England U18 seeking revenge

The England Under-18 side will be looking to avenge their defeat to SA Schools last year when the two sides meet in Cape Town on Friday.

England last faced SA Schools 12 months ago when they fell to a 36-29 defeat at the University of Western Cape, and coach John Fletcher says that he is expecting another physical contest.

"We know that they are strong side," he said. "They tend to be big up front and have some quick backs. But saying that, we have a big pack and we're looking forward to the game massively.

"It's been pretty wet since we got here but the lads have trained well. It's a good experience for them, and it's a new experience for most of them. But this is the first of our three games and we're looking to start well," he added.  

Captain James Chisholm commented: "We're really pleased to be here and excited about playing our hosts. South Africa in South Africa is about as tough as it gets, but we're ready and we can't wait to get out there."

England U18: 15 Howard Packman, 14 Tom Howe, 13 Nick Carpenter, 12 Max Clark, 11 Nathan Earle, 10 Sam Olver, 9 Stuart Townsend, 8 James Chisholm (captain), 7 Lewis Ludlow, 6 Hayden Stringer, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Tom Ellis, 3 Paul Hill, 2 Cameron Neild, 1 Alex Lundberg.  

Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Luke Chapman, 18 Ciaran Parker, 19 Josh Peters, 20 Ellis Genge, 21 James Mitchell, 22 Will Owen, 23 Josh Sharp, 24 Rory Jennings, 25 Josh Skelcey, 26 Tom Fowlie.  

Date: Friday, August 9

Venue: City Park Stadium, Cape Town

Kick-off: 15.30  (13.30 GMT)

Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)

Assistant referees: Thomas Charabas (France), Local