U18 Development Squad

[Epaminondas Pules]

England U18 February Development Camp Squad (43-man):

Ollie Allan (London Irish & Bishop Wand, scrum half)

Caleb Ashworth (Harlequins & Gordon’s, prop)

Joe Bailey (Exeter Chiefs & Exeter College, lock)

Charlie Bracken (Saracens & St Albans, scrum half)

Harry Browne (Harlequins & Brighton College, lock/back row)

Finn Carnduff (Leicester Tigers & Leicester Grammar, lock)

Zach Carr (Harlequins & Dulwich College, back row)

Jeremy Civil (Newcastle Falcons & Gosforth Academy, centre)

Ethan Clarke (Harlequins & Worthing College, prop)

Luke Coulston (Newcastle Falcons & Gosforth Academy, lock)

Toby Cousins (Northampton Saints & Oakham, centre)

Connor Cross (London Irish & Hampton, centre)

Harvey Cuckson (Worcester Warriors & Ellesmere College, lock)

Jack Doorey-Palmer (Harlequins & Worthing College, hooker)

Ben Douglas (Newcastle Falcons & Gosforth Academy, scrum half)

Jack Ellam (Sale Sharks & Sedbergh, prop)

Will Gilderson (Gloucester & Cheltenham College, centre)

Will Glister (Wasps & City of Oxford College, back three)

Arthur Green (Bath & Sherborne, back row)

Nathan Greenwood (Newcastle Falcons & Gosforth Academy, back three)

Jimmy Halliwell (Bristol Bears & Colston’s, prop)

Sam Harris (Bath & Millfield, fly half/centre)

James Isaacs (Saracens & Berkhamsted, hooker)

Joe Jenkins (Bristol Bears & Monmouth, centre)

Ludo Kolade (Harlequins & King’s Canterbury, centre)

Harry Legg (Saracens & Simon Langton Grammar, back three)

George Loose (Leicester Tigers & Langley, centre)

Theo Mayell (Worcester Warriors & Monmouth, back row)

Morgan Meredith (Leicester Tigers & Brooksby Melton College, fly half)

Nathan Michelow (Saracens & Sutton Valence, back row)

Ben Motamed (Sale Sharks & Manchester Grammar, centre)

Paddy Pearce (Bristol Bears & Colston’s, lock)

Ben Redshaw (Newcastle Falcons & Sedbergh, back three)

Mike Rewcastle (Newcastle Falcons & Gosforth Academy, prop)

Charlie Smith (Newcastle Falcons & Dame Allan’s, hooker)

Jonny Smith (Harlequins & Brighton College, back row)

Nick Tarr (Northampton Saints & Mark Rutherford, prop)

Charlie Wardle (Sale Sharks & Altrincham Grammar, fly half)

Alex Wills (Worcester Warriors & Hartpury College, back three)

Tristan Woodman (Sale Sharks & AKS Lytham, back row)

Joseph Woodward (Leicester Tigers & Brooksby Melton College, centre)

Sam Worsley (Bristol Bears & Clifton College, fly half)

Craig Wright (Northampton Saints & Felsted, hooker)

[Epaminondas Pules]

And yes Bracken is the son of Kyran

[Puja]

Mike Rewcastle who plays for Newcastle is surely a character from a children's book.

Puja

[Mr Mwenda]

And yes Bracken is the son of Kyran

Fingers crossed he turns out as good as his dad! Risk of an Irish poach I guess

[Epaminondas Pules]

Mike Rewcastle who plays for Newcastle is surely a character from a children's book.

Puja

Julia Donaldson's kid maybe?

[Epaminondas Pules]

By position [as ever at this age there's many who play multi-position and in bold those that I'd keep an eye on]:

Caleb Ashworth (Harlequins & Gordon’s, prop)
Ethan Clarke (Harlequins & Worthing College, prop)
Jack Ellam (Sale Sharks & Sedbergh, prop)
Jimmy Halliwell (Bristol Bears & Colston’s, prop)
Mike Rewcastle (Newcastle Falcons & Gosforth Academy, prop)
Nick Tarr (Northampton Saints & Mark Rutherford, prop)

Jack Doorey-Palmer (Harlequins & Worthing College, hooker)
James Isaacs (Saracens & Berkhamsted, hooker)
Charlie Smith (Newcastle Falcons & Dame Allan’s, hooker)
Craig Wright (Northampton Saints & Felsted, hooker)

Joe Bailey (Exeter Chiefs & Exeter College, lock)
Finn Carnduff (Leicester Tigers & Leicester Grammar, lock)
Luke Coulston (Newcastle Falcons & Gosforth Academy, lock)
Harvey Cuckson (Worcester Warriors & Ellesmere College, lock)
Paddy Pearce (Bristol Bears & Colston’s, lock)

Zach Carr (Harlequins & Dulwich College, back row)
Harry Browne (Harlequins & Brighton College, lock/back row)
Arthur Green (Bath & Sherborne, back row)
Theo Mayell (Worcester Warriors & Monmouth, back row)
Nathan Michelow (Saracens & Sutton Valence, back row)
Tristan Woodman (Sale Sharks & AKS Lytham, back row)
Jonny Smith (Harlequins & Brighton College, back row)

Ollie Allan (London Irish & Bishop Wand, scrum half)
Charlie Bracken (Saracens & St Albans, scrum half)
Ben Douglas (Newcastle Falcons & Gosforth Academy, scrum half)

Morgan Meredith (Leicester Tigers & Brooksby Melton College, fly half)
Charlie Wardle (Sale Sharks & Altrincham Grammar, fly half)
Sam Worsley (Bristol Bears & Clifton College, fly half)

Jeremy Civil (Newcastle Falcons & Gosforth Academy, centre)
Toby Cousins (Northampton Saints & Oakham, centre)
Connor Cross (London Irish & Hampton, centre)
Will Gilderson (Gloucester & Cheltenham College, centre)
Sam Harris (Bath & Millfield, fly half/centre)
Joe Jenkins (Bristol Bears & Monmouth, centre)
Ludo Kolade (Harlequins & King’s Canterbury, centre)
George Loose (Leicester Tigers & Langley, centre)
Ben Motamed (Sale Sharks & Manchester Grammar, centre)
Joseph Woodward (Leicester Tigers & Brooksby Melton College, centre)

Will Glister (Wasps & City of Oxford College, back three)
Nathan Greenwood (Newcastle Falcons & Gosforth Academy, back three)
Harry Legg (Saracens & Simon Langton Grammar, back three)
Ben Redshaw (Newcastle Falcons & Sedbergh, back three)
Alex Wills (Worcester Warriors & Hartpury College, back three)

[jimKRFC]

4 is a record from Bristol, reflects the u18s strong performance in the league (won 6 - lost 0).

[SDHoneymonster]

Always nice to get an early look at the youngsters we'll be developing for Ireland, Scotland and Wales. 'Finn Carnduff' is a magnificent name.

[FKAS]

Finn Carnduff is a name that is not only a good un but it might be mentioned a bit, someone mentioned to me that he has a knack of scoring tries.

Good to see some centre options from a Tigers POV making it. We've struggled to produce much in that department for whatever reason. Joe Woodward has been talked up and is the academy side captain, a 12 with an all round game. Be interesting to see if he can take that to senior level where playmaking centres who like to carry as well suddenly find themselves with less power comparable to the opposition and less time on the ball.

[Timbo]

The lock Harvey Cuckson, apparently his work ons were to be a lot more assertive and dominant.

[Banquo]

The lock Harvey Cuckson, apparently his work ons were to be a lot more assertive and dominant.

Plus weight loss judging by his alma mater's swimming coaches

[fivepointer]

England U18 head coach Jonathan Pendlebury has named his squad to play France in their first overseas international since the start of the pandemic.

The game takes place in France at Stade Eugene Rossi, Saint-Raphael on Saturday 5 March at 15.30 (GMT).

"It feels like a real milestone to be playing internationals again at this level," said Pendlebury. "Players have missed out a lot on opportunities to play competitively against other nations over the past two years, so we’re delighted to be heading to France this week.

"We’ve got a wide squad that has worked together through development camps this season with the focus of exploring boundaries they may perceive individually, positionally and as a team. They have been regularly playing age group rugby for school, college, club and academy this season and I know they are all relishing the chance to represent England."

ENGLAND U18 SQUAD
Ollie Allan (London Irish, Bishop Wand School)
Caleb Ashworth (Harlequins, Gordon’s School)
Finn Carnduff (Leicester Tigers, Leicester Grammar School)
Ethan Clarke (Harlequins, Worthing College)
Luke Coulston (Newcastle Falcons, Gosforth Academy)
Toby Cousins (Northampton Saints, Oakham School)
Harvey Cuckson (Worcester Warriors, Ellesmere College)
Jack Doorey-Palmer (Harlequins, Worthing College)
Ben Douglas (Newcastle Falcons, Gosforth Academy)
Max Eke (Saracens, St George’s Harpenden)
Will Gildersen (Gloucester Rugby, Cheltenham College)
Nathan Greenwood (Newcastle Falcons, Gosforth Academy)
Jimmy Halliwell (Bristol Bears, Colston’s School)
Sam Harris (Bath Rugby, Millfield School)
James Isaacs (Saracens, Berkhamsted School)
George Loose (Leicester Tigers, Gresham’s School )
Nathan Michelow (Saracens, Sutton Valence)
Jonny Smith (Harlequins, Brighton College)
Nick Tarr (Northampton Saints, Mark Rutherford School)
Charlie Wardle (Sale Sharks, Altrincham Grammar)
Tristan Woodman (Sale Sharks, AKS Lytham)
Joseph Woodward (Leicester Tigers, Brooksby Melton College)
Sam Worsley (Bristol Bears, Clifton College)

ENGLAND U18 & U19 SCHEDULE
U18 - France v England - 5 March - Stade Eugene Rossi, Saint-Raphael.
U18 - England v Wales - 20 March - 14.00 KO - Taunton, Somerset.
U18 - Six Nations Festival - 5-18 April - France. Games against Wales, Scotland, Italy
U19 - Italy v England - 21-24 April - Italy (exact match date, time and venue TBC).

the all conquering Bristol u18s get precisely 2 players in the squad.
No one from Exeter or wasps which is disappointing.

[jimKRFC]

the all conquering Bristol u18s get precisely 2 players in the squad.

Not a huge follower of the u18s but that does seem a little odd.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Tigers won back to back U18 comps and had 7 players make international honours regularly over those two years. Two of whom have already been fully capped. Sometimes the team is good but only certain individuals really stand out.

Worsley and Halliwell are two that certainly do stand out!

[Epaminondas Pules]

And of course this is the first squad of the international fixtures.

[Mellsblue]

Sigh. Another Junior Blue list as a Northampton Saint.

[Puja]

Sigh. Another Junior Blue list as a Northampton Saint.

Which one's the future world superstar?

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Sigh. Another Junior Blue list as a Northampton Saint.

Which one's the future world superstar?

Puja

Tarr, very much.

[Slater582]

Lost 28-5.

Epaminondas Pules is this not such a great crop? Given they also lost comprehensively to Italy.

[fivepointer]

Not seen anything on the RFU site about the game. Normally there is some report but there isnt a mention anywhere - apart from France rugby twitter!

[Epaminondas Pules]

Lost 28-5.

Epaminondas Pules is this not such a great crop? Given they also lost comprehensively to Italy.

A mix. Not quite at the heights of the last few years in terms of overall talent, but there's still some very good players coming through. We've had 2/3 years of real strength at age grade level in terms of the players, if not always the results. Plus I'd argue this isn't our best side, but likely cycling through players to narrow down to the festival squad.

[fivepointer]

England U18 team for Wales
15. Sam Harris (Bath Rugby, Millfield School)
14. Nathan Greenwood (Newcastle Falcons, Gosforth Academy)
13. George Loose (Leicester Tigers, Gresham's School)
12. Joseph Woodward (Leicester Tigers, Brooksby Melton College)
11. Toby Cousins (Northampton Saints, Oakham School)
10. Sam Worsley (Bristol Bears, Clifton College)
9. Charlie Bracken (Saracens, St Albans School)
1. Ethan Clarke (Harlequins, Worthing College)
2. Jack Doorey-Palmer (Harlequins, Worthing College)
3. Caleb Ashworth (Harlequins, Gordon’s School)
4. Max Eke (Saracens, St George’s Harpenden)
5. Finn Carnduff (Leicester Tigers, Leicester Grammar School)
6. Jonny Smith (Harlequins, Brighton College)
7. Tristan Woodman (Sale Sharks, AKS Lytham)
8. Arthur Green (Bath Rugby, Sherborne School)

Replacements
16. James Isaacs (Saracens, Berkhamsted School)
17. Mike Rewcastle (Newcastle Falcons, Gosforth Academy)
18. Jimmy Halliwell (Bristol Bears, Colston’s School)
19. Luke Coulston (Newcastle Falcons, Gosforth Academy)
20. Paddy Pearce (Bristol Bears, Colston’s School)
21. Archie McParland (Northampton Saints, Stowe School)
22. Ben Redshaw (Newcastle Falcons, Sedbergh School)

[Epaminondas Pules]

England won 31 v 20

[Slater582]

1200 were at Taunton to watch the game against Wales. The five tries for England were scored by Charlie Bracken, Tristan Woodman, Arthur Green, Nathan Greenwood and Sam Harris. Worsley kicked a dozen points. Bracken was given man of the match in a local newspaper report.

They had eight Under 19 players but we decided not to play any because we used it as preparation for the tournament in Marcoussis. We knew they were going to have a few but it was a good test for our boys and hopefully it will stand them in good stead for the trip to France.

Although maybe not such an impressive result given we fielded an older team than them.

That trip to France is next month and the opening game is against Wales.

Lost 28-5.

Epaminondas Pules is this not such a great crop? Given they also lost comprehensively to Italy.

A mix. Not quite at the heights of the last few years in terms of overall talent, but there's still some very good players coming through. We've had 2/3 years of real strength at age grade level in terms of the players, if not always the results. Plus I'd argue this isn't our best side, but likely cycling through players to narrow down to the festival squad.

Do you know who the stand out players are from the U17 North/South Festival named earlier this month

[Epaminondas Pules]

1200 were at Taunton to watch the game against Wales. The five tries for England were scored by Charlie Bracken, Tristan Woodman, Arthur Green, Nathan Greenwood and Sam Harris. Worsley kicked a dozen points. Bracken was given man of the match in a local newspaper report.

They had eight Under 19 players but we decided not to play any because we used it as preparation for the tournament in Marcoussis. We knew they were going to have a few but it was a good test for our boys and hopefully it will stand them in good stead for the trip to France.

Although maybe not such an impressive result given we fielded an older team than them.

That trip to France is next month and the opening game is against Wales.

Lost 28-5.

Epaminondas Pules is this not such a great crop? Given they also lost comprehensively to Italy.

A mix. Not quite at the heights of the last few years in terms of overall talent, but there's still some very good players coming through. We've had 2/3 years of real strength at age grade level in terms of the players, if not always the results. Plus I'd argue this isn't our best side, but likely cycling through players to narrow down to the festival squad.

Do you know who the stand out players are from the U17 North/South Festival named earlier this month

The three Sedbergh lads look decent (Finn Baxter, Tom Burton & WIll Wooton), especially Finn Baxter, he looks a very decent lock in the making. He and Ollie Thraves, down at Bristol, for me are the pick of the locks, but there's a good group to choose from, including Olamide Sodeke, because Sarries produce locks! I like Raff Weston at 10, but there's a good crop of tens too in the whole group. Hi halfback partner Davies is good too, but whether he stays in the English system or not is up for grabs. Campbell Wu is good fun at outside centre. Glister and Cousins both earned caps against France and are pretty highly thought of.

I've heard good things about Malelili Satala, but not seen a great deal.

And of course Barnaby Elderkin, frankly just because of his name! He looks a good flanker, but my god he should be in Lord of the Rings!

Jeremy Tuima has the obvious family familiarity, but he's an inside centre