England U18 Team for Round 1
Round 1 of the Under-18 International Series in South Africa starts in Stellenbosch on Friday afternoon. England Under-18 play Argentina Under-18, and England coach Jim Mallinder has named his team for the encounter.
Tighthead prop Fin Baxter of Wellington College in Berkshire will captain the side, with nine players making their England age-grade debut.
Apart from Mallinder, the coaches for the team are Jonathan Fisher, James Lightfoot Brown and Mark Luffman.
Jim Mallinder said: "This is an exciting time for the team, their first game together on tour and I know how much they are looking forward to it.
"We’ve not had a huge amount of preparation time, but we have a clear game plan and I want to see the players go out and execute it on Friday. I also want to see them enjoy themselves and show how good they are.
"For many of these players it is their first time pulling on an England shirt and this will be a special moment for them starting their international journey To represent your country is a huge honour and to do it in South Africa is very exciting We’ve trained really well, in brilliant surroundings here in Stellenbosch and I’m sure they will do their country proud."
England Under-18 vs Argentina: 15 Oliver Melville (Sale Sharks & Sedbergh School), 14 Matthew Ward (Newcastle Falcons & Gosforth Academy), 13 Louis Hillman-Cooper (Gloucester & Cheltenham College), 12 Ethan Grayson & Northampton Saints (Northampton School for Boys), 11 Alex Harmes (London Irish & St Paul's College), 10 Orlando Bailey (Bath & Beechen Cliff School), 9 Sam Edwards (Leicester Tigers (Brooksby Melton College), 8 Will Trenholm (Harlequins & Cranleigh School), 7 Daniel Eckersley (Wasps & Bloxham School), 6 Kit Smith (Leicester Tigers & Oakham School), 5 Emeka Ilione (Leicester Tigers & Rugby School), 4 Ewan Richards (Bath Rugby & Millfield School), 3 Fin Baxter (Harlequins & Wellington College) (captain), 2 Archie Vanes (Leicester Tigers & Brooksby Melton College), 1 Phil Brantingham (Newcastle Falcons & RGS Newcastle)
Replacements: 16 John Stewart (Bath & Beechen Cliff School), 17 Tarek Haffar (London Irish & St Paul's College), 18 Joe Keohane (London Irish & St Paul's College), 19 Freddie Thomas (Gloucester & Dean Close School), 20 Harry Taylor (Gloucester & Clifton College), 21 Sam Bryan (Saracens & Felsted School), 22 Charlie Atkinson (Wasps & Abingdon School), 23 Will Joseph (London Irish & Millfield School), 24 Oscar Beard (Harlequins & Cranleigh School), 25 Michael Dykes (London Irish & St Paul's College)
Date: Friday, 9 August 2019 - Women's Day in South ASfrica
Kick-off: 14.00 (local time)
Live television broadcast: SuperSport channel
Venue: Paul Roos Gymnasium, Stellenbosch
Expected weather conditions: Sunny and cool-cold with a high of 17°C and a low of 6°C
Referee: Divan Uys (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Local
Television match official: Christie du Preez (South Africa)
Fixtures with Local Times
Friday, 9 August 2019 at Paul Roos Gymnasium, Stellenbosch
13.00: SA Schools A vs France Under-18
14.30: England Under-18 vs Argentina Under-18
16.00: SA Schools vs Wales Under-18
Tuesday, 13 August 2019 at Paarl Gimnasium
13.00: SA Schools A vs Wales Under-18
14.30: SA Schools vs Argentina Under-18
16.00: England Under-18 vs France Under-18
Saturday, 17 August 2019 at Hugenote High School, Wellington
12.00: SA Schools A vs Argentina Under-18
13.30: France Under-18 vs Wales Under-18
15.00: SA Schools vs England Under-18