England U20 change 4 for Wales

 

Northampton flyer Howard Packman and lock Kieran Treadwell come into the side as Sebastian Adeniran-Olule and Sam Skinner, scorer of England’s eighth try against Japan, also earn their first starts of the tournament. 

 

Josh Bainbridge is a new face on the bench, having last featured for England against Wales in the opening game of the Six Nations when the reds claimed a 21-12 victory.

 

Head coach Jon Callard said: "Wales played very well that day. We weren't on our game and they forced a lot of errors. 

 

"We learned a huge amount from that experience and have since progressed from strength to strength. 

 

Wales, however, will also have developed throughout the Six Nations so we know that tomorrow will be a tough fixture."

 

The game takes on extra significance for Wales after their 10-19 loss to France in the pool.

 

"A team always hurts after a defeat," Callard added. "In this competition every game matters because of the format, but for us it is about staying composed and keeping to our processes.

 

"Howard Packman and Kieran Treadwell add further experience to the side and were stalwarts of the Six Nations. 

 

"We have a full squad to pick from, everyone is fit and raring to go, so we need to manage and rotate players in what is a long and demanding campaign. 

 

"We are fortunate to have an excellent management team – the medical staff and our Strength and Conditioning Coach Neil Taylor have done an excellent job getting the players into top physical condition and enabling them to acclimatise and cope with the heat. 

 

"We had a fantastic training session on Thursday and are looking forward to turning the hard work into a positive performance tomorrow."

 

England: 15 Aaron Morris, 14 George Perkins, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Max Clark, 11 Howard Packman, 10 Rory Jennings, 9 Stuart Townsend, 8 Sam Skinner, 7 Will Owen, 6 Lewis Ludlam, 5 Charlie Ewels (captain), 4 Kieran Treadwell, 3 Paul Hill, 2 Jack Walker, 1 Sebastian Adeniran-Olule.

Replacements: 16 Jack Innard, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Ciaran Parker, 19 Will Witty, 20 Josh Bainbridge, 21 James Mitchell, 22 Lloyd Evans, 23 Piers O’Conor.

 

Date: Saturday, June 6

Venue: Stadio San Michele, Calvisano

Kick-off: 20.30 (18.30 GMT)

Referee: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

Assistant referees: Gary Conway (Ireland), Filippo Bertelli (Italy)