Northampton Saints tighthead prop Ehren Painter has been called into the England Under-20s squad to face Wales at Kingston Park on Friday (kick-off 7.45pm).
The 19-year-old will look to make an impact on the bench up in Newcastle, where he joins Saints teammates Fraser Dingwall, Toby Trinder and James Grayson – who all start again for the Red Rose after starring in last weekend’s opening win over Italy.
Painter is yet to feature for the Saints first team, but joined the Senior Academy for the first time this season and is just the latest in a string of Academy products to get international recognition, having also played for England at Under-16, Under-17 and Under-18 level.
😇🌹 Congrats on the call-up @ehren_painter 👏
...and also to @fraserdingwall_ @JaamesGrayson10 & @TobyTrinder, who all start again! https://t.co/TNXaushG5l— Northampton Saints (@SaintsRugby) February 7, 2018
Trinder and Dingwall both made their debuts at Under-20s level in a 27-17 win for England at the Stadio Enzo Bearzot, while James Grayson earned his first start.
It took the fly-half just minutes to score his first points in the white shirt, a tally he soon added to as he converted two of the side's four tries during the ten-point win in Italy.
And with all the Saints starlets thriving in the white jersey, Academy Manager Simon Sinclair tipped his cap to England’s newest recruit Painter.
“To have four players involved with England this weekend is a massive achievement for the Saints Academy,” he said.
“Ehren has been working hard on all aspects of his game so far this season and has come on leaps and bounds once again, so this call-up is well deserved.
“It was brilliant for our coaches to sit back and watch Fraser, Toby and James in action last weekend, and we'll be supporting them all again on Friday.”
England head coach Steve Bates said: “We had a good victory against Italy last Friday in difficult conditions and made a solid start to the tournament.
“The players have recovered very quickly from that opening match and the sessions we’ve had this week have been extremely competitive and focused.”
England U20 team to face Wales:
15. Tom Parton (London Irish)
14. Jordan Olowofela (Leicester Tigers)
13. Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints)
12. Cameron Redpath (Sale Sharks)
11. Ben Loader (London Irish)
10. James Grayson (Northampton Saints)
9. Ben White – capt (Leicester Tigers)
1. Toby Trinder (Northampton Saints)
2. Henry Walker (Gloucester)
3. Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)
4. Dino Lamb (Harlequins)
5. Sam Lewis (Leicester Tigers)
6. Josh Basham (London Irish)
7. Tom Willis (Wasps)
8. Sam Moore (Sale Sharks)
Replacements:
16. Gabriel Oghre (Wasps)
17. Alex Seville (Gloucester)
18. Ehren Painter (Northampton Saints)
19. James Scott (Worcester Warriors)
20. Aaron Hinkley (Gloucester)
21. Rory Brand (London Irish)
22. Tom Hardwick (Leicester Tigers)
23. Matt Williams (London Irish)
