England’s best Under 19 players have been named in two Regional Academy squads to face Australian Schools next month – and Worcester Warriors Academy duo Andy Short and Earl Collins are both celebrating call-ups.
The teams face the junior Wallabies at Lymm RFC in Cheshire on December 9 and at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire on December 16.
England Under 18 head coach John Fletcher Under 20 head coach Mark Mapletoft take charge of a game apiece. Then Mapletoft will select an Under 19 England Academies side to tackle the tourists at Cinderford on December 19. All the games kick off at 2pm.
Included in the Lymm squad are last year’s England U18 captain Alex Gray and the bulk of last year’s unbeaten team that defeated South Africa 45-13 in Kimberley this summer.
A number of them – like Saracens fly half Jake Sharp and London Irish backs Marcus Watson and Jonathan Joseph – have already appeared for their Guinness Premiership club sides this season.
Several reappear at Hartpury and the second squad includes some famous names in the shape of Bath flanker Oliver Robinson – son of current Scotland and former England boss Andy – and Saracens centre Sam Stanley, nephew of All Blacks’ great Joe.
U19 Regional Academies (v Australian Schools, Lymm, December 9), forwards:
Harry Allen (Saracens)
Peter Austin (London Irish)
Joe Barker (Leeds Carnegie)
Ryan Bower (Leicester Tigers)
Rob Buchanan (Harlequins)
Matthew Everard (Leicester Tigers)
Ben Glynn (Bristol Rugby)
Alex Gray (Newcastle Falcons)
Tom Hicks (Northampton Saints)
Sam Jones (London Wasps)
Charlie Matthews (Harlequins)
Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks)
Mako Vunipola (Bristol Rugby)
Backs:
Joe Cobden (Leicester Tigers)
Earl Collins (Worcester Warriors)
Owen Farrell (Saracens)
Ryan Glynn (Sale Sharks)
Jonathan Joseph (London Irish)
Jake Sharp (Saracens)
Andy Short (Worcester Warriors)
Sam Stuart (Harlequins)
Marcus Watson (London Irish)
U19 Regional Academies (v Australian Schools, Hartpury, December 16), forwards:
Joe Barker (Leeds Carnegie)
Will Collier (Harlequins)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs)
Harry Hannan (Leeds Carnegie)
Jonny Harris (Leicester Tigers)
Sam Jones (London Wasps)
Addison Lockley (Exeter Chiefs)
Kieran Lowe (London Irish)
Simon McIntyre (Sale Sharks)
Miles Normandale (Bristol Rugby)
Oliver Robinson (Bath Rugby)
Oliver Steadman (Leeds Carnegie)
Jimmy Stevens (Leicester Tigers)
Backs:
Earl Collins (Worcester Warriors)
Chris Cook (Bath Rugby)
Sam Edgerley (London Irish)
Ryan Glynn (Sale Sharks)
Will Jones (London Wasps)
Alex Lewington (Leicester Tigers)
Ryan Mills (Gloucester Rugby)
Henry Staff (Saracens)
Sam Stanley (Saracens)