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International

England U20s change 12 for their rematch with Georgia in Tbilisi

By Liam Heagney
England U20s skipper Finn Carnduff (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Mark Mapletoft has followed up last week’s 31-7 win over Georgia by making 12 changes to his England U20s starting XV for Wednesday’s Avchala Stadium rematch. The English are in Eastern Europe for a two-match rehearsal ahead of the upcoming Junior World Championship in Cape Town.

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Mapletoft’s Six Nations title winners have been drawn in a pool featuring Argentina, Fiji and host nation South Africa in a campaign that begins on June 29 and ahead of that trip, they have rejigged their resources for the second outing versus the Georgians in five days.

With skipper Finn Carnduff (Leicester Tigers), versatile back Angus Hall (Saracens) and No8 Nathan Michelow (Saracens) the three players retained in the starting line-up from last Friday, the uncapped George Timmins (Bath Rugby), Cameron Miell (Leicester Tigers), Ollie Allan (Leicester Tigers), Angus Hall (Saracens) and Jack Bracken (Saracens) all make the starting XV for this latest uncapped friendly.

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Mapletoft said: “We are pleased with the team’s performance in last week’s fixture against Georgia, but we know there is always room for improvement. The second game of the tour is crucial for us to fine-tune our strategies and ensure every player is ready for the World Rugby U20 Championship.

“Georgia is a very strong opponent, and we’re expecting another challenging match. Our focus is on building momentum and cohesion as we approach the tournament.”

England U20s (vs Georgia, Wednesday)
15. Ioan Jones (Gloucester Rugby, Minchinhampton RFC, 4 caps)
14. Jack Bracken (Saracens, Barnet Elizabethans RFC, uncapped)
13. Angus Hall (Saracens, Sevenoaks Rugby Club, uncapped)
12. Charlie Myall (Leicester Tigers, Maidenhead Rugby Club, uncapped)
11. Alex Wills (Sale Sharks, Droitwich Rugby Club, 7 caps)
10. Josh Bellamy (Harlequins, Rosslyn Park, 4 caps)
9. Ollie Allan (Leicester Tigers, Hungerford RFC, uncapped)
1. Cameron Miell (Leicester Tigers, Paul Roos, uncapped)
2. James Isaacs (Saracens, Hemel Hempstead Camelot RFC, 3 caps)
3. Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester Rugby, Bishop Wand School, 11 caps)
4. Harvey Cuckson (Bath Rugby, Mold RFC, 2 caps)
5. Olamide Sodeke (Saracens, Blackheath Rugby Club, 4 caps)
6. Finn Carnduff (capt) (Leicester Tigers, Market Harborough RFC, 15 caps)
7. George Timmins (Bath Rugby, Market Harborough RFC, uncapped)
8. Nathan Michelow (Saracens, Brentwood Rugby, 10 caps)

Replacements:
16. Craig Wright (Northampton Saints, Braintree Rugby Club, 5 caps)
17. Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks, Broadstreet RFC, 14 caps)
18. Billy Sela (Bath Rugby, Royal Wootton Bassett RFC, 6 caps)
19. Junior Kpoku (Racing 92, Saracens Amateurs, 4 caps)
20. Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, Buckingham Rugby Club, 5 caps)
21. Lucas Friday (Harlequins, Trinity School, uncapped)
22. George Makepeace-Cubitt (Northampton Saints, Reading Abbey RFC, 4 caps)
23. Ben Redshaw (Newcastle Falcons, West Park Leeds RFC, 5 caps)
24. James Halliwell (Bristol Bears, Thornbury RFC, 10 caps)
25. Arthur Green (Bath Rugby, Frome RFC, uncapped)
26. Sean Kerr (Harlequins, Sutton and Epsom Rugby Club, 4 caps)
27. Oli Spencer (Newcastle Falcons, Epping Rams Rugby, 5 caps)
28. Toby Cousins (Northampton Saints, Bugbrooke RFC, 6 caps)
29. Joe Bailey (Exeter Chiefs, Newton Abbot RFC, 5 caps)
30. Kane James (Exeter Chiefs, St Peters RFC, 4 caps)

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Comments on RugbyPass

D
Derek Murray 47 minutes ago
The problem areas Joe Schmidt must address for 'desperate' Wallabies

Nicely summarised, Brett. We should win but there are so many variables and so few guys who are experienced, strong test players in our 23, it’s highly likely we won’t. I’ve had a lazy £50 each on Wales and England at 5.60 as an emotional hedge and because I think those odds are ludicrous.

19 Go to comments
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Tom 1 hours ago
'New Zealand are smart most of the time but they weren’t smart that day'

White orcs on steroids is really funny lol.

6 Go to comments
B
Barry 1 hours ago
Are the All Blacks playing the retention game and losing?

Rugby is their profession. Why wouldn’t they follow the money and better opportunities. Plenty do it in every other profession that pays you a salary. The ABs have been draining the Polynesian pool of talent for decades. It’s now just moving in cycles.

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Francisco 1 hours ago
The problem areas Joe Schmidt must address for 'desperate' Wallabies

Hi Brett, you've given a very clear reading of AUS's on-court behaviour. During RWC2023, their final stint before the international tournament, they conceded penalties above their group average (48 vs 47) and in line with the RWC2023 average as a whole (48). I think the real problem with AUS' indiscipline was due to the instance in which penalties were conceded and the ease with which opponents were able to convert those concessions into points. Increasing the speed of the game, as Eddie Jones intended, required mental support to drive the game accurately and effectively. And that "mental composure" proved difficult to instil in a young team.

19 Go to comments
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Rolando 2 hours ago
Are the All Blacks playing the retention game and losing?

Not sure I get the argument here. There’s many, many players that NZ has “poached” from elsewhere when they were already really good at rugby, offering scholarships to lure them into moving to NZ, qualify for them, and tie them, particularly from the Pacific Islands. Off the top of my head: Fekitoa, Naholo, Reece, Narawa, Sowakula, Sivivatu, Fakatava…

13 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 3 hours ago
Massive Andy Farrell decision asks three Ireland stars to put their legacies on the line

With some of the players having a peak at long-term Bok ambitions in the back three (Roos, Phepsi, Hanekom, Louw etc etc) for the boks, the Boks might not have the best three in the world - but they certainly have the most consistently excellent back three who can slot in seamlessly. Exciting stuff.

1 Go to comments
M
Michele 3 hours ago
Bloodied but unbowed Dan Cole prepares for final hurrah

Love, love, love Dan Cole. I will be so sad when he retires…I guess I should join that fan club! Thanks for the article.

3 Go to comments
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Bull Shark 3 hours ago
Ireland and Springboks agree to trial new TMO protocol in Pretoria

How many other tier one teams have this sort of capability (a former referee) and focus on training and development around the laws?

3 Go to comments
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Neil 3 hours ago
Are the All Blacks playing the retention game and losing?

Doesn’t bode well for the future. Pretty shocked to read the NZR financial losses. I thought selling a percentage of equity was supposed to be a AB sovereign fund. By the looks of it, they’re burning through it pretty quick.

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J
JD Kiwi 3 hours ago
The problem areas Joe Schmidt must address for 'desperate' Wallabies

Top article again Brett. They should beat Wales and Georgia but 38% overall might be tough to beat with this squad.

19 Go to comments
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Flankly 3 hours ago
The problem areas Joe Schmidt must address for 'desperate' Wallabies

We saw what Wales have, against a rusty Bok team that was missing many first choice players. We have not seen what Australia have, but it’s easy to make educated guesses. Schmidt is a smart and meticulous planner with a focus on precision execution. His team do not have tons of experience, nor have they had the opportunity to groove their systems and game plan. But Australia always has athletic players, with a very competitive mindset. We should expect Australia to focus on doing the basics better than Wales, and layering on a keep-control attacking strategy that targets the Wales weaknesses. That probably translates into a “keep alive” approach, with a multi-phase running attack that creates mismatches, line-breaks and space out wide. If Wales bring what they brought at Twickenham then we should expect Australia to win convincingly.

19 Go to comments
J
JD Kiwi 3 hours ago
Are the All Blacks playing the retention game and losing?

Kiwi players move North because there's more money and/or it's easier to win test caps. It doesn't happen much the other way because we don't have more money and it isn't easier to get into the All Blacks. Not for the reasons stated in the article.

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Turlough 4 hours ago
Former Bok captain Victor Matfield launches personal tirade at Sam Warburton

I see Erasmus’s troops have given up on the attempt to frame Ireland as arrogant. A picture of Sam Warburton on the wall in the Loftus Road dressing room might not have the desired effect. Ireland so so silent. Three days til the real talking starts.

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Nickers 4 hours ago
'New Zealand are smart most of the time but they weren’t smart that day'

I remember watching this game and thinking afterwards that NZ will not win the World Cup.

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Mzilikazi 4 hours ago
How Wayne Smith's fingertips are all over New Zealand's 'Razor' blueprint

Great piece, Nick. This is a really fascinating series. I will support the AB’s against England generally, but I really like this English side. They come into NZ on a rising plane….good RWC,and that after looking very poor in the warm up games. Then the defeat of Ireland. They looked very well organised against Japan, who tried hard with their LQ game, but were swamped in the end. With a new coaching team under Razor, and key players gone forever, or overseas, I really think the AB’s are vulnerable. They won’t replace Whitelock and Retallick to any significant extent this year, I suspect, and they certainly won’t replace Mo’unga either. I am not at all confident that Beauden Barrett will stand up well to this England team, at either 10, unlikely, or at 15, more likely. and he is now in his 34th year of life. Personally, I would not select him at all in the 23. Bottom line, I fear for the AB’s. A loss in the first game, and the knives will start to be unsheathed. Hoskin’s Sotutu’s omission will be a hot topic then, I would think.

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Jon 5 hours ago
How Wayne Smith's fingertips are all over New Zealand's 'Razor' blueprint

Yeah Sotutu was good all year, those assists numbers are crazy. Certainly his workrate looks sus in that table, defensive work well off his teammate (despite both hitting same ruck %), could that be due in part to his lineout roll? Sotutu 40% dominant carry, committing extra tackles 62%. 78% ruck effectiveness on offence, 18% on D. Sititi 55% DC, 65%. 87%, 11. Ioane 35, 70. 80(much high volume that Sotutu with less minutes), 16. Earl 34, 60. 88, 24 (more technical league, easier?) Sotutu also had much high steals and turnovers than all (a fair amount more minutes too though, still higher % I’d say). Of course Sotutu was first chosen after a breakout season, so that he himself likely lost his spot to another with a breakout season doesn’t leave much room to complain. Thing they still might feel with him, is that he is probably the SRP forward equivalent of Shaun Stevenson. That lineout steal is more to do with what I had previously been saying about McMillan not giving Thompson enough prep and game time. He obviously just missread that call and threw it to the front jumper. Stern Verns style though is what we had all been crying out for Ian Foster to embrace in the All Blacks play. It was the only method in which that (2020-22) team could reliably hold the ball while gaining territory. Of course, he also shunned it. Went the other way and selected younger ball carriers and someone who could free up the backline, and we saw no more of Ardie or Samisoni eating up the easy meters. Still a missed trick I thought might return during the RWC. Hit the nail on the head with the setting for this one though, Nick! This is deja vu feeling for me.. there is something else this time as well though.. So often have we heard stories like these (from tourists/strting the year) but when it came down to it, the comparisons were always on different levels. The All Blacks are used to coming out of the blocks and blowing sides away. This very much has that feel. Then theres also the last 4 years that are there, somewhere, giving a feeling of imparting reality that makes you question if the past (history) you know was seen through rose tinted glasses. I really liked JDs begging in his last article, it hinted at it, with line like “we have never lost to Scotland”. Like really? We’ve come down to labelling our Scotland record as our ‘shinning light’ now? But we still have one! And, as I just read JDs French revolution series, this feeling goes all the way back to what, 94, when the French won both games(and then lost in atrocious conditions, again, or whatever in the following years RWC Semi-Final)? The explosive athletes have obviously gone too far one way, and I certainly hope there is a bit of subtlety to come our way soon. ALB doesn’t provide it at Int anymore, I certainly hope Havili is not asked to try his hand again at showing the way. Players like Poihipi, Plummer, Nanai-Seturo are just a call away. I miss my Smith’s and ageless Nonu in the backline. I certainly don’t want it continuing in that direction and players like AJ Lam being thought of in the midfield. Did you near choke when you heard Mils Muliaina (another in that above preferred category) say who he thought would be the playmakers?

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finn 5 hours ago
Scott Roberston needs to send Samipeni Finau on a Marcus Smith mission

This is actually the opposite of what NZ should do. If Ford or Fin Smith was playing then yes, you would want to target them because they orchestrate the entire attack. But Marcus will typically only get involved when England are already on the front foot, at that point it’s best to stand off him a little bit so his sidestep doesn’t make you look a fool. NZ's best bet is to target Mitchell as the team's primary playmaker, and so prevent Marcus from ever getting going.

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f
finn 5 hours ago
Bloodied but unbowed Dan Cole prepares for final hurrah

“Cole would need to play on and stay fit until the autumn of 2026 to have a chance of overtaking Youngs by which point he would be 39 and a half. That is a stretch.” Bad maths! He’d only need to play on until 2025, by which time he’ll be 38. I don't know if he will do it, but he’s definitely got a chance. There are some really exciting prospects at tighthead for England (Opoku-Fordjour, Sela, Harper, Fasogbon) but I don't think any of them will break into the starting 23 for another season.

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S
Shaylen 5 hours ago
Scott Roberston needs to send Samipeni Finau on a Marcus Smith mission

Targeting one player with another is something that happens routinely but when a flanker or other forward targets a flyhalf it often doesnt result in anything good happening and sometimes can result in an untimely card

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Jack 6 hours ago
Scott Roberston needs to send Samipeni Finau on a Marcus Smith mission

Marcus got absolutely targeted by Fiji in the World Cup. Google his top lip and bandaged head. The Champions Cup is the most physical club competition in the world, he regularly gets targeted there owing to his size, skill and influence. Very happy if the ABs back row want to focus on him. Opens up space for some of England’s other rapid backs.

20 Go to comments
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