England Under 20 Head Coach Rob Hunter has named a strong squad ahead of his side’s Six Nations opener against Scotland in Firhill on Friday, February 3 (kick off 7.30pm) with Worcester’s Matt Kvesic starting in the back row. Fans can watch the game live on RFU.com/6Nstreaming
Leicester Tigers fly half and IRB Junior Player of the Year George Ford captains the side for the first time, and is joined by seven players from last season’s U20s in the starting line up. Eight of the match day squad represented John Fletcher's England U18 team last season.
With a relatively new squad at his disposal, Hunter is excited to see what his players have to offer and said: “We're excited about getting into the Six Nations, it’s a new side and we are all looking forward to seeing them play. We have a good blend of experience and fresh faces”
“Competition for places is high. We are pleased with how the team has come together, we have had a fantastic week’s preparation in Stirling and we would like to thank the University and Wallace High School for their help and the use of their facilities. There are no easy games in this tournament and starting off against Scotland in Glasgow will be tough.”
New skipper George Ford added: “It's a massive honour to be named captain for this game, but the most important thing for us is to work as hard as we can as a team for 80 minutes against a strong Scotland side. We played them twice last year and we know that they're a threat so we'll need to be on our game and stick to our plan.
“There are a lot of new lads in this side, but a few older heads too. The likes of Matt Kvesic, Elliot Daly and Dan Robson all have Six Nations experience and it's important for us to utilise that for the benefit of the team.”
England Under 20 starting XV to face Scotland
15) Ben Ransom (Saracens)
14) Marland Yarde (London Irish)
13) Elliot Daly (London Wasps)
12) Ryan Mills (Gloucester)
11) Charlie Walker (Harlequins)
10) George Ford (C) (Leicester Tigers)
9) Dan Robson (Gloucester)
1) Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs)
2) Koree Britton (Gloucester)
3) Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins)
4) Tom Price (Leicester Tigers)
5) George Merrick (Harlequins)
6) Matt Kvesic (Worcester Warriors)
7) Chris Walker (Leeds Carnegie)
8) Jack Clifford (Harlequins)
Replacements:
16) Scott Spurling (Saracens)
17) Alec Hepburn (London Wasps)
18) Ross Harrison (Sale Sharks)
19) Elliot Stooke (Gloucester)
20) Will Skuse (Bath Rugby)
21) Alex Day (Northampton Saints)
22) Tom Heathcote (Bath Rugby)
23) Anthony Watson (London Irish)
"There are a lot of new lads in this side, but a few older heads too. The likes of Matt Kvesic, Elliot Daly and Dan Robson all have Six Nations experience and it's important for us to utilise that for the benefit of the team…"