Giant Norfolk teenager Callum Green will be heading for Argentina next month after being selected in a 26-man England Under-20 squad for the IRB Junior world championships.
Giant Norfolk teenager Callum Green will be heading for Argentina next month after being selected in a 26-man England Under-20 squad for the IRB Junior world championships.
The 6ft 5in Norwich-born lock, who is 19, has been making waves this season at Leicester Tigers, where he is following in the footsteps of another rising star from Norfolk, scrum-half Ben Youngs. Youngs made his international mark in the last junior World Cup, where England were losing finalists behind New Zealand for the second successive tournament, and went on to make his full England bow in this years RBS Six Nations.
England, who will be coached by Mark Mapletoft, face the host nation, Ireland and France in the pool stage. Mapletoft's men finished second on points difference in the Under-20 RBS Six Nations behind the Irish. But they signed off in style with a record points haul in the 47-33 in France.
'The way we finished the Six Nations with some of our attacking play makes it hard not to be enthused,' said Mapletoft. 'The forwards performed consistently well so that part of the selection was fairly straightforward. The backs were a little more complicated after guys came in from outside the squad and did well.'
Second seeds England will be based in Rosario for their pool games, starting against Argentina on June 5 before facing Ireland on June 9 and France on June 13. The semi-final and final take place on June 17 and 20 respectively.
t Norwich RFC's senior side may face relegation from London Two North-East, but their second and third teams are celebrating promotion and their fourths are about to step up to league rugby. The Lions and the A XV were crowned champions of Norfolk Merit Leagues one and three respectively.
Coach Andy Warnes said: 'We are already setting plans for even more challenging fixtures for both teams next season coupled with the registering of a fourth XV into the league structure. It furthers our commitment to providing residents of Norwich with good quality, well supported and inclusive rugby on their doorstep.'
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