Warriors centre Seb Atkinson will captain England Under-20s in the second half of their friendly against Oxford University at Iffley Road on Saturday (kick-off 2.00pm).
In order to give all the players an opportunity on the field, England will play in the first and second halves of the match which is a warm-up for the forthcoming Under-20s Six Nations of which England defending champions.
Atkinson, who made his senior debut for Warriors in the Premiership Rugby Cup win over Gloucester Rugby two weeks ago, will take charge for the second half with Fin Baxter captain in the first period.
Last season was an unused member of England’s Under-20s Grand Slam-winning squad in Cardiff and has been included in the EPS squad for this year along with his club-mate Fin Smith.
Smith will not play against Oxford University as he will be on duty for Warriors in the EPCR Challenge Cup match against Toulon at Sixways.
“We’ve had two camps, this week and last, which helped bring the group together and kick start our Six Nations preparation. The training has gone really well and the commitment from the players has been fantastic,” said England Under-20s Head Coach Alan Dickens.
“The game against Oxford University will be an excellent opportunity for us to put in to practice all our work in training and assess how well the lads are working as a group. It’s a great way for us to prepare for our opening game in the Six Nations away to Scotland.”