Three Warriors players have been named in the England Under-20s squad for the Six Nations Under-20 Summer Series which gets underway in Italy later this week.
Fly-half Fin Smith, full-back Tobi Wilson and hooker Finn Theobald-Thomas have been included in a 32-man squad for the tournament which will be played in Treviso and Verona between June 24 and July 12. All three are in the Three Pears Warriors Academy.
Smith helped England win the Under-20s Six Nations Championship, which was played in its entirety in Cardiff last summer, and
Theobald-Thomas made two appearances in this season’s Six Nations tournament.
Wilson, who made his Warriors debut in the Premiership Rugby Cup victory over Gloucester at Sixways in December, has yet to be capped by England at this level and is one of ten uncapped players in the squad.
The Under-20 Summer Series will provide a regional alternative to the postponed World Rugby U20 Championship which will return in 2023.
England have been drawn in Pool A along with France, Ireland and South Africa and will play their three matches in Verona, with South Africa first up this Friday (kick-off 4.00pm BST) followed by France on Wednesday June 29 (kick-off 4pm BST) and Ireland on Tuesday July 5 (kick-off 7pm BST).
The play-offs will be staged in Treviso on July 12.
“We’ve had a productive time in camp in Newcastle over the past week, and two successful training games against Scotland that have provided great match play opportunities as we prepare for the summer series,” said England Under-20s Head Coach Alan Dickens.
“We’ve got a great mix of players in the squad. Some with experience of playing at Under-20s level already and some players who are new to the squad. I’m really pleased with the way they are all supporting and learning from one another.”
“We have challenging opposition in our pool games against South Africa, France and Ireland. We’ve prepared well and the squad looks forward to the challenges an international series such as this provides.”