Two Harlequins youngsters have been named in the England U20 squad for the IRB Junior World Championship in Auckland in June.
James Chisholm and Harry Sloan will be part of the England squad hoping to defend the title they won last June in France.
England kick off their campaign on June 2 against Italy at the ECOLight Stadium in Pukekohe before facing Australia on June 6 at Auckland's QBE Stadium, then take on Argentina on June 10, again at the QBE Stadium.
Head Coach Nick Walshe said: “We’re pleased with the balance and experience in this squad, and we are confident that they will perform well in each of our five matches. While England U20 are the holders of the trophy, this group hasn’t won anything – we enjoyed a successful Six Nations, and while it was disappointing not to win it, as a group we came on hugely. The key is to keep building on that momentum.”
Meanwhile, another Harlequins youngster, Gabriel Ibitoye scored one of three tries as England U16s edged past Wales U16s 24-22 on Saturday.
The Trinity School pupil showed a moment of individual brilliance, with some electric running and footwork giving England their only try of the second half.
The win followed on from England's 32-22 victory over Scotland on the final day of the BMW Wellington International Festival last Saturday.
Head coach Steve Shortland said: “I am pleased for the boys because they have worked incredibly hard. Obviously we are delighted with the outcome, but this programme is about development not results. Over the last week we have encouraged the boys to focus on getting the processes right, knowing that the score would then take care of itself.
“We struggled to get momentum and phase play in the first half. At the break we talked about the need to get the forwards into slightly wider channels and to create the space for our dominant runners to get the ball in hand. Our tries were scored by individual flare at crucial moments and got us out of jail.
“Full credit to Wales for the way they played today. It must have been tough on them going in two points down at half time. The game was very close and could have gone either way. It was a great challenge for both teams."
