Josh basham eng u18s 6n17 proof

Six Nations Championship 2017 England U18s

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England U18 name team to face Canada 07 April 2017, England U18 face Canada Opening game of International Series England Under 18 have named their team for the opening game of the U18 International Series against Canada U19 on Saturday (2:30pm KO).

Exeter Chiefs flanker Richard Capstick is set to make his England U18 debut in the match taking place at Taffs Well RFC. “This competition is a fantastic opportunity for the players to develop both as a team and individually,” said England U18 head coach John Fletcher.

“We have picked a strong squad and as a group we will aim to get better game on game.

“It’s not often we have the chance to spend a prolonged period of time with the players so as a coaching team we really looking forward to the time together in Swansea.

“Each opposition will provide a different challenge for us and I’m excited to see how we perform.”

The fixture is the first of three matches for England in the U18 International Series with additional games against Ireland U18 on Wednesday 12 April (5:15pm KO) and Scotland U18 on Sunday 16 April (2:30pm KO).

08 April 2017, 15:58 • England U18 score nine tries • England next face Ireland

England Under 18 scored nine tries in an impressive display to get the U18 International Series off to a winning start with a 55-11 victory over Canada U19 at Taffs Well RFC. Oli Morris, Nic Dolly, Cameron Kelemeti, Marcus Smith and Andy Christie all scored in an open first half as England gave themselves a 29-11 lead at the break.

Sale Sharks’ Dolly added his second early in the second half

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before substitutes Cameron Redpath (2) and Ollie Fox added further tries to hand John Fletcher’s side the comfortable victory.

England will be hoping to make it two wins in two matches when they face Ireland U18 at Parc y Scarlets on Wednesday 12 April (5:15pm KO).

Free-flowing rugby The conditions in South Wales were perfect for free-flowing rugby and England made a fast start.

Sale Sharks’ Arron Reed showed quick feet to allow Morris, younger brother of England U20 centre Dominic, to open the scoring in the corner after just two minutes.

Hooker Dolly then finished off a brilliant solo run from captain Smith before lively scrum-half Kelemeti found a hole in the Canada defence to give England their third try with less than 20 minutes on the clock.

Despite Canada centre Elias Ergas showing his pace for their first score mid-way through the half, Smith and Saracens number 8 Christie both showed their quality to touch down and give England a 29-11 lead at the break.

Brace for Redpath Early possession for England in the second half soon told on the scoreboard when Dolly went over under the posts and it was a half which saw Fletcher’s side restrict Canada from adding to their tally.

Sale Sharks’ Redpath, son of former international Bryan, continued his impressive form this season with two of England’s four tries in the second half while Fox’s score straight after the restart was arguably the most impressive of the afternoon.

A massive honour “I’ve played against these boys quite a lot this season in the club academy league so to get the opportunity to captain the team is a massive honour,” said England fly-half Marcus Smith.

“Canada were a very physical opposition for us today and I thought we responded well to that, scoring some nice tries in the process.

“We’ll enjoy the win however it is important we look out how we can improve in our next game against Ireland on Wednesday.”

England U18 name side to face Ireland 11 April 2017, 16:01 • England won opening International Series fixture • Under 18s have made nine changes England have made nine changes to the starting line-up for their second match of the U18 International Series against Ireland U18 at Parc y Scarlets on Wednesday (5:15pm KO).

John Fletcher’s side crossed the line nine times in their comfortable 55-11 victory over Canada U19 in their opening game on Saturday.

Among the changes, Cameron Redpath starts at full-back after coming off the bench against Canada to score two second-half tries and Leicester Tigers’ Tom Hardwick earns a start at inside centre.

“We were pleased with our performance at the weekend and our focus is now on how we can improve against Ireland,” said England U18 coach Russell Earnshaw.

“We know that Ireland will be at their best against us so it will be a fantastic experience for this group of players.”

Ireland began their U18 International Series campaign with a 39-23 win over Italy at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park.

16 April 2017

England finished the U18 International Series unbeaten after they secured a seven-try 45-24 victory over Scotland at

the Centre for Sporting Excellence, Ystrad Mynach on Sunday.

England fought back from 14-5 down in the first half with tries from Arron Reed, Joe Heyes and Andy Christie handing John Fletcher’s side a 19-14 lead at the break.

Scotland levelled the scores early in the second half however tries from substitutes Sam Grahamslaw, Marcus Street, Cameron Redpath and Oli Morris gave England their third successive win.

Earlier in the Series, England defeated Ireland U18 39-20 and they secured a 55-11 win over Canada U19 in their opening game.

Hard-fought first half In a hard-fought first half, Yorkshire Carnegie scrum-half Ollie Fox came close to opening the scoring with a last ditch tackle preventing a certain try under the posts.

However, it did not take much longer for England to open the scoring with Sale Sharks’ Reed going over in the corner to hold a 5-0 lead.

Scotland produced a strong response to falling behind - Rory McMichael gathered a high ball for their first try before fly-half Ross Thompson crossed after breaking the England defence.

However England were not deterred by the nine point deficit, and they quickly hit back.

Both Heyes and Christie showed impressive strength and power to bundle over the try line to take the first half lead.

England show their quality Scotland equalled the scores early after the break but it was a second half which saw England really show their quality.

Prop forwards Grahamslaw and Street showed their power from short range to regain the lead for England before Redpath and Morris picked holes in the Scotland defence to extend the margin.”I thought some of the rugby on show today was outstanding and we created a number of opportunities.”

Roan Frostwick scored a consolation for Scotland late in the game however it was England who finished comfortable winners.

England Under 18 Head Coach Fletcher praised his side following the game, adding that both sides contributed to a fine game.

“I thought some of the rugby on show today was outstanding and we created a number of opportunities,” said Fletcher.

“It was an exciting game and I have to say fair play to Scotland as well who I thought played really well.

“The U18 International Series has gone well for us and it’s important we continue to expose these players to different environments and oppositions. There are lots of positives moving forward and we are really excited by this group of players coming through the pathway.”

Tries: Reed, Heyes, Christie, Grahamslaw, Street, Redpath, Morris. Conversions: Smith (5)

Josh BASHAM

Profile Since first handling an oval ball when he was five at Windsor RFC, Josh Basham’s playing days have moved on apace. Born in Wexham, Buckinghamshire, he joined the London Irish Academy at the age of 15, captained the U18 team, along with Wellington College and has also been with Tanglin RFC in Singapore. He won the Daily Mail Trophy in three consecutive years with his school and helped the Irish to lift the Academy League title last year.

Before breaking into the England U18 squad and making his debut in the 43-14 win over France at Aylesbury in March, he had represented his country at U16 and U17 level in the past two years. Steve Shortland has been Josh’s school coach since he was 15 and his favourite players while growing up were Lawrence Dallaglio and Josh Lewsey. He said: “I liked how he had the same name as me.

“My dad Mark first got me into rugby and used to persuade me to go every Sunday morning, which wasn’t an easy task. Nikki, my mum, drove me selflessly around the country. My proudest moments include the first time I sang the national anthem on the pitch at an England match. Injuring both ankles in my U17 year was a setback because the rehab took a long time.”

Table tennis, basketball and football are the other sports Josh plays and he supports Chelsea. Ben Loader, also of London Irish, is his best rugby-playing friend while his top music is J. Cole, an American hip hop artist, plus current and classic stuff.

He enjoys eating chicken pie while watching Suits, Game of Thrones and Peaky Blinders.

U18 International Record 2017 F(R), S, W, C(R), I, S

The England Under 18s team to play France U18 in their opening game of the season on Sunday 5 March at Aylesbury Rugby Football Club has been named.

With three fixtures over the coming month, ahead of the International Series, a wider 38-man England U18 squad has also been named offering opportunities for a number of players to compete at this level and build on the four training camps that have taken place.

“Our job is to support the players to reach their potential and this match is an exciting opportunity for them,” said England Under 18 Head Coach John Fletcher.

“The French team are unpredictable and physical so players will have to adapt throughout the game to compete.

“We have picked an exciting wider squad who will show good attacking intent and I’m looking forward to seeing how they perform over the next six fixtures. Across these matches we will select different combinations of players allowing everyone in the squad a good opportunity to play.”

The match, kicking off at 2:00pm, is taking place on Aylesbury’s new floodlit artificial grass pitch (AGP) and will be streamed live on EnglandRugby.com and on Facebook Live via the official England Rugby page (https://www.facebook.com/OfficialEnglandRugby).

England U18s second fixture this season will see them face Scotland U18 at Preston Grasshoppers RFC on Sunday 12 March and this match will also be streamed live on the England Rugby website.

Full details of England U18s upcoming fixtures are below.

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England U18:

Kieran Wilkinson (Sale Sharks, Kirkham Grammar School), Arron Reed (Sale Sharks, Kirkham Grammar School), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, Bedford School), Tom Hardwick (Leicester Tigers, Rugby School), Tom Seabrook (Gloucester Rugby, Dean Close), Marcus Smith (Harlequins, Brighton College), Ollie Fox (Yorkshire Carnegie, New College Pontefract), James Kenny (Exeter Chiefs, Exeter College), Nic Dolly (Sale Sharks), Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, Wyggeston & QEI College), James Dun (Bristol Rugby, Millfield School), James Scott (Worcester Warriors, Malvern College), Richard Capstick (Exeter Chiefs, Exeter College), Aaron Hinkley (Gloucester Rugby, St Peters), Andy Christie (Saracens, Harrow School), Will Capon (Bristol Rugby, Bristol Grammar School), George Head (Harlequins, Tonbridge School), Sam Grahamslaw (Leicester Tigers, Wyggeston & QEI College), Marcus Street (Exeter Chiefs, Exeter College), Josh Basham (London Irish, Wellington College), Cameron Kelemeti (Newcastle Falcons, Durham School), Oli Morris (Saracens, New Hall School), Cameron Redpath (Sale Sharks, Sedbergh School), Cadan Murley (Harlequins, Bishop Wordsworth’s Grammar School)

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