England U20 men confirm squad to take on Ireland

Mark Mapletoft and Andy Titterrell have selected their matchday 23 for a table-topping clash against Ireland in the fourth round of the 2024 Under-20 Men’s Six Nations Championship. 

The England U20 Men return to Bath Rugby’s Recreation Ground this Friday (8th March), welcoming their Irish age-grade counterparts to Somerset (19:15 kick-off). The game will be streamed live on BBC iPlayer, with tickets still available to purchase here. 

In his fourth capped fixture as U20 Men’s captain, Finn Carnduff contributed one of four tries at the Hive Stadium to overcome Scotland 30-17 with teammate Sean Kerr registering 15 points in a Player of the Match contribution. 

Harlequins centre Ben Waghorn, Jacob Oliver of Newcastle Falcons, and lock duo Olamide Sodeke (Saracens) and Junior Kpoku (Racing 92) are welcomed back into the starting XV following England’s victory north of the border. 

Uncapped Saracens hooker James Isaacs is in line for his first U20 cap as a replacement, with James Halliwell (Bristol Bears) and Oli Spencer (Newcastle Falcons) also returning the matchday squad. 

Richie Murphy’s Ireland join England as the remaining two unbeaten teams in the tournament this year, putting bonus-point performances in against France and Wales. Irish fly-half Jack Murphy leads the competition point scoring charts (36), with Hugh Gavin (302.2) and Evan O’Connell (4) topping the metres carried and lineout steal categories, respectively. 

Just one point and a table spot separate the sides with Mapletoft’s men accruing maximum points from their opening outings against Italy, Wales and Scotland, both Ireland and England amassing 13 tries so far in the 2024 competition. 

This fixture is supported with Audio Description (AD) commentary for spectators with visual impairment, with radios available to pick up free-of-charge at the Recreation Ground ticket office this Friday. 

Mark Mapletoft, England U20 Men’s head coach, commented: “England and Ireland have had some battles in recent times and this fixture is one that I’m sure our fans have been anticipating since it was announced last year.  

“The support we received in our last outing at the Rec was second to none, and the fact we’re expecting an even bigger crowd this weekend only adds to what promises to be a memorable occasion. 

“Richie is a coach I have great respect for. He and his staff have built a very impressive programme and we look forward to welcoming them this Friday to write another chapter.” 


Tickets are still available for England U20 Men’s clash with Ireland this Friday at the Recreation Ground. Click here to book now. 


England U20 Men’s team to face Ireland (includes current club, community club and U20 caps) 

15 Ben Redshaw (Newcastle Falcons, West Park Leeds RFC, 3 caps) 

14 Toby Cousins (Northampton Saints, Bugbrooke RFC, 4 caps) 

13 Ben Waghorn (Harlequins, Chipstead Rugby Club, 5 caps) 

12 Sean Kerr (Harlequins, Effingham and Leatherhead RFC, 2 caps) 

11 Alex Wills (Sale Sharks, Stourbridge Rugby, 6 caps) 

10 Josh Bellamy (Harlequins, Rosslyn Park, 2 caps) 

9 Archie McParland (Northampton Saints, Ruthin RFC, 2 caps) 

1 Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks, Broadstreet RFC, 12 caps) 

2 Jacob Oliver (Newcastle Falcons, Barnard Castle Rugby Club, 3 caps) 

3 Billy Sela (Bath Rugby, Royal Wootton Bassett RFC, 3 caps) 

4 Olamide Sodeke (Saracens, Blackheath Rugby, 2 caps) 

5 Junior Kpoku (Racing 92, Saracens Amateurs, 2 caps) 

6 Finn Carnduff (c) (Leicester Tigers, Market Harborough RFC, 13 caps) 

7 Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, Banbury RFC, 3 caps) 

8 Nathan Michelow (Saracens, Coopers Company and Coborn School, 8 caps) 


Replacements 

16 James Isaacs (Saracens, Hemel Hempstead Camelot RFC, uncapped) 

17 Scott Kirk (Bath Rugby, Michaelhouse College, 3 caps) 

18 James Halliwell (Bristol Bears, Thornbury Broncos Rugby Club, 7 caps) 

19 Zach Carr (Harlequins, Ironsides Rugby Club, 4 caps) 

20 Kane James (Exeter Chiefs, St Peters RFC, 2 caps) 

21 Ben Douglas (Newcastle Falcons, Northern Football Club, 3 caps) 

22 George Makepeace-Cubitt (Rams RFC, Reading Abbey RFC, 2 caps) 

23 Oli Spencer (Newcastle Falcons, Epping Rams Rugby, 2 caps)