Hartpury University head coach Mark Cornwell admitted that he was not shocked to see a number of his players earning call-ups to the England Students squad for their match against France later this month.
Hartpury have had an incredible season, having secured their first BUCS Super Rugby title since 2019 with a 34-21 win over Loughborough back in April, and for six players, their hard work has been rewarded with call-ups from England Students’ head coach Martin Webdale.
Cam Richards-Farr, Josiah Edwards-Giraud, Max Knight, Rhys Price, Tom Worts and Wilf McCarthy are the six Hartpury players who have earned spots in the 23-man squad that will travel to Terrason-Lavilledieu for the match that takes place at the Stade Beaudry Stadium on 24 May 2025.
Hartpury centre Wilf McCarthy was named BUCS Super Rugby Player of the Season.
“It’s great that we can represent England students with the amount of players that we’ve got,” the Hartpury boss stated, “It just reflects the BUCS performances this year, winning against Loughborough in the final, and when you have a squad as good as that and performing as they did, it’s no surprise that you’re going to get that amount of players representing England.
“For some it’ll be their first time, and some have done it before and it’s great for Hartpury as an institution that we’ve got that many [involved].”
The squad is made up of the top players from universities across the country, and many senior internationals have represented the team in the past including the likes of former Newcastle Falcon Mark Wilson, and Bristol Bears’ Fitz Harding.
The fixture against France Universities takes place annually, the location alternating between the countries, and England will be hoping to return to winning ways after falling to a 48-43 loss in last year’s match that took place in Coventry.
