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England name team for key clash against New Zealand

by Simon Mills


	England Under-19 centre Greg King photo by Leo Wilkinson

April 12, 2007

Worcester Warriors’ Greg King has been handed his first start of the IRB Under-19 Championship against New Zealand at Ravenhill tomorrow night (5.30pm).

The centre from Chipping Norton replaces Exeter’s Tom Bedford at outside centre in a game England will almost certainly have to win to progress to the semi-final stages.

Elsewhere, Saracens wing Noah Cato and London Wasps scrum-half Joe Simpson return to the side and there are three changes in the pack with Nathan Catt (Bath Rugby) starting at loose-head, Scott Hobson (Cornish Pirates) at lock and Andy Saull (Saracens) in the back-row.

"Greg’s been part of the squad since we first got together at Worcester in November last year," said head coach Nigel Redman. "He runs good lines, is aggressive in defence and he’ll be fresh and raring to go at Ravenhill."

After banking wins over Samoa and Argentina, the complicated mathematics of the Division A table mean that Redman's side could still qualify for the semi-finals by just picking up a bonus point against the Baby Blacks.

But to do so would require an unlikely permutation of results from three different games with Australia overwhelming France and low-scoring wins for the European sides in the South Africa v Ireland and Argentina v Wales contests.

England have already beaten Samoa 20-12 and Argentina 17-15 but a defeat against New Zealand would probably leave them in the second tier of play-offs for the sides placed fifth to eighth in the group stage rankings.

Tournament favourites New Zealand beat Wales 37-14 in their opening game before thrashing Japan 107-6.

"In the past teams came to tournaments like these looking for maximum points in their first two games and then to take a bonus point out of the last game," said Redman. "I’d like to change that thinking. It’s important to win all three games because it makes a statement going into the knock-out stages and it’s all in your own hands.

"I think New Zealand are beatable. If we defend as well as we can and if we’re as free-thinking in attack as we were when we beat France 29-5 earlier this season it’ll be a good game."

England Under-19s (v New Zealand, April 13, 5.30pm)
15 Alex Goode (Saracens)
14 Noah Cato (Saracens)
13 Greg King (Worcester Warriors & Hartpury College)
12 Alex Tait (Newcastle Falcons)
11 Miles Benjamin (Worcester Warriors)
10 Gareth Griffiths (Bristol Rugby)
9 Joe Simpson (London Wasps)
1 Nathan Catt (Bath Rugby)
2 Scott Freer (Leeds Tykes)
3 Alex Corbisiero (London Irish)
4 Ben Thomas (Saracens)
5 Scott Hobson (Cornish Pirates)
6 Matt Cox (Worcester Warriors)
7 Andy Saull (Saracens)
8 Hugo Ellis (London Wasps)

Replacements:
Joe Williams (Gloucester Rugby)
Billy Moss (Bath Rugby)
Jack Steadman (Bristol Rugby)
Gregor Gillanders (Leicester Tigers)
Danny Pointon (Northampton Saints)
Richard Bolt (Exeter Chiefs)
David Smith (Northampton Saints)
Tom Bedford (Exeter Chiefs)
Adam Greendale (Leeds Tykes & Hymers College)
Garth Dew (Sale Sharks)
Jon Fisher (London Irish & Wellington College)

April 13 round three games:
New Zealand v England (Ravenhill 5.30)
South Africa v Ireland (Ravenhill 7.30)
Samoa v Japan (Belfast Harlequins 5.30)
Australia v France (Belfast Harlequins, 7.30
Scotland v Fiji (Shaws Bridge 5.30)
Argentina v Wales (Shaws Bridge 7.30)

ends