Following on from a fourth-place finish in the World Rugby U20 Championship, Mark Mapletoft’s England men’s U20 side return for five rounds of competitive action next February in the 2024 U20 Six Nations.

England will open their Six Nations campaign away to Italy on Friday 2 February 2024, kicking-off at 19:15 GMT.

The competition will run until Friday 15th March with each weekend’s fixture lineup mirroring that of the senior men’s Championship, as Mapletoft’s men continue their journey with a home clash against Wales U20 the following weekend (19:15 GMT kick-off).

A trip to Scotland awaits for the England next on Friday 23 February, once again kicking-off at 19:15 GMT, before welcoming reigning U20 Six Nations victors, Ireland.

England’s encounter with Richie Murphy’s Ireland team will take place at 19:15 GMT on Friday 8 March, before concluding their tournament on the road to World Rugby U20 Championship winners France on Friday 15 March (20:00 GMT kick-off).

A new generation of young English talent will be showcased under the Friday Night Lights and will be broadcast extensively across all Six Nations markets as well as 154 territories, with matches covered by BBC and S4C in the UK.

Popularity of the U20 Six Nations has shown a consistent growth; broadcast coverage of the 2023 Championship generated a 11% increase in audience across all markets, a 492% increase in social media followers was recorded for the dedicated U20 accounts and 65% of audience members on TikTok were below the age of 25 years old.

Mapletoft said: “Off the back of a thrilling World Championship, I’d like to thank all the players, coaches, staff and parents for their brilliant support to myself and my team over the last month. 

“Everyone involved with the team is proud of the effort and commitment put in throughout the recent World Championship.

“We showed the extensive talent we have in our ranks here in England and we’re looking forward to kicking-on into a new calendar year and improve on last year.

“The Six Nations offers a fantastic challenge to the U20 side year-on-year – it gives a platform to these young men to not only wear the Rose, but to test themselves against some of the best prospects in the game whilst representing their country.

“We’re committed to continuing that development for these young players and allowing them to savour that experience so that one day, they will be ready to pull on the jersey in a senior capacity.”

England U20 Men's Fixtures

2 February - Italy v England - 19:15 - Stadio Comunale di Monigo

9 February - England v Wales - 19:15 - The Rec, Bath

23 February - Scotland v England - 19:15 - Hive Stadium, Edinburgh

8 March - England v Ireland - 19:15 - The Rec, Bath

15 March - France v England - 20:00 - Stade du Hameau, Pau