England U20 Men team to play Wales ahead of U20 World Championship
England U20 Men’s head coach Mark Mapletoft and assistant coach Andy Titterrell have named their match day squad to face Wales this Friday at Pontypool RFC (15:30 BST kick-off).
The sides meet in an uncapped preparation fixture ahead of the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy at the end of the month. England then travel to Tbilisi to face Georgia on 14 June to conclude their pre-tournament schedule.
Former England U18 Men’s captain Ben Redshaw will lead the U20s for the first time, having been part of the squad that won the 2024 World Rugby Championship.
Noah Caluori, Jack Cotgreave, Will Knight and Ollie Streeter are set for their first U20 appearances, while replacements Charlie Barker, Alfie Longstaff and Frank McMillan could also earn a first run-out.
England begin their defence of the U20 World Championship against Scotland on Sunday 29 June, before facing South Africa and Australia in their remaining pool games.
England U20 team (club & U20 caps)
15. Ben Redshaw (c) (Newcastle Falcons, 8 caps)
14. Noah Caluori (Saracens, uncapped)
13. Campbell Ridl (Exeter Chiefs, 2 caps)
12. Will Knight (Gloucester Rugby, uncapped)
11. Jack Cotgreave (Gloucester Rugby, uncapped)
10. Josh Bellamy (Harlequins, 12 caps)
9. Joe Davis (Newcastle Falcons, 2 caps)
1. Ralph McEachran (Sale Sharks, 5 caps)
2. Louie Gulley (Exeter Chiefs, 5 caps)
3. Ollie Streeter (Harlequins, uncapped)
4. Aiden Ainsworth-Cave (Northampton Saints, 4 caps)
5. Olamide Sodeke (Saracens, 14 caps)
6. George Timmins (Bath Rugby, 5 caps)
7. Reggie Hammick (Saracens, uncapped)
8. Connor Treacey (Bath Rugby, 3 caps)
Replacements
16. Alfie Longstaff (Sale Sharks, uncapped)
17. Tubuna Maka (Leicester Tigers, 2 caps)
18. Tye Raymont (Sale Sharks, 5 caps)
19. Charlie Barker (Saracens, uncapped)
20. Kane James (Exeter Chiefs, 14 caps)
21. Oscar Beckerleg (Exeter Chiefs, 1 cap)
22. Jonny Weimann (Northampton Saints, 1 cap)
23. Ben Coen (Exeter Chiefs, 9 caps)
24. Tyler Offiah (Bath Rugby, 1 cap)
25. Nic Allison (Exeter Chiefs, 4 caps)
26. Frank McMillan (Harlequins, uncapped)
27. Jack Bracken (Saracens, 8 caps)
28. Nick Lilley (Exeter Chiefs, 4 caps)
Thoughts from camp
Mapletoft said: “This camp marks the start of a new chapter for the U20 Men’s side – we’re approaching the next two weeks with a renewed focus and determination, facing two challenging tests away from home.
“After recovering from injury, Ben [Redshaw] has taken ownership and led the Brotherhood in our short time together and is deserving of the opportunity to captain his country for the first time at U20 level.
“We expect our players, both capped and uncapped, to drive a high-performance environment and level up each other’s development. Above all else, we want this group to bond as a unit and create special memories together in the coming months.”
