Six Chiefs Included in England U20s Squad to Face France

Chiefs lock Oscar Beckerleg has been called into England U20s camp to be named alongside five of his Chiefs teammates in the team to play France.

He joins Louie Gulley and Nick Lilley on the bench while Nic Allison, Ben Coen and Kane James all secure starting berths.

England U20 Men’s head coach Mark Mapletoft has named his matchday 23 to face France in Round 2 of the 2025 U20 Six Nations following on from a 19-3 victory over Ireland at Virgin Media Park.

England host their French counterparts at The Recreation Ground, Bath this Friday (7th, 20:00 kick-off). The match will be streamed live on BBC iPlayer.

Former U19 Men’s captain, Sale Sharks’ Tom Burrow, assumes the captaincy for consecutive game weeks as George Timmins (Bath Rugby) earns his first U20 Men’s start at blindside flanker at his home stadium.

Lucas Friday (Harlequins), who captained the U20 Men in a warm-up fixture against Bath United, also makes his full debut in the only change from the selected backline in Round 1.

Beckerleg and Dom Hanson of Sale Sharks could earn their respective U20 competitive debuts if utilised from the replacements bench.

Mark Mapletoft said: “We’re excited to be returning to The Rec for our first home fixture in 11 months, and there are few bigger occasions in the calendar than a meeting with France.

“A big, energised crowd will be key but we’re not resting on our laurels. The last outing against Ireland gave us much to refine and the boys have rallied together to take ownership of the improvements to make.

“Our focus as a Brotherhood is to maximise the opportunities in front of us in order to dictate the game on our own terms. Given our recent meetings with France, this will be no easy feat, and the expectation is for another thrilling test against a determined side.”

England U20s:

15 Jack Kinder (Leicester Tigers, Silhillians RUFC, 1 cap)

14 Jack Bracken (Saracens, Barnet Elizabethans, 6 caps)

13 Angus Hall (Saracens, Sevenoaks Rugby Club, 7 caps)

12 Nic Allison (Exeter Chiefs, Bishops Diocesan College, 1 cap)

11 Charlie Griffin (Bath Rugby, Rosslyn Park, 1 cap)

10 Ben Coen (Exeter Chiefs, Teignmouth RFC, 6 caps)

9 Lucas Friday (Harlequins, Bromley RFC, 7 caps)

1 Ralph McEachran (Sale Sharks, Guildford RFC, 1 cap)

2 Kepu Tuipulotu (Bath Rugby, Cwmbran RFC, 1 cap)

3 Vilikesa Sela (Bath Rugby, Royal Wootton Bassett RFC, 10 caps)

4 Olamide Sodeke (Saracens, Blackheath Rugby Club, 12 caps)

5 Tom Burrow (c) (Sale Sharks, Morley RUFC, 1 cap)

6 George Timmins (Bath Rugby, Market Harborough RUFC, 3 caps)

7 Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, Buckingham Rugby Club, 13 caps)

8 Kane James (Exeter Chiefs, St. Peter’s RFC, 10 caps)

Replacements:

16 Louie Gulley (Exeter Chiefs, Crediton RFC, 1 cap)

17 Oli Scola (Northampton Saints, Old Northamptonians RFC, 1 cap)

18 Tye Raymont (Sale Sharks, West Park Leeds RFC, 1 cap)

19 Oscar Beckerleg (Exeter Chiefs, Penzance and Newlyn RFC, uncapped)

20 Aiden Ainsworth-Cave (Northampton Saints, Bedford Junior Blues, 1 cap)

21 Dom Hanson (Sale Sharks, Stockport RFC, uncapped)

22 Josh Bellamy (Harlequins, Rosslyn Park, 11 caps)

23 Nick Lilley (Exeter Chiefs, Ivybridge RFC, 1 cap)