Experienced Rugby Coach Unveils Youthful England U20 Squad for Coventry Challenge
In the lead-up to the highly anticipated World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa, England U20 head coach Richard Mapletoft has named a 25-player squad featuring twelve uncapped players to face Coventry this Saturday.
The squad announcement comes on the heels of a successful Six Nations campaign in March, which has paved the way for a fresh influx of young talent to join the established core of the team. Seven of the uncapped players will feature in the starting XV, signaling Mapletoft’s intention to blood the next generation of England’s rugby union stars.
Captaining the side in his first appearance will be lock Tom Burrow, who previously led the U19 team. Burrow will be joined by several of his former U19 teammates, as coach Andy Titterell praised the seamless integration of the new players during the recent training camp.
“This week marks the beginning of our summer schedule in the U20 Men programme ahead of what will be an exciting few months,” said Titterell. “We’ve incorporated many new faces to our wider squad this week who are experiencing their first taste of U20 level rugby. It’s been an incredibly rewarding few days seeing the progress made from involvements in U18 and U19 programmes, and Mark, the coaches and I are encouraged by our preparation.”
The England U20 squad will face a stern test against the Championship outfit Coventry, which serves as a precursor to their two-match series against Georgia U20 in Tbilisi next month. These fixtures will be crucial as the team prepares for the World Rugby U20 Championship in July, where they will look to continue the England national rugby union team’s tradition of excellence.
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