Five Chiefs in England U20s squad
By Mark Stevens
26/11/18
Five Exeter Chiefs players have been named by England Under-20s head coach Steve Bates in a 45-man training squad for the first development camp of the 2018/19 season.
The camp is to take place at Loughborough University from Friday, November 30 to Sunday, December 2.
Forwards Richard Capstick, Alfie Petch, Marcus Street and Rus Tuima, plus scrum-half Sam Maunder, will all report for the camp, which will allow pathway coaches an opportunity to assess players further ahead of U20 Elite Player Squad (EPS) selection in January 2019.
The 32-Elite Player Squad, which will compete in the 2019 U20s Six Nations as well as the World Rugby U20 Championship in May/June, are led by Bates as well as fellow pathway performance coach Jim Mallinder. Mark Hopley, Richard Whiffin and former Chiefs player James Scaysbrook also join for the season as part of the latest coach development programme agreement between England Rugby and Premiership Rugby.
The development camp in Loughborough will also give the coaches an opportunity to discuss playing themes and principles for the season ahead.
England Under-20s open their Six Nations campaign against Ireland at the Irish Independent Park in Cork on Friday, February 1(7:15pm). The side then take on France on Saturday, February 9 at Sandy Park (12:05pm, home of Exeter Chiefs, live on Sky Sports.
The U20s next head to the ZipWorld Stadium, Colwyn Bay to face Wales on Friday, February 22 (7.05pmT), live on S4C, before a second home fixture of the tournament with the side playing Italy on Friday, March 8 at Bedford Blues’ Goldington Road (7.45pm), live on Sky Sports.
Their final fixture of the Six Nations will be against Scotland on Friday, March 15 at Northampton Saints’ Franklin’s Gardens (7.45pm), live on Sky Sports.
Bates said: “The development camp gives us an opportunity to cover some basic details with a larger number of players who could all be required at various points during the Six Nations.
“It also gives us a chance to look closely at the wider group and players outside of the 32-man EPS who might be used during the international season.
“We’ve selected the training squad through a combined effort of working with the academy management and watching the players over the past few months.
“We want the players to have high energy, a desire to play the game quickly and with a degree of flexibility. We’d like them to quickly adapt to playing with new players and to have different ideas about how to play.
“It will also be the first time we’ve had the opportunity to work with the new coaches and they have played a full part in the planning of the sessions, the technical aspects of how we want to play as well as the delivery of this camp.”
Forwards: Ollie Adkins (Gloucester Rugby), Josh Basham (Durham University), Will Capon (Bristol Bears), Richard Capstick (Exeter Chiefs), Andy Christie (Saracens), Alex Coles (Northampton Saints), Nic Dolly (Sale Sharks), Ben Donnell (London Irish), James Dun (Bristol Bears), Taylor Gough (Leicester Tigers), Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers), Ted Hill (Worcester Warriors), Aaron Hinkley (Gloucester Rugby), Joel Kpoku (Saracens), Jon Kpoku (Saracens), Samson Ma'asi (Northampton Saints), Tom Marshall (Newcastle Falcons), Kai Owen (Worcester Warriors), Alfie Petch (Exeter Chiefs), Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks), James Scott (Worcester Warriors), Marcus Street (Exeter Chiefs), Rusiate Tuima (Exeter Chiefs), Tom Willis (Wasps).
Backs: Tom De Glanville (Bath Rugby), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints), Connor Doherty (Sale Sharks), Reece Dunn (Gloucester Rugby), Ollie Fox (Yorkshire Carnegie), Tom Hardwick (Leicester Tigers), Ollie Hassell-Collins (London Irish), Josh Hodge (Newcastle Falcons), Luke James (Sale Sharks), Ollie Lawrence (Worcester Warriors), Sam Maunder (Exeter Chiefs), Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Cam Nordli-Kelemeti (Newcastle Falcons), Cameron Redpath (Sale Sharks), Arron Reed (Sale Sharks), Tom Seabrook (Gloucester Rugby), Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints), Will Simonds (Wasps), Manu Vunipola (Saracens), Gus Warr (Sale Sharks), Kieran Wilkinson (Sale Sharks).