Four Gloucester rugby players have been selected for the England Squad ahead of the U20 World Championship starting on 30th May in the South of France.
For the hooker, Henry Walker it will be his second time with the England side after helping them reach the final in Georgia last year where they were beaten by New Zealand.
Props, Alex Seville and Ciaran Knight will also be representing England alongside, as well as the 19-year-old flanker Aaron Hinkley.
However, winger Tom Seabrook’s selection was overlooked despite setting a record for the fastest try scored in Aviva Premiership rugby in just under a minute. This was during his debut in Gloucester’s last game against local rivals Bath.
England’s opening game is on 30th May where they meet Argentina and also have Italy and Scotland in the group stages.
Head Coach Steve Bates said: “Selection has been incredibly difficult as there were a lot of players to choose from and in some positions it’s been a really tight call.
The challenge for us now is to consistently play high-intensity, high-tempo rugby and to turn up the heat on our opposition for the full 80 minutes.
The World Rugby U20 Championship is a fantastic tournament and for some this will be the pinnacle of their international careers. Some will go on to be very good professionals but not all will play international rugby again so they should look at this as a fantastic opportunity to play on the world stage and showcase their ability while representing England,” he added.
Henry Walker
The 20-year-old has earned himself 12 caps after playing for England through U16 to U20’s. During his time at Gloucester he has played against Saracens, Northampton Saints and Bayonne.
Walker played in every game consecutively during the World Championship last year as well as starting in the first four games in the Six Nations this year.
Back in 2015 he made his debut for Gloucester against the Barbarians.
His rugby development has also come from playing with Championship side, Hartpury before making his U20 debut for England.
??????? Congratulations to our 4⃣ young guns named in the @EnglandRugby U20 squad for the #WorldRugbyU20s that start next week in France pic.twitter.com/W99ad6epUq
— Gloucester Rugby (@gloucesterrugby) May 21, 2018
Alex Seville
Gloucester born, joined Hartpury AASE program when he was 16 and studied his A-levels there and he went on to joining Gloucester’s Senior Academy for the 2016-17 season.
The 19-year-old has also represented Stroud District Schools, Bath & North-East Somerset and the Gloucestershire U16 side.
Seville has gained himself 11 caps, including playing against Italy before his first u20 World Championship last summer.
Ciaran Knight
The 20-year-old prop who was also born in Gloucester made his Gloucester debut against Bath.
Knight has spent his teenage years in development at Matson Rugby Club in Gloucester before securing his place at The Cherry and Whites.
Not only did he appear against Bath but also played for Gloucester in the Anglo-Welsh Cup and helping Gloucester United cement their place in the A league final for the first time.
Aaron Hinkley
Coming from St.Peters school in Gloucester he joined Gloucester Academy full time after making his appearance in the U18 England squad.
Hinkley has played for Cinderford, Gloucester A’s and Hartpury, having played under three very experienced but also different rugby coaches.
He will now make his appearance for the U20 squad, a huge step up from school level.
— Aaron Hinkley (@Aaron_hinkley7) May 21, 2018
