23 Jul 2025 | 3 min | 1

England U18 Men squad announced for 2025 International Series

Head coach Jonathan Pendlebury and assistant coach Will Parkin have confirmed their England U18 Men’s squad for the 2025 International Series in South Africa.

The 26-player cohort, including 14 uncapped players, will travel to the Western Cape this August to face Georgia, France and hosts South Africa on the 8th, 12th and 16th August.

England return to action after a 100% winning record at the U18 Six Nations Festival for the second consecutive year with victories over Scotland (71-5), Spain (43-19) and International Series opponents, France (29-27).

England U18 Men’s squad (academy & U18 caps)

Forwards

Seva Batikora (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)

Kwame Bekoe (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)

Charlie Bray (Sale Sharks, 2 caps)

AJ Henry (Saracens, uncapped)

Henry Horsfall (Gloucester Rugby, uncapped)

Jordan Ikeh (Sale Sharks, uncapped)

Freddie Jones (Saracens, uncapped)

Henry Laidlow (Harlequins, 4 caps)

Jack Lewis (Northampton Saints, 2 caps)

Lawrence Ogbonnaya (Sale Sharks, uncapped)

Aiden Reid (Northampton Saints, 1 cap)

Marcus Southwell (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)

Oliver Spencer (Sale Sharks, 4 caps)

Casper Wheeler (Bristol Bears, uncapped)

Backs

Ollie Batson (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped)

Will Bayston (Sale Sharks, uncapped)

Charlie Bosanko (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped)

Junior Denny (Gloucester Rugby, 4 caps)

Ajay Edwards (Newcastle Falcons, 1 cap)

Sonny Goode (Northampton Saints, uncapped)

Will Payton (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)

Hugh Shields (Northampton Saints, 3 caps)

Oscar Talbot (Leicester Tigers, 4 caps)

Charlie Tamani (Northampton Saints, 4 caps)

James Townsend (Leicester Tigers, 3 caps)

Declan Treacey (Bath Rugby, 4 caps)

Views from England U18 Men camp

“Congratulations to all players and staff involved on the tour, the work behind-the-scenes across last season’s U17 and U18 camps has been incredibly rewarding so far,” Pendlebury said.

“This Series awards an opportunity to players to take a first step onto the pathway and develop themselves as rugby players and individuals. Their experiences will be critical in our endeavours to continue building a leading England team in years to come.

“With a healthy proportion of our travelling squad already capped, their chemistry and leadership will be invaluable to our efforts and we’re determined to explore beyond our boundaries in the coming weeks.”