Nathan Michelow to captain England Under 20's v Bath

Nathan Michelow has been awarded the captaincy for the friendly match in Bristol and will lead the 26-man travelling party onto the pitch of the National 2 West club.

Mark Mapletoft and Andy Titterrell have selected their first England U20 Men’s matchday squad of the 2023/24 season as their side prepares for the challenge of Bath Rugby this Saturday (6 January, 2pm kick-off).

In preparation for the upcoming 2024 U20 Six Nations, the U20 Men encounter an academy-focused Bath outfit led by head academy coach Andy Robinson at the home of Dings Crusaders, Shaftesbury Park.

Michelow, who played in all five 2023 U20 World Championship fixtures last summer, is complemented with eight more capped U20 players in the makeup of the team.

Olamide Sodeke, also a Saracen will start in the second-r0w.

England U20 Men’s head coach Mark Mapletoft said: “It’s been a real pleasure to bring this new cohort together over the last week, the boys have showcased a real intent on proving themselves in a game capacity for the first time.

“Our training regime has reflected the intensity we want to arrive with in Saturday’s game with Bath. We know Bath’s capabilities in producing some of the country’s best talent, so this weekend’s meeting is a suitable one for our boys.

“Myself, Andy and the rest of the coaching staff expect a really competitive 80 minutes at Shaftesbury Park. The boys are aware that the U20 Six Nations awaits in a few weeks, but our focus remains on attaining a positive performance on Saturday afternoon.”