England U18 Men name November training squad
England U18 Men’s head coach Jonathan Pendlebury and assistant coach Will Parkin have selected a 40-player training squad for this week’s November Development Camp at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre.
Following October’s meeting in Berkshire, the squad will reconvene on 29 November for the second camp of the season to cover unit skills, strategy alignment and in-game preparation.
New faces arrive in the form of Harvey Leonard, Rory O'Kane and Harry Price, while 11 previously capped U18 Men’s players return to the set-up including Diamond Ayiehfor, Matthew Branch-Holland, Noah Caluori, Finn Keylock, Asa Stewart-Harris, Felix Champain, Elliot Williams, Ollie Hull, James Linegar, Oscar Thomas and George Newman.
Pendlebury and Parkin have also invited six players for rehabilitation in order to further develop continuity and team integration. This includes the uncapped Seva Kava and George Marsh, as well as Patrick Hogg, Fraser Rawlins, Sam Winters and Victor Worsnip.
England U18 Men November squad
Forwards
Diamond Ayiehfor (Leicester Tigers, Warwick School) *
Will Bennett (Sale Sharks, Sedbergh School)
Sam Bland (Yorkshire Academy, Bishop Burton College)
Matthew Branch-Holland (Saracens, Ravens Wood) *
Marlon Farouk-Roy (Saracens, Oaklands)
Kealan Freeman-Price (Gloucester Rugby, Hartpury College)
Ashton Graham (Harlequins, Gordon’s School)
Jerold Gorleku (Harlequins, Bishop Wand School)
Ollie Hull (Northampton Saints, Stamford School) *
Harvey Leonard (Sale Sharks, Ellesmere)
George Leyland (Bristol Bears, Clifton College)
Freddie Ogden-Mertherell (Gloucester Rugby, Dean Close School)
Alan Poku (Saracens, Bishop Wand School)
Harry Price (Northampton Saints, Finborough School)
Oliver Spencer (Yorkshire Academy, Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL))
Luca Teal (Yorkshire Academy, Woodhouse Grove)
Oscar Thomas (Bath Rugby, Wellington College) *
Elliot Williams (Harlequins, Gordon’s School) *
Harry Wright (Gloucester Rugby, Stourport High School & Sixth Form College)
Jayden Wrottesley (Gloucester Rugby, City of Oxford)
Backs
Ollie Batson (Exeter Chiefs, Exeter School)
Noah Caluori (Saracens, Mill Hill School) *
Felix Champain (Harlequins, Worth School) *
Junior Denny (Gloucester Rugby, Bloxham School)
Ajay Edwards (Newcastle Falcons, Durham School)
Joshua Field (Leicester Tigers, Warwick School)
Ryan Jones (Saracens, Mill Hill School)
Finn Keylock (Saracens, Bishop Wand School) *
Will Knight (Gloucester Rugby, Hartpury College)
Charlie Lawson (Newcastle Falcons, Gosforth Academy)
James Linegar (Bath Rugby, Kingswood School) *
Isaac Mears (Bath Rugby, Beechen Cliff School)
George Newman (Exeter Chiefs, Truro College) *
Rory O'Kane (Exeter Chiefs, Truro College)
James Pater (Northampton Saints, The Leys School)
Asa Stewart-Harris (Saracens, St Albans) *
Oscar Talbot (Leicester Tigers, Rugby School)
Joe Taylor (Harlequins, Cranleigh School)
James Townsend (Leicester Tigers, Warwick School)
Declan Treacey (Bath Rugby, Beechen Cliff School)
Rehabilitators
Seva Kava (Saracens, Millfield School)
Patrick Hogg (Newcastle Falcons, Durham School) *
George Marsh (Leicester Tigers, Denstone College)
Fraser Rawlins (Saracens, Haileybury) *
Sam Winters (Bath Rugby, Harrow School) *
Victor Worsnip (Bristol Bears, Clifton College) *
*denotes a player capped at U18 level for England
Parkin said: “Last month, our focus was introducing the principle of speed to the players on and off the field. Our overriding attacking principle was around ‘pulling the trigger’ to execute space, with a focus over going ‘over, round or through’ to find it. We really pushed all players to use the camp as an opportunity to develop their catch pass skills & decision making, regardless of the number on the back of their shirt.
"Speed is a core foundation that these players will depend on in their time in the pathway, and one that I believe is vital if we want players to be even better moving forward through their rugby careers.
“The staff and I want to use this week to gain a stronger knowledge of the players, but ultimately make sure these players are developing as rugby players before reconvening in February. The next few months are incredibly important for player development ahead of the Six Nations with a block of academy and school fixtures.
“With most players having now experienced camp life at international level, this weekend offers a fresh opportunity to learn, explore and to get better from our time together in October.”
