Rugby will both contribute three players to the England U20 squad to compete in this season's Six Nations U20s competition.
The increasing strength of the Bears academy, which has been completely revamped in recent years, sees prop James Halliwell, centre Joe Jenkins and fly-half Sam Worsley named as part of head coach Alan Dickens' 32-man Elite Player Squad for the 2023 campaign.
Meanwhile, Gloucester's clever recruitment has been highlighted by a trio of recent signings earning a place in the squad. Former Wasps prop Archie McArthur, former Worcester Warriors hooker Finn Theobald-Thomas and former Scarlets full-back Josh Hathaway - who have all moved to Kingsholm this season - will be in the mix to represent their country.
Another former Wasp, Greg Fisilau, has seen his outstanding form for Exeter Chiefs recognised with a call-up while Bath second row/backrow Josh Dingley and fly-half Sam Harris - who can also play full-back, have also been included.
Dickens’ side opens its Six Nations campaign against Scotland on Friday, 3 February (K.O. 19:00 GMT) at Twickenham Stoop, the evening before the England senior men’s team opens its own tournament.
To continue preparations ahead of the opening fixture, the men’s U20 squad will convene for camp at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre on Wednesday, 11 January, which will include two matches against Oxford University (K.O. 15:00 Saturday, 14 January) and Loughborough University (K.O. 13:00 Saturday, 21 January).
In addition to the Six Nations, England men’s U20 also will compete in the World Rugby Under-20 Championship this upcoming summer.
Dickens said: “We’re very excited about the squad coming together in camp this week as we prepare for our 2023 campaign. Being selected for England at any level is a proud moment in their careers and hopefully this is the next step towards achieving their dream of playing for the senior side.
“Those who have been selected have been playing at various levels, including Premiership, Championship, BUCS Super Rugby, and National League rugby, where their academies have put in a lot of hard work. I’d like to thank the clubs, the coaches, and the managers for their support because their communication and collaboration has been excellent.
“There are eight players returning this year who have been part of the Under-20 setup before, plus another four – Nathan Jibulu, Rob Carmichael, Josh Dingley, and Tobias Elliott – who took away a lot of experience from last year’s Under-19 match in Italy. Equally there are others who have worked very hard to be selected in the pathways programme for the first time.
“We’re looking forward to what will be a tough Under-20 Six Nations campaign, which starts with our match against Scotland at Twickenham Stoop, followed by the World Rugby Under-20 Championship later this year.
“We’re also looking forward to taking on Oxford University in front of a lively, and hopefully packed-out Iffley Road before we back up against the Loughborough Students the following week.
“These games are an important part of our preparation for the Under-20 Six Nations and will provide an opportunity to see players perform as a team ahead of the tournament.”
England U20s 32-man squad
Forwards
Harry Browne (Harlequins)
Robert Carmichael (Leicester Tigers)
Finn Carnduff (Leicester Tigers)
Lewis Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
Chandler Cunningham-South (London Irish)
Josh Dingley (Bath Rugby)
Danny Eite (Gloucester)
Afolabi Fasogbon (London Irish)
Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs)
James Halliwell (Bristol Bears)
Tim Hoyt (Leicester Tigers)
Nathan Jibulu (Harlequins)
Joshua Manz (Leicester Tigers)
Archie McArthur (Gloucester)
George Patten (Northampton Saints)
Guy Pepper (Newcastle Falcons)
Calum Scott (London Irish)
Finn Theobald-Thomas (Gloucester)
Backs
Charlie Bracken (Saracens)
Cassius Cleaves (Harlequins)
Jacob Cusick (Leicester Tigers)
Tobias Elliott (Saracens)
Sam Harris (Bath Rugby)
Josh Hathaway (Gloucester)
Joe Jenkins (Bristol Bears)
Louie Johnson (Newcastle Falcons)
Rekeiti Ma'asi-White (Sale Sharks)
Connor Slevin (Harlequins)
Nye Thomas (Sale Sharks)
Benjamin Waghorn (Harlequins)
Joseph Woodward (Leicester Tigers)
Sam Worsley (Bristol Bears)
U20 Six Nations home fixtures
- Friday 3 February – England v Scotland – KO 19:00 GMT – Twickenham Stoop, London
- Friday 10 February – England v Italy – KO 19:00 GMT – Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester
- Friday 24 February – Wales v England – KO 19:15 GMT
- Friday 10 March – England v France – KO 20:00 GMT – The Recreation Ground, Bath
- Sunday 19 March – Ireland v England – KO 17:00 GMT
Tickets for the 2023 Under-20 Six Nations home fixtures are on sale and can be purchased via englandrugby.com/tickets.
