The perfect time for London Irish to utilise their youth

Following relegation from the Premiership, London Irish supporters may have reason to feel glum. However, the summer has had its success stories too thanks to their academy prospects. With a season of Championship rugby ahead, utilising these younger players may provide the key to longer term survival.

Ben Loader is just one of the talented young players who
made his mark at the U20 Championship for England.

London Irish are a side well known for producing young talent, even if they haven't always stuck around the club. Jonathan Joseph, Marland Yarde, Anthony Watson & Jamie Gibson are just a handful of the players moulded in Sunbury. Many of the Irish graduates have moved on to challenge for the Premiership title at other clubs, international honours and appeared for the British & Irish Lions. 

The club prides itself on a well-coached academy with the benefit of training with the first team. This philosophy of integrating the academy into first team training gives the younger players vital insight into the life of a top-flight rugby player. Currently under the guidance of Patrick O'Grady, the production line continues to roll out talent.

Over the summer London Irish had five players with England at the U20 Championship in France, the joint most of any Premiership side. With 930 minutes and 6 tries between them over the two weeks, they contributed to a hugely successful tournament which saw them runners-up to the hosts France. 

While one of those five has already departed the club, the four remaining are part of a 16 strong academy, with six new inductees for the new season. With a season in the second tier of English rugby approaching, how London Irish make the most of their future talent is yet to be seen. However, the Championship has history as a proving ground for the best players in the country.

Despite its faults around funding and its ever-changing format, the Championship has provided strong competitive action for some of England's current stars in their younger years. In fact, 26 of the 31 players in the current England senior squad (excluding those raised on distant shores or playing in other codes) have had experience playing in divisions outside the Premiership at the start of their careers.

With 136 caps between them, both Chris Robshaw & Mike Brown began their Harlequins careers in the Championship during the 2005-06 season. Luke Cowan-Dickie & Henry Slade both spent time dual-registered with Plymouth Albion whilst at Exeter. Fly-half Owen Farrell spent time on loan at Goldington Road for Bedford in 2010-11 before going on to win the Premiership title with Saracens later that season. The Championship has proved to be a worthy testing ground for the best England has to offer over the past decade.

If London Irish seek to be competing at the right end of the top division in the future, this may be the perfect time to unleash some of their young talent into their starting squad this season. 

Tom Parton, Ben Loader & Rory Brand all proved they have the ability and the temperament to play in front of a passionate French crowd during the U20 Championship. Loader even got his first taste of Premiership action at the end of last season against Bath, capping off the appearance with a try of his own. 

Fly-half Jacob Atkins spent time on loan at London Scottish in the Championship last season, demonstrating his readiness to step up at such a pivotal position. Issac Curtis-Harris may face a battle with Irish seemingly well equipped in the back row, but he has impressed the coaching staff at Esher in the past season. These are hungry and talented young players ready to take the next step.

To leave this talent untapped in a season where the chance for younger players to develop is plentiful would be a massive opportunity missed for the Exiles. These players need consistent first team opportunities to see them flourish. While the experienced heads of Myler, Du Plessis & Ojo may be enough to see them promoted this year, they will need an injection of youth if London Irish are to survive the realities of the top flight once again.

France achieve first U20 Championship with win over England

France produced a stunning performance to seal a 33-25 victory over England and win their first ever U20 Championship. In front of 15,000 passionate supporters at the Stade de la Mediterranee, France’s top-flight experience showed in controlling the game. 23 points from the boot of fly-half Louis Carbonel kept England out of reach from the hosts despite the best efforts of the top seeds.

An electric atmosphere at the Stade de la Mediterranee 

       France set their stall out early with a couple of penalties off the back of powerful work by the French forwards led by man-mountain Demba Bamba, their set-piece clearly causing problems for England. While England put themselves on the board from the boot of fly-half Marcus Smith it was France who scored the opening try.

       With the forwards hammering on the try line, an outstanding offload from Maxine Marty out the back of a tackle found Cameron Woki who dotted down in the corner despite the best effort from Joel Kpoku to keep him out.

       England got a much needed try just before the half-time whistle, a beautifully floated pass from Tom Hardwick found club-mate Jordan Olowofela who crossed the line to reduce the half-time deficit to 14-8.

       The second half was a mixture of French precision and English frustration. A number of penalties for the home side gave their already dominant set-piece an opportunity to build their lead. Three penalties for Carbonel saw the lead grow to 23-8.

       England gave themselves a lifeline with 10 minutes left on the clock. With an injection of pace from livewire scrum half Rory Brand, England found themselves camped on the French line. Kpoku and Ted Hill continued their strong carrying, which had been so prominent throughout the game, however it was substitute prop Joe Heyes, who fought him was over the try line.

       France found themselves on the front foot again soon after, as England were desperate to make something happen. Man of the moment Carbonel put a perfectly weighed kick in behind the English defence for replacement Adrien Seguret to pounce on and secure the win for France.

       A late try for England closed the gap but there was too much to be done. Olowofela crossing for his second try of the day and fifth of the tournament. The final whistle saw delight for the rapturous home crowd and heartbreak for the English side who had produced some outstanding rugby throughout the tournament but were beaten by the better side on the day.

       England will be frustrated that the performance never reached the heights of those against Italy or South Africa, albeit against a much stronger French side. The French defence proving near impossible to breakdown, and another high penalty count was punished by Carbonel

.

       However, England should look back with great pride on an excellent tournament. The strength throughout the squad shone through and the colossal effort put it from all was evident to see. After a well-deserved rest, these players will be sure to be pushing for first team selection when they returned to their respective clubs with crucial international experience on their side.

England survive Junior Boks scare to seal a final spot

England hung on to a commanding first half lead which dramatically diminished in the second half against the Junior Boks in Narbonne. England had amassed a 22-7 lead at the break, only to see a spirited fightback from South Africa push the side all the way to the final whistle. The 32-31 semi-final victory will see them play France in the U20 Championship Final on Sunday.

England went into the semi-final as top seeds from the group stages of the U20 Championship having won all three of their pool stages games, racking up 117 points and scoring 18 tries in the process.

They faced South Africa who had only lost to the other final side, France. The two teams had met prior to the tournament in a warm-up game where South Africa were victors to an inexperienced England side.

The early territory and possession was in the hands of England. South Africa were reduced to 14 men early on, with backrow Muller Uys being yellow carded for a late hit on Marcus Smith.

England made the man advantage count as they raced into a 19-0 lead, with tries for Tom Parton, an excellent finish by Tom Hardwick and a thrilling 80m try from Ben White after an electric run from winger Gabriel Ibitoye.

South Africa were on the board before the break after a period of intense pressure on the England line, Sazi Sandi crossing the whitewash for the Junior Boks only score of the half.

South Africa came out firing in the second half however, continuing to pressure England’s fringe defence. The power game causing problems for England with two tries, one for Muller Uys and one for Ruan Nortje, narrowing the lead.

England managed to stem the fightback with some stellar work from their star players. Captain Ben Curry and lock Joel Kpoku winning a crucial turnover with South Africa only a metre away from scoring to take the lead. With the ball cleared a monstrous tackle from Fraser Dingwall dislodged the ball, only for it to fall for Jordan Olowofela who scored his third try of the tournament.

However, South Africa continued to dominate with England’s ill-discipline giving the Junior Boks opportunity to attack. South Africa favouring the direct route as, despite England’s best efforts, they scored two further tries to move within one point of England.

Despite England losing a player to the sin-bin, they did enough in the dying moments to hold on to possession as see out the victory and move on to the final of the U20 Championship for a record 6^th year in succession.

England will be delighted to have come through their most challenging fixture in the tournament so far with a victory, although it has highlighted a number of areas that will need to be worked on before Sunday’s final.

While the English backline, as throughout the tournament, looked dangerous with ball in hand, the concerns about the lack of consistency at the set piece will cause worry in the England camp. Another high penalty count will also be a cause of concern, as it handed the Junior Boks a number of chances.

Despite the areas highlighted, England have shown throughout the tournament that they have the power and precision to punish sides with ball in hand, and with the ferocious tackling on display in this fixture, there won’t be any easy yards to make against this side.

The other semi-final saw a controlled victory from U20 Six Nation’s Champions France, who have looked very impressive all tournament, against early Championship favourites New Zealand.

The England-France final will be a repeat of the heated U20’s Six Nations fixture which also took place in Beziers back in March. With England beating the home side 22-6 on that occasion, they will be hoping to repeat those heroics on Sunday to become U20’s Champions for a fourth time.

England seal top seeding with revenge over Scotland

England were convincing 35-10 winners over Scotland in Beziers, as they earned the top seeding spot heading into the U20 Championship semi-finals. With 10 changes made to the starting fifteen that beat Italy at the weekend, England demonstrated their strength in depth, as the competition for starting places heats up. The performance shows the squad are well prepared for when they meet South Africa in their semi-final next week.

England will hope to be returning to the Stade de la Mediterranee
in just over a week to compete in the U20 Championship Final

England’s changes meant there were six players who started the disappointing loss to Scotland in this seasons U20’s Six Nations. The round three loss at Myerside cost the England side both the Six Nations Championship and the Grand Slam. However, England made the most of their opportunities to right the wrongs of that fixture in Beziers.

Despite Scotland controlling territory for large swathes of the opening of the match, the English defence was both impressive in its speed and physicality. England showed they were also clinical with ball in hand, scoring with their first opportunity of the match. First phase ball being shifted wide to Gabriel Ibitoye whose pace and power saw him beat one defender before riding a tackle and dotting the ball down.

Despite giving away a number of early penalties, it was England who crossed the whitewash again. This time the work of a powerful driving maul from the lineout gave hooker Beck Cutting the chance to power over and score.

Ibitoye created England’s next score shortly afterwards. An excellent run down the touchline gave England an excellent attacking platform. With quick ball and swift handling, James Scott found himself with the opportunity to dot down in the corner to extend England’s lead.

Scotland worked themselves back into the game just before half-time. Finding themselves with a man advantage after a yellow card for England full-back James Grayson, Scotland get their opening try of the game. A well weighted kick into the in-goal area is pounced on by Rowe, the conversion bringing the half-time score to 17-10.

England dominated the majority of the second half. After an opening period of pressure, it fell to Ibitoye to pick up his second try of the match. This time his power shone through, after bumping off the first tackler, he carried two Scottish defenders over the try-line for an excellent finish by the corner flag.

There were still points on offer to England, as they picked up two more scores before the final whistle. The first from Joel Kpoku as he used his powerful carrying to finish an England maul which was stopped just short. The final score coming from injury call-up Matt Williams. Some excellent offloading work in the midfield giving Williams a chance out wide to borrow through the Scotland defence to score.

England put together an impressive performance on both sides of the ball. Despite a worryingly high penalty count against England, their defence on the whole was very effective. A quick defensive line and dominating the collisions forced Scottish errors, backrow Ted Hill leading the charge on a number of occasions.

The English coaches will also be pleased with England’s clinical nature will ball in hand. Crossing the whitewash six times, England showed they don’t need much possession to create points, scoring with the first two significant attacking opportunities of the game.

Outside centre Jordan Olowofela stood out yet again this tournament, his ability to make defenders miss and supporting running lines is going to create selections headaches going into the knockout rounds. However, it was Harlequins winger Gabriel Ibitoye who stole the limelight. With two tries of his own, and creating countless opportunities for others, he can create space and opportunity from nothing with his power and pace.

With three victories from three and bonus points in all their matches, it sealed England’s spot at top seeds from the group stages of the U20 Championship. They will face 4^th seed South Africa in their semi-final in Narbonne on Tuesday evening.

England faced South Africa in a warm-up game in Worcester before the squad left for the Championship. While the result may not have gone England’s way, losing 26-12, it will be a much-changed squad that will take to the field in Narbonne. However, it will have give the squad an understanding of the fast and physical game they can expect from the Junior Boks. Expect an exciting contest and both teams will be vying for a place in U20 Championship Final.

England run rampant against Italy to take control of group

England produced some champagne rugby in their 43-5 victory over Italy. With a number of outstanding individual performances, Marcus Smith orchestrated a masterful performance at fly-half, scoring two tries himself, as well as setting up countless opportunities. The performance puts England within a point of sealing a place in the semi-finals in two weeks.

                England opened the scoring within 10 minutes as Tom Willis gave an excellent offload in a tackle to find Smith for the first of his tries of the day. England continued to put pressure on Italy and yet again, further impressive handling from Willis, created another opportunity. With the England backline linking up, it eventually fell into the hands of Tom Parton to get England’s second try.

                 England were back on the scoresheet shortly afterwards. Marcus Smith showed his quality as his quick feet put himself through the Italian defence. An inch perfect pass from the fly-half found Butler out on the wing, before sending winger Ben Loader over for a try.

                As England continued to attack from deep, Italy found themselves on the scoreboard as a handling error proved costly. However, England sealed the bonus point immediately afterwards with Ben Curry winning the ball back from the kick-off. After being spread wide, Ben Loader got his second try of the day.

Despite a slower, more disjointed start to the second half Smith, once again, created the spark England needed. His footwork put himself through a gap in the Italian line and, after spreading the ball wide, Ibitoye got his first try of the tournament.

                With Italy still unable to really threaten it handed Smith his second try. A misplaced pass was gladly scooped up by the fly-half who darted away to score. England’s defensive work continued to fire on all cylinders, keeping Italy pinned back. This time impressive scrum half Rory Brand got himself a try. With a dominant England scrum, Brand wheeled off to the left and dives over in the corner.

                The performance from England was only marred slightly by a late red card for Sam Lewis, as he caught an Italian player with an elbow to the head while defending. As the game broke up further towards the end of the game, England saw out a 43-5 victory.

                As well as Marcus Smith’s commanding performance, Willis & Curry demonstrated the quality England have in the backrow. Willis offered excellent ball handling skills, creating two tries himself. Curry continued his form from the Argentina game, as he led well and continued to cause problems at the breakdown.

                Despite a much improved set-piece against a ferocious Italian pack, it was the English backline which lit up the game. Brand & Smith proved an excellent combination to provide quick ball, with Loader finishing his opportunities well.

                England will be delighted with such an empathic victory as they take control of the group. While they are likely to face far stiffer competition in this tournament, they showed how dangerous they can be with ball in hand. They may need to show a more disciplined approach in the future, as the early stages of the second half could have given Italy a way back into the game. They will now face Scotland next week as they seek to put right the loss in this year’s Six Nations which cost them the title.

England on top in bruising opening encounter

England emerged as 39-18 victors in their opening game of the U20 Championship in Narbonne. With the bonus point secured just after half-time, England will be delighted with their impressive performance against a competitive Argentina side. They will now hope to build on this performance as they prepare to face Italy at the weekend.

A warm afternoon in Narbonne as England begin
their U20 Championship campaign

               In a slightly nervous opening, England’s misfiring set-piece and handling errors looked reminiscent of a disappointing performance against the Junior Boks three weeks ago. After falling behind, England regained their composure and took control of the match. Their opening score came from Leicester winger Jordan Olowofela, dotting the ball down after some hard yards from the forwards.

                England, now growing into the game, had their second score shortly after. Hooker Henry Walker, finding his man at the lineout 5m out before joining the back of a driving maul and finishing off the try. Argentina retook the lead with some strong carrying despite valiant English defence.

It was England, however, who ended the half in the lead with a try epitomising the style of play England require. Captain Ben Curry, demonstrated his excellent skill at the breakdown, as well as his physical defensive effort, to earn England a penalty. With the forwards creating quick ball it gave England opportunity to unleash their backline, this time Fraser Dingwall linked up well with Jordan Olowofela, who crossed for his second try of the day.

England came firing out of the blocks in the second half. An excellent running line from Josh Basham, who carried well throughout, earned England a long-range penalty, which Tom Hardwick converted.

England further extended their lead shortly afterwards with their bonus point try. With Argentina pinned deep inside their territory, a well-executed lineout gave England excellent field position. This time Ben Curry showed his deft touch, as a neat ball to Henry Walker, running a good supporting line, found him through a hole and under the posts; the Gloucester hooker picking up his second score of the day.

The pace of the game began to slow down as replacements were made and the physical nature of the contest began to take its toll on the sides. An exchange of penalties kept England well in front, with Argentina unable to threaten a well drilled England side.

The final score of the game came a few minutes from time. This time the English backline keen to show its prowess. A quick lineout just inside the England half found the star man Olowofela once again, as he danced past would-be tacklers. The excellent run stopped just inside the Argentine 22m, but an offload found replacement fly-half Marcus Smith on his shoulder, who crossed for his first try for England.

A convincing victory for England will delight Steve Bates and the coaching staff. Despite Argentina’s physical game, and some early jitters, England controlled the vast majority of the game. A professional and composed performance will put to rest any doubt following a slightly disappointing Six Nations campaign.

The England side looked like a well drilled unit, with forwards looking both strong defensively and adept with ball in hand, Ben Curry & Josh Basham the pick of the crop. The backline looks like it could well live up to the high expectations it has been set. Despite losing Ali Crossdale early, Jordan Olowofela is likely to create a selection headache with his excellent performance as he competes with Gabriel Ibitoye and Ben Loader.

England will now begin preparations for Sunday’s fixture against Italy in Perpignan. The Italian side will prove no pushovers, as they beat Scotland in their opening game with a last-minute try. England will need to continue the form they found in their opening fixture and will be hoping to set their sights on a high seeding for the semi-finals in two weeks’ time.

England U20: Ones to Watch

England have named a strong squad for this seasons U20 Championship in France, with talent and experience, they will be one of the favourites going into the tournament. While the squad rotation rules will ensure that everyone tastes competitive action, England will hope several key names will propel them into the final once again. Here are five names to watch out for;

Ben Curry, flanker (Sale Sharks)

                The flanker has been in and out of the England set-up, last appearing in the 2017 U20 Six Nations. However, he has excelled at Sale, laying claim to no less than 24 starting appearances over this season alone, crossing the whitewash eight times. While he offers outstanding defensive work and ball carrying, it is his breakdown work which sees him stand out. In a time when loose forwards have been unable to make the same impact as in years gone by, Ben has found a way. With his ability and experience he is likely to be a key leader for this England squad.

Gabriel Ibitoye, winger (Harlequins)

                While he may not have exploded onto the club scene in the same way, Ibitoye is well versed in the England shirt. He started all five games in the previous U20 Championship, and is one of only six players in the squad that took part in last year’s final. With explosive pace and power to match, Ibitoye has proven himself a handful for opposition defences. If England can utilise their backline, he will undoubtably create opportunities, as well as having the ability to finish them.

Joel Kpoku, lock (Saracens)

                As a late addition to the fold, Kpoku made his England age group debut just a few weeks ago against the Junior Boks. With Dino Lamb ruled out of the tournament through injury, Kpoku is a more than adequate replacement. He has had an outstanding season playing for Saracens Storm and caught the eye of head coach Steve Bates and is the next lock on the outstanding production line that crafted Maro Itoje & now Nick Isiekwe. Kpoku is following a similar mould to the locks before him, with an abrasive and clinical play style, expect to hear him leading from the frontline.

Ben Loader, winger (London Irish)

                Ben Loader has ended the season in great form and may be peaking at just the right moment for the U20 Championship. The winger scored a try as he made his Premiership debut against Bath on the final day of the season. He then crossed the whitewash again against the Junior Boks for England, showing his powerful running as he bumped off the would-be tacklers. Loader may have been flying under the radar until now, but his recent performances are likely to mark him out as a dangerous talent. Linking him up with the experienced campaigners like Will Butler & clubmate Tom Parton, is just what he needs to finish off his exciting season.

Marcus Smith, fly-half (Harlequins)

                It is hard to imagine anyone predicting the season this 19-year-old has had. 29 appearances for Harlequins amassing over 1,900 minutes played and 208 points, the Premiership Young Player of the Season award, and time as an England senior squad apprentice player. Marcus Smith has exploded into English rugby and now has the chance to shine at age-group rugby. Despite his age, he has shown composure, maturity, excellent game management, precise distribution and quality kicking. If England can get as much out of him as his club side have, he is more than capable of being England’s star man, unlocking their dangerous backline, controlling matches and winning games.  

                With the quality available in England’s squad, is it hard to see them not progressing to the latter stages of this years U20 Championship. This group will have been frustrated to have let a Grand Slam slip through their fingers against Scotland in this years Six Nations, and there are a number of players that will remember the agony of such a heavy defeat to New Zealand in last year’s final. But, as is clear from the squad announced, England will be aiming for nothing short of a fourth U20 Championship title come the final day in Beziers.