Mark Mapletoft has named the England U19 Men’s matchday squad to face Wales at the Centre for Sporting Excellence, Ystrad Mynach, this Friday afternoon (15:00 GMT kick-off). Six Bath Rugby Academy players and Academy Scholars will pull on their respective nations' jerseys Being played at the Centre for Spring Excellence in Ystrad Mynach this Friday, the Academy group will get a taste of international rugby in the age-grade clash. Pulling on the jersey for England, former Bath Rugby U18 captain and Bath Rugby Academy Scholar, Rory McKnight, will start in the second row. Isaac Mears also lines up for England on the bench, who too joined Bath Rugby from the U18 Academy set-up. Running out for Wales, Bath Rugby Academy's Oscar Thomas and Alex Ridgway start in the forwards pack, who Taking their place on the bench, Evan Gallagher and Jack Harrison also feature in the Wales set-up. Mapletoft, Head of England Men’s Player Pathway, is supported by U20 Men’s coaches Andy Titterrell and Kevin Sorrell, as well as U18 Men’s coaches Jonathan Pendlebury and Will Parkin and pathway scrum coach, and former Bath Rugby player, Nathan Catt.   The U19 Men’s side serves as an avenue for England Rugby pathway players to develop their skillsets with meaningful gametime on the international circuit, with fixtures also giving valuable minutes to players then eligible for selection in the forthcoming World Rugby U20 Championship.   Mark Mapletoft said: “This fixture is an important early touchpoint in our pathway campaign, with 13 U20 Elite Player Squad members involved. “Fixtures like this help to bridge the gap between the U18 and U20 pathway teams and gives the opportunity for our squad members to rub shoulders with a wider pool of players from the England pathway system. It will also give our coaches from the U18 and U20 setups the chance to work together, share ideas and enhance the progression of our players. “Any team that travels to Wales expects a tough test, and this will be no different. We look forward to picking up some important learnings from the camp as a whole.”    #### **England U19 Men’s side to face Wales *(includes current club/university and community club)*** 1 Alan Poku (Saracens, Ealing Trailfinders)
2 Kealan Freeman-Price (Gloucester Rugby, Drybrook RFC)
3 Harry Wright (Gloucester Rugby, Alcester)
4 Elliot Williams (c) (Harlequins)
**5 Rory McKnight (Bath Rugby, Chobham RFC)**
6 Charlie Bray (Sale Sharks, Preston Grasshoppers RFC)
7 Tate Williams (Harlequins, East Grinstead RFC)
8 George Marsh (Leicester Tigers, Holt RFC)
9 Asa Stewart-Harris (Saracens, Old Albanians)
10 Oscar Talbot (Leicester Tigers, Barkers Butts RFC)
11 Charlie Lawson (Leeds Beckett University, Hughton RFC)
12 Ollie Batson (Exeter Chiefs, Exmouth RFC)
13 Victor Worsnip (Bristol Bears, Bank of England RFC)
14 Krystof Wood (Gloucester Rugby, Bromsgrove Rugby Club)
15 James Pater (Northampton Saints, Shelford RFC) #### **Replacements** 16 Jerold Gorleku (Harlequins, Twickenham RFC)
17 Oliver Spencer (Sale Sharks, Harrogate RUFC)
18 Diamond Ayiehfor (Leicester Tigers, Old Coventrians RFC)
19 Freddie Ogden-Metherell (Gloucester Rugby, Lydney RFC)
20 Matthew Bowler (Bristol Bears, Old Albanians RFC)
21 Isaac Mears (Bath Rugby, Bath RFC)
22 Henry Lumley (Northampton Saints, Bury St. Edmunds)
23 Charlie Tamani (Northampton Saints, Bury St. Edmunds)
24 Ajay Edwards (Newcastle Red Bulls, Peterlee and Horden Rugby Club and Durham City)

Tickets to see England U19 Men face France at Castle Park, Doncaster next April are available [here](https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Flinks.emails.rfumail.com%2Fels%2Fv2%2FbLL0T-LAA0Ja%2FNzBPblBiTEYyZU5kRFU0T2M3ZTJEZDdNeTh2VjVwbDg3a1drajZRZ2JTbURLQnhVaUtXb1o5dDVFVk5qVTJ3Y2tNdDEyVWlDeGU4ZUxXL1c1Wnp1WjZqQXFkTXBuNXkrSUFxTTZwdExNS2ZyWmxNbWdIbXdadz09S0%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cflorence.fallon%40bathrugby.com%7Cf98fad3dfaaf4752496708de3d73acc8%7C2886b728cc67452f95d6a25c419637f6%7C1%7C1%7C639015764204735649%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C80000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=JIqA%2BAvqFGSTx%2BnAcCXvRT76w9YZbYEYQfdnRY45Wc4%3D&reserved=0). Further information on future U19 Men’s fixtures will be communicated in due course.
Wales U19 Men vs. England U19 Men – Friday 19th December 2025, 15:00 GMT KO – Ystrad Mynach
England U19 Men vs. France U19 Men – Saturday 4th April 2026, 14:00 BST KO – Castle Park, Doncaster

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