How Mark Mapletoft's England U20 are preparing for World Rugby U20 Championship
England U20 Men head coach Mark Mapletoft provided insight from camp as the defending champions prepare for the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship.
How have preparations for the tournament been going and what has the team been working on?
Mapletoft: It’s easy to say that you want to win the U20 World Championship. We said it last year and succeeded, we said it the year before and didn’t succeed, and we’re saying that again now. You shouldn’t really be here unless that’s an overall goal, but I think its gone a bit deeper than that and the players and leaders group have talked through what they want to hold themselves accountable for.
That has actually made it quite easy for us to thread in some of the game plan bits that we want to build on from spring. We’ve been really specific around what we’re going after on both sides of the ball and that’s been underpinned by the areas where the players want to hold themselves accountable.
What challenges will the squad face in Italy on and off the pitch?
Mapletoft: It’s going to be very different compared to the last three tournaments we’ve played in; we have had two Six Nations which were wet and South Africa last summer which was wet too so the weather is going to be a big challenge given the heat. We’ve had quite a dry spring but I don’t think any of the lads will have been playing in 35 degree heat.
There are also all the logistical challenges around the recovery, short turnarounds and the importance of looking after yourself. Its quite an intense month, particularly as you get into the latter end of the tournament. Bringing the players together is always a challenge. There are always bangs and bruises, different combinations and even players pushing through.
We’ve had a number of players who have played a decent number of games in the Gallagher Premiership but haven’t featured at all for the U20s. Selection is tough and sometimes injuries can make that easier, but there are a lot of players putting their hands up.
Tyler Offiah played 20 minutes against Scotland during the U20 Six Nations and made his Premiership debut against Saracens last month. Jack Cotgreave hadn’t played at all for the U20s until we played Wales last week, but has been playing regularly for Gloucester and scored a hattrick against Northampton.
It’s a really fine balance, you want the players to enjoy the experience but also understand that it’s an elite level and you have to demand high performance standards.
What does it mean to see the likes of Henry Pollock and Asher Opoku-Fordjour included in Senior Men’s squads?
Mapletoft: I probably speak on behalf of all the staff, I imagine that’s the reason you are in the job. What is the purpose of the U20s programme? Is it to see people go on and get capped or be selected for the Lions? Sure. Is it winning matches, U20 World Championships or U20 Six Nations? Sure. Both are probably important but ultimately the purpose of the pathway is to prepare players to excel in a world-leading England team.
At no point do we explicitly say we want to win games, we want to win tournaments, but that is kind of acknowledged. If you are an elite performer you have to prepare to win, know how to win and actually win because ultimately that is what the top end looks like. If you want to win senior Six Nations and senior World Cups, part of the development process is learning to win.
To have someone like Henry who is still eligible for the U20s be selected against Wales, that’s amazing. I’m more proud of him for himself and his family and friends, if I’ve contributed even 0.5 per cent towards his development over the last three years, that’s great, it’s 0.5 per cent more than it would have been.
Equally, to see players of previous generations get their opportunities is amazing. Archie McParland for example played for England A, Angus Hall and Sean Kerr have trained in that space, but also Opoku-Fordjour and Chandler Cunningham-South have been capped.
At some stage most of the staff have had interactions with those players and have part contributed to their development. It makes me very proud but I would imagine it makes them very proud too.
Which players should supporters look out for?
Mapletoft: There are players coming through from the 18s and 19s without a doubt. There will also be some players looking to repeat that who are a year older, a year more experienced and have had minimum Championship or Premiership or even European experience.
That will stand them in good stead. Every year the standard rises. The games are going to be different this year due to the conditions. There was probably a lot of defence focus and kicking in Cape Town last year, so that maybe tweaks the game models and what people are going after.
Every year there are three or four players who push up and from our perspective there are a really good group of players already in the squad. Chandler burst onto the scene last year, he’s 22, and Henry is 20. These aren’t 32-year-olds who won’t be around at the next world cup, they will be there for at least two.
There are also players like an Alfie Barbeary or Ted Hill who are already playing week-in-week-out in the Premiership and getting opportunities. It’s such a competitive area, the way we have started to look at it is that the next group can’t just be the same, they have to be better.
