England's 32-strong development squad (From This Is Local London)

England's 32-strong development squad

12:32pm Thursday 3rd May 2007 in

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The England Under 18s squad to travel to Australia in August for a Summer Development Tour has today (Thursday) been announced.

The 32-man squad will contest four games over three weeks including a match against the Australian Schools at Ballymore in Brisbane.

The squad will be primarily based at the Sydney Academy of Sport and will play the Australian Rugby Union Northern Territory Institute of Sport, New South Wales Combined High Schools and Australian Schools A in development games before taking on Australia Schools in an international test match at the end of the tour.

The squad is comprised predominantly of this year's England Under 18s Six Nations side that defeated France, Scotland and Ireland. Only a narrow defeat to Wales saw England fail to complete a clean sweep.

The squad also includes four players from the successful England Under 16s squad, which won the Four Nations tournament in April.

Sedbergh High School and Sale Sharks forward Carl Fearns will captain the side. Jim Mallinder, RFU National Academy Head Coach, will be joined on the coaching team by fellow National Academy Coach Simon Hardy and Chris Kibble. Both Hardy and Kibble coached the Under 18s Six Nations squad this season.

Conor O'Shea, Director of the Rugby Football Union's National Academy, said: "This is a tremendous development opportunity for some of our best young players and it will allow them to gain experience in a different environment and to test themselves against their Southern Hemisphere counterparts at an early stage in their development.

"Although a development tour, this group will be looking to target the final match against the Australian Schools. I am sure we will be seeing a number of these players in the years to come both within the Guinness Premiership and in the international arena."

England Under 18s squad: *Greg Bateman Cranleigh School NEC Harlequins Alex Brown Dulwich College Saracens Calum Clark Barnard Castle Leeds Tykes James Clark London Irish Tom Collett Wyggeston & QE I College Leicester Tigers James Currie Millfield School Bath Rugby Reece Durrance Seevic College Saracens Carl Fearns Sedbergh School Sale Sharks **Alex Gray Barnard Castle Newcastle Falcons Graham Kitchener Adams Grammar School Worcester Warriors Courtney Lawes Moulton College Northampton Saints Joe Marler Sussex Downs NEC Harlequins Been Moon Ivybridge Community College SWERA Jacob Rowan Bradford Grammar School Leeds Tykes Tom Sargeant Royal Grammar School Guilford NEC Harlequins **Joe Trayfoot Epsom College NEC Harlequins Dan Williams Ivybridge Community College SWERA *Tom Casson Sedbergh School Sale Sharks *Rory Clegg Barnard Castle Newcastle Falcons Luke Eves Colston's Collegiate Bristol Rugby **Matthew Keyte Reigate Grammar School NEC Harlequins David Lewis Ivybridge Community College SWERA Rob Miller Keswick School Newcastle Falcons Charlie Sharples St Peter's High School Gloucester Rugby Mike Stanley Oaklands College Saracens Sebastian StegmannCranleigh School NEC Harlequins Greig Tonks Nottingham High School Leicester Tigers Henry Trinder Hartpury College Gloucester Rugby **Jack Wallace Aylesbury Grammar School London Wasps Ben Williams Bryanston School Bath Rugby *Oliver Winterbottom Rednock Gloucester Rugby Ben Youngs Wyggeston & QE I College Leicester Tigers