Five forced changes for the Hosts

The hosts were forced to make the changes following an injury to Theo Brophy Clews in their opening match against Italy. Brophy Clews will no longer take part in the tournament and has been replaced by Max Wright in the squad.

As a results of the injury, England coach Martin Haag had to make an additional technical change moving Harry Mallinder from inside centre to flyhalf.

Commenting on the lost of Brophy Clews coach Haag stated: "It’s hugely disappointing for Theo [Brophy Clews] to be ruled out of the tournament at this stage.

"He’s a very talented young player and has showed great leadership both on and off the field.  We wish him well with his recovery, he has a bright future ahead of him and he will have the opportunity to be part of the programme next year," he added.

Jack Walker returns to captain replacing hooker Jack Singleton. The skipper was on the bench for England U20 opening match and Haag says he will relish leading the country out on Saturday.

While winger Matt Gallagher and flanker Will Evans both come into the side and make their debuts for England at U20 level, Haag acknowledge it will be a special day for the two debutants.

The debutant Evans is join by fellow flanker Stan South, while Johnny Williams comes into the squad as inside centre for the match against Scotland.  

"To lead the side out in a home tournament is fantastic for Jack and I’m sure it will be a proud moment for him." Haag said.

"Matt and Will deserve their first opportunity at U20 level. They’ve looked very good in training and we want to share the workload as it’s a tough tournament, so we have made a couple of changes. Giving guys experience at this level is vital for their development and I’m excited to see them play," he added.

The coach feels really confident in his side preparation and fancy their chances against Scotland, who themselves secured a narrow win against Australia 15-10.

"Training has been good, and we continue to build and improve each week, so I’m delighted with how we are developing as a squad. It’s a short turnaround between games, we have recovered well and when we have trained it’s been at a high intensity. The attitude and way the boys approach training has been spot on, we need to transfer that onto the field of play.

"We’ve picked a strong side, making some changes but largely keeping a lot of the same combinations.

"We are confident we’ve picked a team that can go out and win against Scotland," he added.

England were beaten by Scotland in the Six Nations championship earlier this year, but Haag says that result will have no impact on Saturday’s match between the two sides.

"We want to improve on certain aspects, we dropped a few balls and made a couple of errors against Italy so we want to see more accuracy and precision against Scotland," said Haag.

"We will keep working hard to ensure we continue to grow and develop as a squad, while also making sure the players are getting the opportunity to enjoy playing in a home World Championship. We’ve trained well, prepared well and are in a good place,"

Over 5000 supporters are expected at Manchester City Academy Stadium on Saturday and Haag hopes home support can help spur his side onto victory.

"That home support is hugely important and it’s crucial for us to start well and get the crowd on their feet.

"To play at a packed stadium in our home tournament will be added motivation for the players. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, it’s up to them to make the most of it. We need to perform and play with calmness and composure," Haag said.

England Under-20: 15 Darren Atkins, 14 Sam Aspland-Robinson, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Matt Gallagher, 10 Harry Mallinder, 9 Max Green, 8 Callum Chick, 7 Will Evans, 6 George Nott, 5 Huw Taylor, 4 Stan South, 3 Billy Walker, 2 Jack Walker (captain), 1 Tom West.

Replacements: 16 Jack Singleton, 17 Lewis Boyce, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Andrew Kitchener, 20 Zach Mercer, 21 Harry Randall, 22 Max Malins, 23 Ollie Thorley.

Date: Saturday, June 11

Venue: Manchester City Academy Stadium, Manchester

Kick-off: 18.00 (17.00 GMT)

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)

Assistant referees: Elia Rizzo (Italy), Paul Dix (England)

TMO: Jon Mason (Wales)

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