England U20 have included four Northampton Saints players in their matchday squad to face Ireland in the 2026 Under-20 Men’s Six Nations Championship.
The Recreation Ground, Bath hosts the Round 3 clash this Friday (kick-off: 7:45pm) following England’s 33-17 victory over Scotland at the Hive Stadium last week. The match will be streamed live on BBC iPlayer.
Loosehead prop Oliver Scola, blindside flanker Aiden Ainsworth-Cave and fullback James Pater are all in the starting line-up, while Sonny Tonga’uiha is amongst the replacements.
“We have put a big focus around connections off the pitch since coming together in January, and it’s been great to see this come to fruition in the opening two rounds when we have found ourselves in difficult positions,” assistant coach Will Parkin said.
“Learning from the weather and territory in Round 1 against Wales to what ill-discipline can lead too against Scotland - to continue the momentum we have built so far, it’s important that we learn from these previous experiences.
“We will continue to focus on ourselves and developing the skills that are required to play our game, we’ve had a good week of training and I am looking forward to seeing the players run out at The Rec this Friday.
“We know there is a big crowd coming to watch, which is a huge privilege, but also vital for supporting the players development as they progress through their careers. The boys are excited to put in a performance against Ireland that reflects our connected, courageous and relentless attitude.”
ENGLAND U20 MEN’S SIDE TO FACE IRELAND
15 James Pater (Northampton Saints, Shelford RFC, 2 caps)
14 Tyler Offiah (Bath Rugby, Ealing Trailfinders, 4 caps)
13 Nick Lilley (Exeter Chiefs, Ivybridge RFC, 10 caps)
12 Victor Worsnip (Bristol Bears, Bank of England RFC, 2 caps)
11 George Pearson (Leicester Tigers, Buckingham RFC, 5 caps)
10 Finn Keylock (Saracens, Marlow RUFC, 1 caps)
9 Lucas Friday (Harlequins, Bromley RFC, 10 caps)
1 Oliver Scola (Northampton Saints, Old Northamptonians RFC, 11 caps)
2 Jimmy Staples (Harlequins, Worthing Rugby Club, 2 caps)
3 Ollie Streeter (Harlequins, Haywards Heath RFC, 3 caps)
4 Elliot Williams (Harlequins, 2 caps)
5 Patrick Hogg (Sale Sharks, Blaydon Rugby Club, 2 caps)
6 Aiden Ainsworth-Cave (Northampton Saints, Bedford Junior Blues, 11 caps)
7 Seb Kelly (Sale Sharks, Rochdale RUFC, 4 caps)
8 Connor Treacey (C) (Bath Rugby, New Milton Rugby Club, 9 caps)
Replacements:
16 Jerold Gorleku (Harlequins, Twickenham RFC, uncapped)
17 Oliver Spencer (Sale Sharks, Harrogate RUFC, 1 cap)
18 Sonny Tonga’uiha (Northampton Saints, Old Northamptonians RFC, 2 caps)
19 Tate Williams (Harlequins, East Grinstead RFC, uncapped)
20 George Marsh (Leicester Tigers, Holt RFC, 2 caps)
21 George Newman (Exeter Chiefs, Truro RFC, uncapped)
22 Will Knight (Gloucester Rugby, Longlevens RFC, 6 caps)
23 Ollie Davies (Sale Sharks, Macclesfield RUFC, 2 caps)