England Under 20s

Max Crumpton

Key Facts

Squad	Saracens
Position	Hooker
Age	19
Height	1.8m (5'11")
Weight	100kg (15st 10lb)
Caps	U20: 4

An accomplished hooker and an avid West Ham United fan, Max has distinctions tucked away and finished his U18 career at international level on a high note. He was a try scorer off the bench when England beat Australia Schools 46-19 at Ignatius College, Sydney in August 2011 having made a touchdown after starting the previous tour match that had brought a 27-0 win over Australia A Schools at Oakhill College.

His introduction at that level dates back to the 29-12 triumph over Ireland at Donnybrook, Dublin in December 2010 when England’s 23-man squad included 14 newcomers.

Then he was included in the 28-man England U20 squad for the IRB Junior World Championship in the summer of 2012 in South Africa and made the first of his four appearances at that level against Italy in the opening game, coming off the bench. His initial start was when England successfully launched their 2013 RBS 6 Nations Championship title challenge against Scotland at Plymouth Albion last February.

Educated at Hadleigh Junior and The King John School in Thundersley, Essex, Max studied for a BTEC in Coaching and Fitness at Oaklands College in Hertfordshire and is a member of Saracens Academy. He took up the game when ten at the Westcliff club and has spent time on loan from Saracens to Barking.

A former England U16 player, he represented London & South East and Essex and aims to become a professional player and then a coach. He has captaincy experience at junior level with Westcliff, Essex, Saracens and Oaklands.

Away from rugby, Max has been involved in throwing the hammer, boxing, UFC (mixed martial arts) and also had football trials with West Ham, Charlton and Arsenal but his proudest moment was playing for England and receiving his first cap.

He said: “I was also happy to get a couple of tries in Australia but just pulling on the England jersey was the main highlight for me.” Originally, he packed down in the back row before switching to hooker and the players he most admires are New Zealand hooker Keven Mealamu and England back row forward James Haskell. Twickenham is his favourite ground.