England U18 Women’s head coach James Cooper and assistant coach Oli Perry have confirmed their matchday squad to face Wales in the opening round of the 2026 Under-18 Women’s Six Nations Festival.
Cooper’s side open their tournament at Wellington College this Thursday (16:30 BST kick-off) after two warm-up wins over Hartpury College and Ireland. All Six Nations Festival fixtures will be streamed live on the Six Nations U20 YouTube channel.
Becky Essex PDG centre Meghan Crilly will lead England following on from her captaincy role in a 29-26 victory over Ireland at the IRFU High Performance Centre earlier this month.
If utilised from the bench, prop Lotte Peirsegaele of the Emma Mitchell PDG will make her England U18 debut in Berkshire.
England U18 Women face Scotland (12:00 BST kick-off) and Ireland (13:00 BST kick-off) in two 35-minute games next Monday on Matchday 2 of the Under-18 Women’s Six Nations Festival.
James Cooper said: “Two good warm-up wins have put us in a strong place, but a tournament environment brings different mental challenges that we must be ready to meet with real courage and clarity.
“This week is about bonding as a group, trusting each other under pressure and then embracing that intensity that comes with representing our pathway.
“We want our squad to play fast and exciting rugby by being brave in their decision making and showing the ambition that defines England teams at their best.”
England U18 Women’s squad to face Wales (includes PDG site, school/college and England U18 caps)
15 Izzy Firth (Nolli Waterman PDG, Exeter, 2 caps)
14 Alice Fleming (Jo Yapp PDG, Hartpury, 1 cap)
13 Meghan Crilly (c) (Becky Essex PDG, Loughborough, 1 cap)
12 Scarlett Beech (Maggie Alphonsi PDG, Oaklands, 1 cap)
11 Lily Pereira dos Santos (Maggie Alphonsi PDG, Oaklands, 6 caps)
10 Beth Hall (Nolli Waterman PDG, Exeter, 1 cap)
9 Summer Smith (Maggie Alphonsi PDG, City of Oxford, 1 cap)
1 Isabella Lyndon (Jo Yapp PDG, Hartpury, 1 cap)
2 Mali Hill (Jo Yapp PDG, Hartpury, 1 cap)
3 Eva Larkai (Rachael Burford PDG, Worthing, 1 cap)
4 Holly Bagnowiec (Jo Yapp PDG, Hartpury, 1 cap)
5 Charlie Williams (Jo Yapp PDG, Hartpury, 1 cap)
6 Hannah Foley (Maggie Alphonsi PDG, City of Oxford, 1 cap)
7 Evie Collingbourne (Rachael Burford PDG, Worthing, 1 cap)
8 Christal Koroiyadi (Becky Essex PDG, Loughborough, 1 cap)
Replacements
16 Maisie Trotman (Emma Mitchell PDG, Worthing, 1 cap)
17 Lucie Sams (Nolli Waterman PDG, Exeter, 1 cap)
18 Lotte Peirsegaele (Emma Mitchell PDG, City of Oxford, uncapped)
19 Leila Crick (Maggie Alphonsi PDG, Oaklands, 1 cap)
20 Rowan Turney (Rachael Burford PDG, Exeter College, 1 cap)
21 Amelia Rockley (Maggie Alphonsi PDG, 1 cap)
22 Alix Ahad (Maggie Alphonsi PDG, Oaklands, 1 cap)
23 Rosalyn Civil (Jo Yapp PDG, Hartpury, 1 cap)
24 Charlotte Brookes (Rachael Burford PDG, 5 caps)
25 Martha Hallam (Karen Almond PDG, Loughborough, 1 cap)
26 Millie Walker (Becky Essex PDG, Loughborough, 1 cap)
27 Jemima Mitchell (Maggie Alphonsi PDG, Oaklands, 1 cap)
England’s 2026 Under-18 Women’s Six Nations Festival fixtures and results
Hartpury College 0-70 England U18 Women (warm-up friendly) – Saturday 7h March – 12:30 GMT kick-off – Hartpury College
Ireland U18 Women 26-29 England U18 Women (warm-up friendly) – Sunday 22nd March – 13:00 BST kick-off – IRFU High Performance Centre
Under-18 Women’s 2026 Six Nations Festival Matchday 1 – Wales vs. England – Thursday 2nd April – 16:30 BST kick-off – Wellington College
Under-18 Women’s 2026 Six Nations Festival Matchday 2 – England vs. Scotland – Monday 6th April – 12:00 BST kick-off – Wellington College *
Under-18 Women’s 2026 Six Nations Festival Matchday 2 – Ireland vs. England – Monday 6th April – 13:00 BST kick-off – Wellington College *
Under-18 Women’s 2026 Six Nations Festival Matchday 3 – France vs. England – Friday 10th April – 16:30 BST kick-off – Wellington College
*denotes a 35-minute fixture
With thanks to the RFU
