Rugby stars of the future to represent England

England Students Head Coach Darren Fearn has included five Exeter players in his 23-strong squad to face France Universities at Coventry Rugby Club on Saturday 4 May.

England Students, a representative team of players drawn from universities across England, are looking to secure their third consecutive victory in this annual fixture that marks the end of the university rugby season.

Tickets are available here and the match will be available to watch on the England Rugby YouTube channel.

England Students secured a thrilling 25-21 victory over France Universities when the sides last met on Saturday 6 May 2023, marking the side's first win on French soil in 17 years.

The fixture serves as an exciting opportunity for some of the brightest young talent, drawn from ten different universities, to perform on a representative stage.

Among those who have represented England Students in recent years are former Exeter Chiefs tighthead prop Harry Williams (now with Montpellier) as well as England Rugby greats such as GB 7s captain Tom Mitchell, and Rugby World Cup winners Josh Lewsey, Will Greenwood and Lawrence Dallaglio.

As the second biggest university sport, this year has been another outstanding one for university rugby union, with approximately 12,000 students regularly participating in rugby activity across BUCS leagues and other programmes.

In BUCS Super Rugby, the University of Exeter took the league by storm, winning 16 out of 18 matches, and scoring 107 league tries.

Five of the selected England Students squad are drawn from Exeter’s league winners.

Darren Fearn, England Students Head Coach, said: “Coventry is a great club with a rich history; we’re hoping to get a big crowd down on the 4th May to support the England Students side versus French Students.

"It’s always a really exciting test match and a great spectacle. I'm sure there’s going to be a lot of future Premiership, Championship and Top 14 players on show, as there has been for the last numerous years.”

The Exeter players in the England Students squad to face France Universities are: Charlie McCaig, Jack Forsythe, Joshua MacAndrew, Lucas Dorrell and Tom Gulley.

The squad will come together to train at RAF Cosford, Albrighton, led by Head Coach Darren Fearn, Newcastle University’s Director of Rugby, alongside Gareth Nesbit and Mark Matzopoulous as Assistant Coaches, and Andrew Kennedy as Team Manager.

The squad will then move to Warwick Conferences at the University of Warwick ahead of the clash.