England U20's make 7 changes for Wales Clash

England Under-20s head coach Steve Bates has made seven changes to his side for their clash against Wales in the Under-20s Six Nations Championship on Friday.

Alfie Petch, Kieran Wilkinson, Connor Doherty and Ollie Hassell-Collins will all make their England Under-20s debuts, while Tom de Glanville will start his first Under-20s game.

Elsewhere, flanker Richard Capstick comes into the pack for the clash at the ZipWorld Stadium, Colwyn Bay, while Ollie Fox starts alongside Wilkinson in the new half-back pairing.

England got the better of France in the last round of the Championship at Sandy Park, having opened their Under-20s Six Nations campaign with a defeat against Ireland.

And with several players retained by Premiership clubs for this weekend’s domestic fixtures, head coach Bates believes those coming into the squad have a hug opportunity to shine.

“Making so many changes provides a challenge for the coaches but this is where the training we did with the wider squad in December and January pays dividends,” said Bates.

“We had an impressive win against France, and the players that have come in since that victory have trained well and we have confidence in them to build on that win.

“We know Friday is going to be a huge challenge, it is away in Wales and we are expecting a hostile atmosphere but the players should relish that.

“We’d like to see a combination of the two performances we have had in the tournament. We want to see the forward dominance we saw against France, while also playing with the fluidity we had against Ireland and then manage the game appropriately.”

England U20s

15. Josh Hodge (Newcastle Falcons)
14. Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints)
13. Connor Doherty (Sale Sharks)
12. Tom de Glanville (Bath Rugby)
11. Ollie Hassell-Collins (London Irish)
10. Kieran Wilkinson (Sale Sharks)
9. Ollie Fox (Yorkshire Academy)
1. Olly Adkins (Gloucester Rugby)
2. Nic Dolly (Sale Sharks)
3. Alfie Petch (Exeter Chiefs)
4. Joel Kpoku (Saracens)
5. Alex Coles (Northampton Saints)
6. Richard Capstick (Exeter Chiefs)
7. Aaron Hinkley (Gloucester Rugby)
8. Tom Willis (Wasps)

Replacements:

16. Samson Ma’asi (Northampton Saints)
17. Kai Owen (Worcester Warriors)
18. Jack Bartlett (Gloucester Rugby)
19. James Scott (Worcester Warriors)
20. Rusiate Tuima (Exeter Chiefs)
21. Sam Maunder (Exeter Chiefs)
22. Manu Vunipola (Saracens)
23. Jack Reeves (Gloucester Rugby)

via SixNationsRugby.com