Toby Cousins, Archie McParland and Henry Pollock have all been named in England Under-20s starting line-up for their clash against Ireland on Friday (8 March, kick-off: 7.15pm).
The trio all retain their starting places from England’s last Six Nations clash against Scotland, where the side claimed their third bonus-point win of the tournament in the 30-17 success, as England welcome Ireland to the Recreation Ground. The match will be streamed live on the BBC Sport website.
Just one point and a table spot separate England from second-place Ireland, with Mark Mapletoft’s men accruing maximum points from their opening outings against Italy, Wales and Scotland, both Ireland and England amassing 13 tries so far in the 2024 competition.
Head coach Mapletoft commented: “England and Ireland have had some battles in recent times and this fixture is one that I’m sure our fans have been anticipating since it was announced last year.
“The support we received in our last outing at the Rec was second to none, and the fact we’re expecting an even bigger crowd this weekend only adds to what is promises to be a memorable occasion.
“Richie is a coach I have great respect for. He and his staff have built a very impressive programme and we look forward to welcoming them this Friday to write another chapter.”
England U20 side to face Ireland
15 Ben Redshaw (Newcastle Falcons, West Park Leeds RFC, 3 caps)
14 Toby Cousins (Northampton Saints, Bugbrooke RFC, 4 caps)
13 Ben Waghorn (Harlequins, Chipstead Rugby Club, 5 caps)
12 Sean Kerr (Harlequins, Effingham and Leatherhead RFC, 2 caps)
11 Alex Wills (Sale Sharks, Stourbridge Rugby, 6 caps)
10 Josh Bellamy (Harlequins, Rosslyn Park, 2 caps)
9 Archie McParland (Northampton Saints, Ruthin RFC, 2 caps)
1 Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks, Broadstreet RFC, 12 caps)
2 Jacob Oliver (Newcastle Falcons, Barnard Castle Rugby Club, 3 caps)
3 Billy Sela (Bath Rugby, Royal Wootton Bassett RFC, 3 caps)
4 Olamide Sodeke (Saracens, Blackheath Rugby, 2 caps)
5 Junior Kpoku (Racing 92, Saracens Amateurs, 2 caps)
6 Finn Carnduff (c) (Leicester Tigers, Market Harborough RFC, 13 caps)
7 Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, Banbury RFC, 3 caps)
8 Nathan Michelow (Saracens, Coopers Company and Coborn School, 8 caps)
Replacements:
16 James Isaacs (Saracens, Hemel Hempstead Camelot RFC, uncapped)
17 Scott Kirk (Bath Rugby, Michaelhouse College, 3 caps)
18 James Halliwell (Bristol Bears, Thornbury Broncos Rugby Club, 7 caps)
19 Zach Carr (Harlequins, Ironsides Rugby Club, 4 caps)
20 Kane James (Exeter Chiefs, St Peters RFC, 2 caps)
21 Ben Douglas (Newcastle Falcons, Northern Football Club, 3 caps)
22 George Makepeace-Cubitt (Rams RFC, Reading Abbey RFC, 2 caps)
23 Oli Spencer (Newcastle Falcons, Epping Rams Rugby, 2 caps)
