England Men A squad announced for Australia A clash

England Men A have announced a 24-player wider squad in anticipation of their upcoming clash with Australia A on 17th November at Twickenham Stoop.

The squad includes seven players with prior senior international experience, including Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers), Fraser Dingwall, Curtis Langdon, and Tom Pearson (all Northampton Saints); Ted Hill (Bath Rugby); Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks); and Tom Willis (Saracens). Fraser Dingwall, Northampton Saints centre and two-cap senior international, will serve as team captain for the second England A fixture since the program’s revival.

Rising stars and recent age-grade champions are also featured, with World Rugby U20 Championship winners Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester Rugby), Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints), and Vilikesa Sela (Bath Rugby) joining the squad, along with 2024 U20 Six Nations champion Archie McParland (Northampton Saints). Impressively, 23 of the 24 selected players have already been capped at age-grade levels within the England Rugby Men’s Pathway.

The selection and composition of this wider squad, including the matchday 23, is a collaborative effort involving England Men A head coach Mark Mapletoft, senior men’s head coach Steve Borthwick, and RFU Executive Director of Performance Rugby Conor O’Shea.

Mapletoft, a former Men A and senior men’s international, leads the coaching lineup for November alongside U20 Men assistant coach Andy Titterrell and scrum coach Nathan Catt.

Supporting the team as attack and defense coaches are Bath Rugby’s Lee Blackett and Exeter Chiefs’ Haydn Thomas, both of whom played integral roles in recent U20 Men’s achievements, including a Six Nations and World Rugby U20 Championship double.

The squad will assemble on Tuesday, November 12, at the Hazelwood Centre to begin final preparations for the Australia A match. Selected players from the senior squad will also join the camp as part of a strategic player development and performance pathway. Premier Sports 1 will broadcast the game live, with coverage beginning at 13:45 GMT.

“The coaching staff and I are incredibly excited to reveal this squad after extensive collaborative work and are looking forward to working with some familiar and new faces alike," said Mark Mapletoft.

“Next week presents a platform for a selection of some of the best Premiership talent to express themselves further whilst representing their country, some of those being U20 players me and the pathway staff have worked with very recently. It bridges from the pathway and into senior contention through vital gametime in an England jersey.

“An England A matchweek is a short turnaround; the key for us is to instill a chemistry through extensive preparation, knowledge sharing and a diligent team culture ahead of a very competitive opportunity in front of an energetic home support.”

England Men A wider squad to face Australia A:

Forwards: Joe Batley, Afolabi Fasogbon, Greg Fisilau, Joe Heyes, Ted Hill, Emmanuel Iyogun, Nathan Jibulu, Curtis Langdon, Gabriel Oghre, Tom Pearson, Henry Pollock, Vilikesa Sela, Tom Willis

Backs: Charlie Atkinson, Oscar Beard, Joe Carpenter, Fraser Dingwall (c), Gabriel Ibitoye, Archie McParland, Cadan Murley, Max Ojomoh, Will Porter, Tom Roebuck, Jamie Shillcock