Brantingham in England U20s Six Nations squad

11/06/2021 12:22

The former RGS Newcastle loose-head forms part of a 32-man group named by head coach Alan Dickens, with the tournament being held in Cardiff later this month. Dickens said: “In a challenging season the lads have been excellent, and I’ve been pleased we managed to get some game time along the way. “Obviously only 32 are fortunate to make the squad – and there have been some players missing out due to injury – but it has certainly been a wider squad effort going all the way back to November last year when we played our first north v south match at St George’s Park. “We’ve had a couple of camps in the last six weeks which helped bring the group together. The preparation has been good and the commitment from the players has been fantastic." The U20s Six Nations is taking place later than usual this year with England beginning their campaign against France on June 19. Dickens can’t wait for competition time, saying: “I’m really excited, but ultimately it’s about the players. We have a few coming back for a second year at U20s, but the rest weren’t fortunate to play at U18 level last year due to Covid. “I’m really looking forward to them being able to put on an England shirt and represent their country, which is something that a lot of them haven’t done for a long time.” For the first time ever the U20s Six Nations will all be played at a single venue with back-to-back matches. “Staying in one hotel together for 31 days and playing at one venue will be a different experience," said Dickens, “but it’s just fantastic that we can get a competition up and running for this generation of players.” Players and management convene in camp at Bisham Abbey on June 13 for a few days' training prior to their arrival in Wales later that week for the Championship, the games for which will all take place at Cardiff Arms Park. Dickens is ready to get going with final preparations, saying: “As with most weeks it’s about the clarity and building into the week. We’ll be concentrating on ourselves, preparing the best we can for that first match against France. “This competition is such a fantastic opportunity for these players to experience the Six Nations. Getting to sing the anthem at the start of the game, playing against the other nations where there is such a long proud history gives them that little bit of prep in their development. “The players have been so good throughout this year. They’ve done really, really well in challenging circumstances and they’ve put a lot of hard work in over the last seven months. "Opportunities haven’t been as frequent as we may have liked but at every stage they have succeeded, and we just can’t wait to get out there and for the Six Nations to start.” England Under-20s squad for the 2021 Six Nations Forwards (18): Harvey Beaton (Saracens), Phil Brantingham (Newcastle Falcons), Lucas Brooke (London Irish), Arthur Clark (Gloucester Rugby), Jack Clement (Gloucester Rugby), Luke Green (London Irish), Alex Groves (Bristol Bears), Tarek Haffar (London Irish), Lewis Holsey (Worcester Warriors), Ethan Hunt (Gloucester Rugby), Emeka Ilione (Leicester Tigers), Nahum Merigan (Bath Rugby), Ewan Richards (Bath Rugby), Sam Riley (Harlequins), Ollie Stonham (Saracens), Harry Taylor (Gloucester Rugby), Freddie Thomas (Gloucester Rugby), Archie Vanes (Leicester Tigers). Backs (14): Charlie Atkinson (Wasps), Seb Atkinson (Worcester Warriors), Deago Bailey (Bristol Bears), Orlando Bailey (Bath Rugby), Jack Bates (Bristol Bears), Louis Hillman-Cooper (Gloucester Rugby), Dan Lancaster (Leeds Tykes), Tom Litchfield (Northampton Saints), Tommy Mathews (Northampton Saints), Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks), Arthur Relton (Exeter Chiefs), Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks), Fin Smith (Worcester Warriors), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers). England men’s U20 Six Nations Fixtures (all at Cardiff Arms Park) Saturday June 19: England v France, 5pm Friday June 25: England v Scotland, 2pm Thursday July 1: Ireland v England, 8pm Wednesday July 7: Wales v England, 8pm Tuesday July 13: England v Italy, 2pm