Warriors Academy duo Justin Clegg and Will Butler have been named in England Under 20s’ 28-man squad ahead of the World Rugby Under 20 Championships in Georgia this summer (May 31-June 18).
The youngsters both made their Warriors first-team debuts earlier on in the season as Butler featured against Enisei-STM in the European Challenge Cup while Clegg came off the bench against both Bristol Rugby and Wasps in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
The duo were then part of England Under 20s’ Six Nations-winning campaign in February as they completed the Grand Slam.
The Under 20s won the World Championship last summer and will be looking to repeat the feat again once again this year.
RFU Head of International Player Development Dean Ryan said: “Following the England Under 20 Grand Slam earlier this year, it is great to have five players earn places in the senior squad.
“The Six Nations showed that we have a large pool of young talent and that competition for places is high. We’re looking forward to seeing which players now take the opportunity to make their mark in the World Championship this summer as this group continues to develop.”
Louis Deacon, Ian Vass and Tom Williams continue as England’s coaching team, having joined the management as part of a new agreement with Premiership Rugby in which club coaches lead and develop the Under 20s while gaining experience in an international environment.
Playing all of their Pool A matches in the Avchala Stadium, the reigning champions will open their campaign against Samoa on Wednesday 31 May. Samoa have been promoted to the Under 20 Championship after winning the World Rugby Under 20 Trophy in Zimbabwe last year.
England will face familiar faces in their second fixture when they come up against Wales on Sunday 4 June. The two sides recently met in the Six Nations, with England coming out on top as 37-21 winners.
Australia, who were in England’s pool last year, are the opposition for their final pool game on Thursday 8 June.
England Under 20 squad:
Forwards
Ralph Adams-Hale (Saracens)
Josh Bayliss (Bath Rugby)
Jamie Blamire (Newcastle Falcons)
Josh Caulfield (Exeter Chiefs)
Justin Clegg (Worcester Warriors)
Max Davies (Newcastle Falcons)
Ollie Dawe (Bristol Rugby)
Ben Earl (Saracens)
Will Evans (Leicester Tigers)
Ciaran Knight (Gloucester Rugby)
Zach Mercer (Bath Rugby)
Joe Mullis (Gloucester Rugby)
Jack Nay (Saracens)
Alex Seville (Gloucester Rugby)
Marcus Street (Exeter Chiefs)
Henry Walker (Gloucester Rugby)
Backs
Sam Aspland-Robinson (Harlequins)
Theo Brophy Clews (London Irish)
Will Butler (Worcester Warriors)
Ali Crossdale (Saracens)
Gabriel Ibitoye (Harlequins)
Max Malins (Saracens)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)
Dominic Morris (Saracens)
Tom Parton (London Irish)
Harry Randall (Gloucester Rugby)
Jacob Umaga (Wasps)
Max Wright (Yorkshire Carnegie)
England Under 20 World Championship Pool A fixtures, all live on ITV:
England vs Samoa: Wednesday 31 May – Avchala Stadium (10am, BST)
England vs Wales: Sunday 4 June – Avchala Stadium (5pm, BST)
England vs Australia: Thursday 8 June – Avchala Stadium (5pm, BST)
Semi-finals and knockout matches (Monday 13 June) Details TBC
Final and knockout matches (Saturday 18 June) Details TBC