England A have named their wider 25-man squad for their upcoming clash against Ireland A, with capped quarter Jack van Poortvliet, Curtis Langdon, Ollie Hassell-Collins and Tom Pearson the headline selections.
Lee Blackett’s side, which has been selected by England head coach Steve Borthwick, will face Ireland A on Sunday 23rd February at Ashton Gate, with the game kicking off at 13:00.
England A name 25-man squad for Ireland A clash
21 of the 25 players within the squad have represented England at age-grade level, and 12 have also represented England A in at least one of their two recent Tests against Portugal and Australia A
Commenting on the squad selection, England A head coach Lee Blackett said: “The players we have at our disposal is a real indication of the breadth of talent within the Premiership currently. A healthy proportion of the team have experience with the Men’s A team and are motivated to seize the opportunity whilst representing their country.”
He added: “It’s an honour to be a part of this team once again, even more so having now been trusted to lead it. I’m privileged to be surrounded by a fantastic coaching and support staff from the RFU and Premiership Rugby clubs, and we’re all keen to work with this exciting group of players.”
The squad itself also features some of the best talent currently in the Premiership. In the pack, the likes of Alfie Barbeary, Jack Kenningham, Gabriel Oghre and Hugh Tizard have been named, while Orlando Bailey, Will Butt, Joe Carpenter, George Hendy, Max Ojomoh and Will Porter all feature in the back division.
While the aforementioned quartet of Van Poortvliet, Langdon, Hassell-Collins and Pearson are the only current members of the squad with senior caps, they will be boosted by the inclusion of more senior squad players closer to the Test.