England U18 Women’s head coach James Cooper and assistant coach Ollie Perry have confirmed their matchday squad to face Ireland this Sunday (30th).
The two sides meet at the IRFU High Performance Centre, Dublin for a 13:00 BST kick-off in a warm-up fixture ahead of April’s U18 Women’s Six Nations Festival at Wellington College. Management have utilised a different XV per 35-minute half for Sunday’s encounter.
Front-row forward Hayley Jones has been named as the team’s captain ahead of the forthcoming spring schedule. The Henley College student has played nine times for her college’s ACE team this season and made two of her four U18 Women’s caps in wins against Ireland in 2024.
19 players will earn their first U18 Women’s caps for England this Sunday, with further experience from Ashton Adcock, Tamsin Baynes, Aisha Jah, Hayley Jones, Isabel van der Straaten and Jo Vosakiwaiwai within Cooper’s team.
Summer Charlesworth and Dita Shaw will travel with the squad and continue their rehabilitation, with Maisy Wheeler remaining at home to continue her respective rehabilitation programme.
The nations will meet again on Friday 11th April for a 35-minute fixture on Matchday 1 of the 2025 U18 Women’s Six Nations Festival. England emerged victors twice in their two meetings with Ireland at U18 level in 2024, including a 19-12 win in the 2024 Six Nations Festival.
“This weekend’s fixture is an occasion for many players to grow into the shirt for the first time and make it their own,” said Ollie Perry, who leads the coaching this weekend.
“Our meetings with Ireland in recent years have been magnificent tests and another trip away from home affords us the opportunity to measure ourselves against Six Nations opposition. Hayley Jones has led our preparations excellently on the pitch, embodying a tenacious mindset we value in the pathway.
“This matchday will present our squad with the chance to carefully work on implementing the learnings we’ve taken on board in preparation for the Six Nations. The players have worked diligently to prove their value in our squad, and we expect them to be courageous in their approach.”
England U18 Women’s first-half team to face Ireland (includes Player Development Group (PDG) centre, club and school/college)
15 Eva Ladyman (Becky Essex PDG, Olney, Loughborough College)
14 Jo Vosakiwaiwai (Emma Mitchell PDG, City of Oxford College) *
13 Isabelle Clist (Nolli Waterman PDG, Cullompton, Wellington School)
12 Charlotte Wreford (Nolli Waterman PDG, Exeter College)
11 Josephine Harris (Emma Mitchell PDG, Chinnor, City of Oxford College)
10 Katherine Dyke (Nolli Waterman PDG, Winscombe Warriors, Exeter College)
9 Ashton Adcock (Becky Essex PDG, Loughborough College) *
1 Aisha Jah (Becky Essex PDG, Mansfield, West Notts College) *
2 Hayley Jones (c) (Emma Mitchell PDG, Ealing Trailfinders, Henley College) *
3 Sylvia Gallagher-Ball (Becky Essex PDG, Leicester Forest, Loughborough College)
4 Tamsin Baynes (Becky Essex PDG, Market Harborough, Loughborough College) *
5 Grace Keel (Nolli Waterman PDG, North Bristol, SGS College)
6 Betsy Meads (Becky Essex PDG, Newark, Loughborough College)
7 Jess Taylor (Maggie Alphonsi PDG, Ipswich, Oaklands College)
8 Honey Kerslake (Nolli Waterman PDG, Crediton, Exeter College)
England U18 Women’s second-half team to face Ireland (includes Player Development Group (PDG) centre, club and school/college)
15 Hannah Smyth (Jo Yapp PDG, Hartpury College)
14 Jo Vosakiwaiwai (Emma Mitchell PDG, City of Oxford College) *
13 Isabelle Clist (Nolli Waterman PDG, Cullompton, Wellington School)
12 Charlotte Brookes (Rachael Burford PDG, Guildfordians RFC, Cranleigh School)
11 Lily Pereira dos Santos (Maggie Alphonsi PDG, Finchley, Oakland College)
10 Holly Jackson (Emma Mitchell PDG, Horsham, Cardinal Newman)
9 Ashton Adcock (Becky Essex PDG, Loughborough College) *
1 Isla Pomroy (Emma Mitchell PDG, Banbury RUFC, City of Oxford College)
2 Harli Stanton (Becky Essex PDG, Sandal, Loughborough College)
3 Isabel van der Straaten (Maggie Alphonsi PDG, Eton Manor, Mossbourne Community Academy) *
4 Demelza Short (Nolli Waterman PDG, Crediton, Blundells School)
5 Tamsin Baynes (Becky Essex PDG, Market Harborough, Loughborough College) *
6 Betsy Meads (Becky Essex PDG, Newark, Loughborough College)
7 Joy Okechukwu (Rachel Burford PDG, Havant, Peter Symonds College)
8 Seren Coombs (Rachel Burford PDG, Guildfordians RFC, Le Rocquier School)
*denotes a player previously capped at U18 level for England
Rugby Football Union Women’s Player Development Group (PDG) Centres:
North East – Sarah Hunter PDG (Northumberland, Durham, Cumbria)
Yorkshire – Karen Almond PDG (Yorkshire)
North West – Helen Clayton PDG (Lancashire, Cheshire, Staffordshire)
Midlands 1 – Jo Yapp PDG (North Midlands, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire)
Midlands 2 – Becky Essex PDG (Nottinghamshire Lincolnshire Derbyshire, Leicestershire, East Midlands)
Central South & Eastern – Maggie Alphonsi PDG (Middlesex, Essex, Hertfordshire, Eastern Counties)
South East – Rachael Burford PDG (Kent, Surrey, Sussex)
South – Emma Mitchell PDG (Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Dorset & Wiltshire)
South West – Danielle ‘Nolli’ Waterman PDG (Cornwall, Devon, Somerset)
England U18 Women’s 2025 U18 Six Nations Festival fixtures
Each team will play 2 x 35-minute matches on MD1 and MD2, followed by 1 x 70-minute match on MD3 (MD1 – Friday 11th April, MD2 – Tuesday 15th April & MD3 Saturday 19th April).
Matchday 1 (Friday 11th April, 35min matches) – Italy vs. England (15:00 kick-off) – England vs. Ireland (17:00 kick-off)
Matchday 2 (Tuesday 15th April) (35min matches) – Wales vs. England (11:00 kick-off) – England vs. Scotland (12:00 kick-off)
Matchday 3 (Saturday 19th April) (70min match) – England vs. France (14:15 kick-off)
*All kick-off times are in local time (UK BST)
With thanks to the RFU
