England U20's named to face Georgia
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England U20 Men’s Head Coach, Mark Mapletoft, has confirmed his matchday squad for the side’s second fixture of the ongoing tour against Georgia U20.
The second of the uncapped tests takes place at the Avchala Stadium on Wednesday 12th June (15:00 BST kick-off).
England won the opening fixture of the tour with a 31-7 victory over the Junior Lelos in Tbilisi last Friday. 2024 U20 Six Nations Player of the Tournament, Northampton Saints’ Henry Pollock, was once again among the tries, as were Oli Spencer (Newcastle Falcons), Nathan Michelow (Saracens), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks), and Ioan Jones (Gloucester Rugby).
Wednesday’s encounter will represent England’s final warm-up fixture ahead of the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship taking place in South Africa later this month. The U20 Men’s Six Nations champions will be hoping to continue their strong form as they build towards their opening game of the tournament against Argentina on 29th June.
Mapletoft has made 12 changes for the fixture in the Georgian capital, with skipper Finn Carnduff (Leicester Tigers), versatile back Angus Hall (Saracens) and Number 8 Nathan Michelow (Saracens) representing the trio who started last week’s win. Uncapped players George Timmins (Bath Rugby), Cameron Miell (Leicester Tigers), Ollie Allan (Leicester Tigers), Angus Hall (Saracens) and Jack Bracken (Saracens) all make the starting XV.
Mark Mapletoft said: "We're pleased with the team's performance in last week’s fixture against Georgia, but we know there's always room for improvement. The second game of the tour is crucial for us to fine-tune our strategies and ensure every player is ready for the World Rugby U20 Championship.
“Georgia is a very strong opponent, and we're expecting another challenging match. Our focus is on building momentum and cohesion as we approach the tournament."
England U20 Men’s team to face Georgia (includes current club, community club and U20 caps):
15 Ioan Jones (Gloucester Rugby, Minchinhampton RFC, 4 caps)
14 Jack Bracken (Saracens, Barnet Elizabethans RFC, uncapped)
13 Angus Hall (Saracens, Sevenoaks Rugby Club, uncapped)
12 Charlie Myall (Leicester Tigers, Maidenhead Rugby Club, uncapped)
11 Alex Wills (Sale Sharks, Droitwich Rugby Club, 7 caps)
10 Josh Bellamy (Harlequins, Rosslyn Park, 4 caps)
9 Ollie Allan (Leicester Tigers, Hungerford RFC, uncapped)
1 Cameron Miell (Leicester Tigers, Paul Roos, uncapped)
2 James Isaacs (Saracens, Hemel Hempstead Camelot RFC, 3 caps)
3 Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester Rugby, Bishop Wand School, 11 caps)
4 Harvey Cuckson (Bath Rugby, Mold RFC, 2 caps)
5 Olamide Sodeke (Saracens, Blackheath Rugby Club, 4 caps)
6 Finn Carnduff (c) (Leicester Tigers, Market Harborough RFC, 15 caps)
7 George Timmins (Bath Rugby, Market Harborough RFC, uncapped)
8 Nathan Michelow (Saracens, Brentwood Rugby, 10 caps)
Replacements:
16 Craig Wright (Northampton Saints, Braintree Rugby Club, 5 caps)
17 Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks, Broadstreet RFC, 14 caps)
18 Billy Sela (Bath Rugby, Royal Wootton Bassett RFC, 6 caps)
19 Junior Kpoku (Racing 92, Saracens Amateurs, 4 caps)
20 Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, Buckingham Rugby Club, 5 caps)
21 Lucas Friday (Harlequins, Trinity School, uncapped)
22 George Makepeace-Cubitt (Northampton Saints, Reading Abbey RFC, 4 caps)
23 Ben Redshaw (Newcastle Falcons, West Park Leeds RFC, 5 caps)
24 James Halliwell (Bristol Bears, Thornbury RFC, 10 caps)
25 Arthur Green (Bath Rugby, Frome RFC, uncapped)
26 Sean Kerr (Harlequins, Sutton and Epsom Rugby Club, 4 caps)
27 Oli Spencer (Newcastle Falcons, Epping Rams Rugby, 5 caps)
28 Toby Cousins (Northampton Saints, Bugbrooke RFC, 6 caps)
29 Joe Bailey (Exeter Chiefs, Newton Abbot RFC, 5 caps)
30 Kane James (Exeter Chiefs, St Peters RFC, 4 caps)
31 Ben Waghorn (Harlequins, Chipstead Rugby Club, 7 caps)
32 Archie McParland (Northampton Saints, Mold RFC, 5 caps)