A 28-player squad has been confirmed by England U18 Women’s head coach James Cooper and assistant coach Ollie Perry in preparation for the 2024 U18 Women’s Six Nations Festival.
The Women’s Festival will be hosted by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) for the first time at Colwyn Bay’s Stadiwm CSM from 29th March – 6th April. The tournament serves as a key step on the development pathway for players and provides an opportunity for the brightest young talent in the game to feature on the international stage.
Grace Banks (Sale Sharks), Tamsin Baynes (Loughborough Lightning), Aisha Jah (Loughborough Lightning), Solana Shaw de Leon (Harlequins) and Ellie Wilson (Gloucester-Hartpury) are the five uncapped players involved in the team.
Six of Cooper’s cohort have experienced Six Nations rugby beforehand in the 2023 edition of the tournament; Worcester trio Natalee Evans, Haineala Lutui and Sarah Parry, Daisy Aspinall and Lucy Simpson of Gloucester-Hartpury and Evie Haskell (Loughborough Lightning).
10 England Rugby Centre of Excellence sites and 17 colleges are represented in the makeup of the England Rugby pathway squad. Cooper will also select a different captain on each matchday of the tournament.
As well as four rounds of domestic action in this season’s England Rugby Centre of Excellence fixtures, the U18 Women prepared for this spring’s tournament with a 29-14 win over Ireland.
15 of the selected representatives earned their first runouts in England colours at the IRFU High Performance Centre, with matchday captain Aspinall, as well as Beth Candlin, Heidi Pashaei Tarighoun, Abigail Pritchard and Hayley Jones all running in tries on the afternoon.
Each Union will play two 35-minute matches on each of the first two matchdays of the U18 Festival, followed by one 70-minute match on the final matchday (MD1 Friday 29th March, MD2 Tuesday 2nd April & MD3 Saturday 6th April).
The U18 Women tasted victory in four of their five fixtures in the 2023 tournament, overcoming Wales (10-0), Scotland (21-0), Ireland (14-5) and Italy (15-7) in 35-minute outings whilst missing out against France (10-57) on matchday three.
This year, James Cooper leads his side against Ireland (12:00 kick-off) and Italy (13:00 kick-off) on Friday 29th March, then facing Wales (14:00 kick-off) and Scotland (16:30 kick-off) on Tuesday 6th April before a full 70-minute Test against France (Saturday 6th April, 12:00 kick-off). Entry costs £10 for adult tickets and £5 for spectators, with all fixtures streamed live on the Six Nations Under-20 YouTube channel.
James Cooper said: “I want to congratulate the group for their efforts in being selected to represent England. It was an incredibly difficult challenge to refine the squad to its final iteration, but we are in no doubt of the capable group we now possess.
“We expect our players to be daring in their approach to these fixtures and deadly in their execution – in attack, defence and the set-piece.
“We were assured in our performances in 2023, but this is largely a refreshed group with what we believe is the correct balance of experience to go even better this year. Myself, Ollie and all of our staff have been taken with the resolve of the team, and we’re eager to now put that into practice in this year’s competition.”
England U18 Women’s 2024 U18 Six Nations Festival squad (includes college, England Rugby Centre of Excellence site and community club)
Kaya Acton (Bishop Burton, Yorkshire, Hull Ionians RFC) *
Ashton Adcock (Loughborough College, Loughborough Lightning, Tamworth RUFC) *
Jasmine Adonri (City of Oxford, Thames Valley, Medway Rugby Football Club) *
Daisy Aspinall (Hartpury College, Gloucester-Hartpury, Stafford RUFC) *
Iley Bailey (Henley College, Harlequins, Paderborn Pirates) *
Grace Banks (Wigan and Leigh, Sale Sharks, Liverpool St Helens FC)
Tamsin Baynes (Loughborough College, Loughborough Lightning, Market Harborough RUFC)
Gabriella Brown (Maidstone Grammar, Harlequins, Aylesford Bulls RFC) *
Molly Bunker (Hartpury College, Harlequins, Portsmouth RFC) *
Bethan Candlin (Loughborough College, Yorkshire, Hull Ionians RUFC) *
Jessica Doyle (Sacred Heart Sixth Form, North East and Cumbria, Tynedale Rugby Football Club) *
Natalee Evans (Hereford College, Worcester, Flying Kukris Rugby Football Club) *
Zara Green (Cardinal Newman, Harlequins, Lewes RFC) *
Evie Haskell (The Samworth Church Academy, Loughborough Lightning, Mansfield Rugby Club) *
Becca Jackson (Hartpury College, Gloucester-Hartpury, Guildfordians RFC) *
Aisha Jah (West Notts Sixth Form, Loughborough Lightning, Mansfield Rugby Club)
Hayley Jones (Henley College, Thames Valley, Chippenham RFC) *
Emily Lunn (Henley College, Harlequins, Cobham Rugby Club) *
Haineala Lutui (RGS Worcester, Worcester, Worcester) *
Sarah Parry (Hereford College, Worcester, Worcester Warriors) *
Heidi Pashaei Tarighoun (SGS Filton, Bristol Bears, North Bristol RFC) *
Abigail Pritchard (Hartpury College, Gloucester-Hartpury, Medway Rugby Football Club) *
Lucy Simpson (Hartpury College, Gloucester-Hartpury, Rams RFC) *
Solana Shaw de Leon (Worthing College, Harlequins, Sutton and Epsom Rugby Club)
Isabel van der Straaten (Mossbourne Community Academy, Saracens, Eton Manor RFC) *
Joanne Vosakiwaiwai (City of Oxford, Thames Valley, Andover RFC) *
Ellie Wilson (Hartpury College, Gloucester-Hartpury, Gosford All Blacks RFC)
Ruby Winstanley (The Farnborough Sixth Form, Harlequins, Guildfordians RFC) *
*denotes a player capped at U18 level for England
England U18 Women’s Festival Fixtures
Each team will play 2 x 35min matches on MD1 and MD2, followed by 1 x 70min match on MD 3. (MD1 – Friday 29th March, MD2 Tuesday 2nd April & M3 Saturday 6th April).
Matchday 1 (Friday 29th March) (35min matches)
England vs. Ireland (12:00 kick-off)
Italy vs. England (13:00 kick-off)
Matchday 2 (Tuesday 2nd April) (35min matches)
England vs. Wales (14:00 kick-off)
Scotland vs. England (16:30 kick-off)
Matchday 3 (Saturday 6th April) (70min matches)
France vs. England (12:00 kick-off)
With thanks to the RFU
