Quartet named in England U18s squad

By Mark Stevens
5/4/23

Four Exeter Chiefs players have been named by James Cooper in his England Women’s Under-18s squad to play in the Under-18 Women’s Six Nations Festival.

Hannah Sams, Lucy Ward, Josie Plant and Ellie Wood will all start in Friday’s clash against Wales (10am) at Wellington College to open the tournament on Friday, 7 April.

The Under-18 Women’s Six Nations Festival runs from 7 – 15 April and is being hosted by England for the first time.

Hartpury College and Gloucester Hartpury’s Sophie McQueen will captain England throughout the tournament and starts those duties with the clash against Wales.

For that first match, Lucy Calladine, named at hooker, will be vice-captain, packing down in the front row alongside props Sams and Ward. Behind them, Lucie Sams andPlant are the locks, with Wood (blindside flanker) and Annabel Meta (No. 8) joining McQueen in the back-row.

Millie Hyett and Amelia MacDougall form the 10-12 axis with Sarah Parry outside them in the number 13 shirt. Sam Shiels (scrum-half) has been named to make her England debut alongside fellow debutant Emma Gerrard on the wing, with Connie Clarke (wing) and the experienced Daisy Aspinall (full-back) completing the back three.

The England women’s U18 squad plays its second match later that morning against Scotland (11am). England side will play five fixtures across three match-days. 

Under-18 Women’s Six Nations Festival fixtures:

England v Wales – Friday, 7 April – KO 10:00

Scotland v England – Friday, 7 April – KO 11:00

Ireland v England – Tuesday, 11 April – KO 11:00

England v Italy – Tuesday, 11 April – KO 15:00

England v France – Saturday, 15 April – KO 16:30

To promote an appropriate and competitive playing environment, teams will play four 35-minute fixtures across the first two match-days followed by one full 70-minute fixture on the final match-day.

Admission to the festival will be free, while fans unable to attend will be able to watch every fixture live via the Six Nations Rugby digital channels.

England’s player pathway programme is a vital development tool for future international rugby, especially during a new era ahead of a home 2025 Rugby World Cup, and the is Under-18 Women’s Six Nations Festival a key part of that.

Cooper said: “Congratulations to all players selected. Competing in a Six Nations tournament – at any level – is a prestigious achievement that these young women should be proud of.

“The squad has trained consistently well since we came together as a group last year and they put in an excellent performance against Wales last month. But we also know the team we face in the tournament opener won’t be the same as the one we beat at Rugby School, so the girls need to be at their best on Friday.

“Five matches across three match days is a unique challenge and so the coaching staff and I have selected a side to face Wales that we feel will get our tournament off to a good start and then another to continue that against Scotland. Every fit player is starting in one of these opening two games; they’ve prepared well, they’re hungry for it, they’re ready.”

England Women’s U18 v Wales U18

15. Daisy Aspinall (College or Club: Burton, Centre of Excellence: Gloucester Hartpury)
14. Connie Clarke (Preston Grasshoppers, Sale,)
13. Sarah Parry (Shrewsbury, Worcester)
12. Amelia MacDougall (Old Albanians, Saracens)
11. Emma Gerrard (Morpeth, North East and Cumbria)
10. Millie Hyett (Hartpury College, Gloucester Hartpury)
9. Sam Shiels (Henley College, Wasps)
1. Hannah Sams (Ivybridge, Exeter)
2. Lucy Calladine (Burton, Worcester)
3. Lucy Ward (Exeter College, Exeter)
4. Lucie Sams (Liverpool St Helens, Sale)
5. Josie Plant (Exeter Chiefs, Exeter)
6. Ellie Wood (Sidmouth, Exeter)
7. Sophie McQueen (C; Hartpury College, Gloucester Hartpury)
8. Annabel Meta (Wimbledon, Harlequins)

Replacements

16. Amelia Williams (Medway, Gloucester Hartpury)
17. Lucy Simpson (Hartpury College, Gloucester Hartpury)
18. Lucy Finch (Henley College, Harlequins)
19. Lauren Knowler (Henley College, Harlequins)
20. Lauren Bailey (Dings Crusaders, Bristol)

England Women’s U18 v Scotland U18

15. Lauren Bailey (Dings Crusaders, Bristol)
14. Connie Clarke (Preston Grasshoppers, Sale,)
13. Natalee Evans (Shrewsbury, Worcester)
12. Lauren Knowler (Henley College, Harlequins)
11. Emma Gerrard (Morpeth, North East and Cumbria)
10. Ella Cromack (Reading, Wasps)
9. Evie Haskell (Mansfield, Loughborough)
1. Amelia Williams (Medway, Gloucester Hartpury)
2. Lucy Simpson (Hartpury College, Gloucester Hartpury)
3. Tilly Poland (Farnham, Harlequins)
4. Bridget Campbell (Sandal, Yorkshire)
5. Ellie Wood (Sidmouth, Exeter)
6. Anna Richardson (Tynedale, North East and Cumbria)
7. Lucy Finch (C; Henley College, Harlequins)
8. Haineala Lutui (Worcester, Worcester)

Replacements

16. Hannah Sams (Ivybridge, Exeter)
17. Lucy Calladine (Burton, Worcester)
18. Sophie McQueen (Hartpury College, Gloucester Hartpury)
19. Amelia MacDougall (Old Albanians, Saracens)
20. Daisy Aspinall (Burton, Gloucester Hartpury)