Centre Will East has been appointed captain of the England Under-18 side for the AER (Association Europeenne de Rugby) tournament which gets underway in the Treviso region of Italy later today.
East (St Paul's School Barnes, London Wasps and Middlesex) will lead the side in England's opening match against Georgia at Mogliano RFC tomorrow (3.30pm GMT) when he will also win his first cap.
Flanker Matt Everard (Queen Elizabeth II School, Leicester Tigers and Leicestershire) has been appointed England's vice-captain for the 30-nation tournament.
Among the other players who will win their first caps against Georgia are two players with famous rugby fathers.
Fly-half Joe Ford (Rishworth School and Yorkshire) is the son of England assistant coach Mike Ford and wing Jon Kennedy (Sale Sharks and Cheshire) is the son of Sale Sharks owner Brian Kennedy.
England, who won the competition in 2005 and 2006, finished third last year behind winners France and Ireland.
The winners of tomorrow's game will play either Ireland or Russia in San Dona Dipiavae on March 19.
England Under-18s v Georgia at Mogliano RFC, Sunday March 16 (3.30pm GMT): 15 Marcus Watson (St George's College, London Irish and Surrey); 14 Nico Fraser ((Haileybury College, Saracens and Essex), 13 Jordan Davies (Denstone College, Eccles and Lancashire), 12 Will East (St Paul's School, Barnes, London Wasps and Middlesex - captain), 11Jon Kennedy (Sale Sharks and Cheshire); 10 Joe Ford (Rishworth School and Yorkshire), 9 Craig Hampson (Harrogate College, Leeds Carnegie and Yorkshire); 1 Peter Austin (Worthing College, Havant and Hampshire), 2 Jimmy Stevens (Truro College, SWERA and Cornwall), 3 Shaun Knight (St Peter's Sixth Form Centre, Gloucester and Gloucestershire), 4 Daniel Wright (St Peter's Sixth Form Centre, Gloucester and Gloucestershire), 5 Rhys Jones (Corsham School, Corsham and Dorset & Wiltshire), 6 Will Welch (RGS Newcastle, Newcastle Falcons and Northumberland), 7 Matt Everard (Queen Elizabeth II School, Leicester Tigers and Leicestershire), 8 Jake Parker (Millfield School, South West Regional Academy and Cornwall). Replacements: Mark Atkinson (St Ambrose College, Sale Sharks and Cheshire), Ross Chisholm (Brighton College, Harlequins and Sussex), Reuben Haile (St Peter's Sixth Form Centre, Gloucester and Gloucestershire), Matt Keyte (Dulwich College, Harlequins and Surrey), Henry Staff (Bedford Modern School , Saracens and East Midlands), Marcus Watson (St George?s College, London Irish and Surrey).Forwards: Arthur Ellis (St Benedict's School, Ealing, London Wasps and Middlesex), James Freeman (Bromsgrove School, Camp Hill and North Midlands), Aaron Hall (Berwick HS, Newcastle Falcons and Northumberland), Kane Palma-Newport (Beechen Cliff School, Bath and Somerset), Ollie Stedman (Kings School, Tynemouth, Percy Park and Northumberland), Yann Thomas (Weston-super-Mare and Somerset). |
