Chiefs youngsters in England Under-18s squad

Exeter Chiefs Academy players Nick Lilley and Josh Mann have been named in the England U18s squad to face France next weekend.

England U18 Men’s head coach Jonathan Pendlebury and assistant coach Will Parkin have selected a 24-player squad to travel to Chalon-sur-Saône to play France on Saturday 9 March.

The fixture is set to take place at Rugby Tango Chalonnais, kicking-off at 17:00 CET and is a capped fixture at U18 age-grade level.

Fifteen new previously-uncapped players are introduced into Pendlebury and Parkin’s touring party to the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France. The squad boasts players from nine Premiership Rugby academies, as well as the RFU-centralised Midlands West and Midlands Central academies.

Tayo Adegbemile, Jack Bracken, Ollie Davies, Charlie Griffin, Angus Hall, Nick Lilley, Solomon Shand, Connor Treacey and Toby Wilson make up the previously-capped contingent, all of whom represented their country in last summer’s U18 International Series.

The group also possesses 2023/24 Premiership Rugby U18 Academy League victors Connor Treacey (back-row) and James Linegar (fly-half) of Bath Rugby, the former of which captaining the side to a novel title lift.