England U18s Squad and Coaching team for Aus Tour

July 30th, 2007



Wilkinson sends message of good luck on tenth anniversary of tour



England Rugby World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson today (Monday) sent a message of good luck to his England Under 18s counterparts who this evening set-off for a gruelling three week development tour of Australia.



The message from the England and Newcastle fly-half was not just that of sincerity but a voice of experience too with Wilkinson, as part of the ‘Class of 97’, joining the likes of fellow England internationals Mike Tindall, Alex Sanderson, David Flatman, Iain Balshaw, Steve Borthwick, Andrew Sheridan and Lee Mears on this same trip to the Southern Hemisphere as England Under 18s players.



Since then those eight players have gone on to fly the flag for England in prolific style, including three players who helped England win the Rugby World Cup in 2003. Wilkinson said: “Going to Australia is one of the toughest but also one of the most enjoyable challenges for any player.



“It's a challenge for the individual and all the players must not be afraid to express themselves. When they come back from the England Under 18s tour they should be able to say to themselves that they gave the tour everything. If they do well on the tour they can put a big marker down and it can become a stepping stone to bigger things in their career."


Sale Sharks and Sedbergh School number 8 Carl Fearns will lead the young guns following his successful outing as skipper in this season’s Six Nations Festival in Glasgow. The coaching team for England’s Under 18s tour to Australia will comprise of Coach Chris Kibble and Assistant Coaches Ben Ryan and Martin Haag.



The squad will play their first two matches in Sydney against the Australia Rugby Union Northern Territory Institute of Sport Under 18s on August 5 and New South Wales Combined High Schools on August 8 before moving onto Brisbane. They will complete their tour with games against Australia Schools A on August 15 and Australia Schoolboys on Sunday August 19 at Ballymore..



Conor O’Shea, the Rugby Football Union's National Academy Director, said: “1997 was obviously a very strong squad and we’d be delighted if the same calibre of players came through from this group to the senior squad over the next few years.



“The most important thing is that all the players enjoy the tour, the challenge of the four games and take the experience through to their 2007/08 programme in the RFU National Academy, the Under 18 test matches and of course with their clubs.”



England Under-18s Australia tour



Forwards

Greg Bateman Cranleigh School NEC Harlequins

Alex Brown Dulwich College Saracens

Calum Clark Barnard Castle Leeds Carnegie

James Clark London Irish

Tom Collett Wyggeston & QE College Leicester Tigers

James Currie Millfield Bath Rugby

Reece Durrance Seevic College Saracens

Peter Elder RGS High Wycombe London Wasps

Carl Fearns Sedbergh School Sale Sharks

Alex Gray Barnard Castle Newcastle Falcons

Courtney Lawes Moulton College Northampton Saints

Joe Marler Sussex Downs NEC Harlequins

Ben Moon Ivybridge Community College *SWERA

Jacob Rowan Bradford Grammar School Leeds Carnegie

Tom Sargeant Royal Grammar School Guildford NEC Harlequins

Joe Trayfoot Epsom College NEC Harlequins

Dan Williams Ivybridge Community College SWERA



Backs

Tom Casson Sedbergh School Sale Sharks

Rory Clegg Barnard Castle Newcastle Falcons

Luke Eves Colston’s Collegiate Bristol Rugby

Oliver Frost Bromsgrove School Worcester Warriors

Matthew Keyte Reigate Grammar School NEC Harlequins

Rob Miller Keswick School Newcastle Falcons

Charlie Sharples St.. Peters High School Gloucester Rugby

Mike Stanley Oaklands College Saracens

Seb Stegmann Cranleigh School NEC Harlequins

Greig Tonks Nottingham High School Leicester Tigers

Henry Trinder Hartpury College Gloucester Rugby

Jack Wallace Aylesbury Grammar School London Wasps

Dan White Hymers Leeds Carnegie

Ben Williams Bryanston School Bath Rugby

Oliver Winterbottom Rednock Gloucester Rugby





Schedule

July 30 Depart

August 5 v ARU Northern Territory Institue of Sport (Coogee Oval, Sydney),
August 8 v New South Wales Combined High Schools (Sydney )
August 15 v Australia Schools A (Brisbane)
August 19 v Australia Schoolboys (Ballymore, Brisbane)



*SWERA – South West England Regional Rugby Academy