England U20 JRWC Squad Announced

First topic message reminder :

It's going to be difficult to watch the tournament this time around because I believe the games are on at around 6 am our time (Or could watch a bit before work!), so it's a recording job I reckon.

http://www.rfu.com/news/2014/april/news-articles/250414_england_u20_squad

England Under 20 squad
Forwards
Biyi Alo (Saracens)
James Chisholm (Harlequins)
Joel Conlon (Exeter Chiefs)
Tom Ellis (Bath Rugby)
Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby)
Jonny Hill (Gloucester Rugby)
Paul Hill (Leeds Carnegie)
Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi (Northampton Saints)
Maro Itoje (Saracens)
Gus Jones (London Wasps)
Alex Lundberg (London Wasps)
Ross Moriarty (Gloucester Rugby)
Harry Rudkin (Leicester Tigers)
Harry Thacker (Leicester Tigers)
Jack Walker (Leeds Carnegie)
Tom Woolstencroft (Bath Rugby)

Backs
Callum Braley (Bristol Rugby, captain)
Billy Burns (Gloucester Rugby)
Nathan Earle (Saracens)
Tom Fowlie (London Irish)
Aaron Morris (Bedford Blues)
Sam Olver (Northampton Saints)
Henry Purdy (Leicester Tigers)
Howard Packman (Northampton Saints)
Harry Sloan (Harlequins)
Tom Stephenson (Northampton Saints)
Henry Taylor (Loughborough University)
Nick Tompkins (Saracens)

Is this an indicator that Scott Wilson will be going on the senior tour?

There's some serious talent in this group!

Looked very good.

 Although Friday will be a bigger test.

 Thought the whole squad looked dangerous.

 was interesting that Catchpole was playing on the wing, mainly played 13 @ Nottingham and Tigers and Purdy was mainly on the wing.

 Add in Stehpenson @ 13 and that teams looks bloody dangerous.

Welly wrote:Stephenson was playing for saints this weekend in the final.

That's a very good reason  

Catchpole played wing for Notts as well as centre this season. He played wing, centre and full back for Tigers academy. Purdy finished the season as a full back for Nottingham.

formerly known as Sam wrote:Catchpole played wing for Notts as well as centre this season. He played wing, centre and full back for Tigers academy. Purdy finished the season as a full back for Nottingham.

 Interesting.

 I know that when I see them for Tigers in the LV it usually catchpole 13, Purdy 14.

 I'm glad that catchpole signed a new deal, think he could be a very handy player for in the future.

That performance against Australia is the best performance I've ever seen from an England age-group side. The breakdown is amazing, Jones looks like a top quality 7 in the making, but the general skills-level is outstanding.

Not seen any of the JWC but Gys Jones looked a real talent during the under 20s six nations. A really intelligent player with the right physical attributes. Seems to have that ability to be in the right place at the right time.

The thing I've noticed again and again over the last few years is how improved the basics of the age grade teams are. I contrasted the passing to the seniors against NZ and the seniors looked laughably bad sometimes, why do they make it look so difficult? Passes constantly not reaching the man, forcing him to check or going two feet behind him. The age grade teams are much better at it.

I totally agree about the basics - the age group sides are excellent at them. The breakdown play is brilliant too.

Hill reminds me of Marler when he was at age-group level, but is even more impressive as he is a TH who already looks very good in the scrum. Earl looks a wonderful prospect on the wing, Itoje is everything we hoped he'd be and the other two Bath locks also look top class, the SH's are excellent, I've even been impressed with the FHs, Sloan looks like he can play both centre positions to me and I can't think of a bigger complement for Tompkins than to say he looks a little O'Driscoll-like.

That was a highly rated Australian side that was supposed to have a strong scrum (England were dominant again). I loved the way England built pressure whenever they needed to, and how this pressure always seemed to end with a try.

And all of this without our best back, Tom Stephenson.

Every year we look a bit stronger and often with a young squad with many players not considered (Scott Wilson etc).

The system is certainly working, we should look to dominate NH rugby for the foreseeable future if the talent pool continues.

Cumbrian wrote:The thing I've noticed again and again over the last few years is how improved the basics of the age grade teams are.  I contrasted the passing to the seniors against NZ and the seniors looked laughably bad sometimes, why do they make it look so difficult?  Passes constantly not reaching the man, forcing him to check or going two feet behind him.  The age grade teams are much better at it.

Time on the ball is a big factor. One of Martin Johnson's big things was that international rugby is different from other forms of rugby because it is so much faster. But we should also bear in mind that today's academy players have been properly coached from an early age and have had a far more handling-centric rugby education than their predecessors. I know someone whose son is in an academy and he tells me that the academy lads are pretty contemptuous of the players four or five years ahead of them because their understanding of the game is so much worse.

100% agree re breakdown work. Although at this level I think SA are even better. In general, our packs at this level look far better drilled and more coherent. The only thing I'd like to see a little more of is the instictive breakdown work you see from the ABs - when the backrow spots a turnover and goes in en masse, and generally judging when to go in or get back into the line. But I'm nitpicking.

Would also love to see more creative plays off first phase - and I still think our backs drift a bit too much. A couple of tries should have been simple draw and pass, and sometime is feels like our we have one less back. But all in all, it's great to see an age grade team coached well and look to score tries. I think Nick Walshe deserves credit.

Poorfour wrote:
Time on the ball is a big factor. One of Martin Johnson's big things was that international rugby is different from other forms of rugby because it is so much faster. But we should also bear in mind that today's academy players have been properly coached from an early age and have had a far more handling-centric rugby education than their predecessors. I know someone whose son is in an academy and he tells me that the academy lads are pretty contemptuous of the players four or five years ahead of them because their understanding of the game is so much worse.

I think it was about 3 or 4 years ago that the RFU issued new instructions on how kids should be coached pre-academy, with much more focus on basic skills, including passing, and understanding of the game, and less on size, ball carrying and tackling (on the basis that this can be developed later). On that basis the u20 side should continue improving for a few years yet.

Twelve changes for the Argentina game. Stephenson makes his first appearance of te tournament.

England U20 to face Argentina

15 Aaron Morris (Bedford Blues)
14 George Catchpole (Leicester Tigers)
13 Nick Tompkins (Saracens)
12 Tom Stephenson (Northampton Saints)
11 Henry Purdy (Leicester Tigers)
10 Sam Olver (Northampton Saints)
9 Callum Braley (Bristol Rugby, captain)

1 Alex Lundberg (London Wasps)
2 Jack Walker (Leeds Carnegie)
3 Biyi Alo (Saracens)
4 Jordan Onojaife (Northampton Saints)
5 Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby)
6 Hayden Thompson-Stringer (Saracens)
7 Cameron Neild (Sale Sharks)
8 James Chisholm (Harlequins)

Replacements

16 Tom Woolstencroft (Bath Rugby)
17 Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi (Northampton Saints)
18 Harry Rudkin (Leicester Tigers)
19 Maro Itoje (Saracens)
20 Gus Jones (London Wasps)
21 Henry Taylor (Loughborough University)
22 Billy Burns (Gloucester Rugby)
23 Nathan Earle (Saracens)

Need to develop the defence a little if we're going to go the distance. We conceded some soft tries vs Australia. There's just so much talent in that squad. Jones, Itoje and Hill looked very good.

How good are Argentina as 12 changes is a lot?

This a novelty, watching rugby before work!

Argentina are going to get somebody in the bin if this carries on, it has been all England since I turned on after 12 mins. It's a classic tough defending spoiling performance from the baby Pumas.

England have been a bit sloppy, but they'll make one of the chances stick eventually.

As I speak, there is a yellow card for repeat infringements.

England are being hampered by poor positional wing play by Purdy and really slow service from Braley who has looked poor.

9-6 HT.

The weather and slow service from the English scrum half isn't helping. It's the same feeling you always get against an Argentine team though, if England can get a try and force them to play outside of multiples of three, they will pull away.

9-9 with Argentina having a good time in the scrums.

England still playing stupid, need to play territory rather than trying to run everything from their own half.

He's going to give this forward.

Surprised that he gave it, would have been a penalty in the back play because an Argentine play funneling back tackled a player behind the ruck.

Jeez, the Argentinians are SO cynical, they are surely going to have another in the bin soon.

Nice to see the commentators making a song and dance about the England squint feed but completely ignore the Argentine one a couple of seconds later.

Had to leave for work after the Argentine try, thought that England were going to be mugged to be honest! Pleased to read that they managed to show resilience and to come back for the win. They didn’t play the conditions very smartly, but they will have learned what an average team with a limited (but effective) game plan can do to them. It should remove any complacency that they had.