London Irish Academy’s Rory Taylor has been named to start in Head Coach Jonathan Pendlebury’s England under-18 men’s team to face South Africa under-18s.
The match is the first of three on the under-18 age grade on their summer tour of South Africa this August.
Taylor joined London Irish's Academy set-up at under-13 level and is a product of Irish's strong Development Player Programme (DPP) as a Wellington College student.
The fly-half has been capped at the under-18 age grade last season for England and was joined earlier this year by fellow Academy talents Ollie Allan and Connor Cross in the squad for the Under-18 Six Nations festival.
With the game set to take place on Friday 19 August, KO 14.30 BST, the three-match series takes place at Paarl Gymnasium and will see the team play two games against South Africa under-18s and one against a South Africa under-18 A-side.
All games will be played at Paarl Gymnasium, 416 Main St, Courtrai, Paarl, 7646.
Supporters will have the chance to viewing the game via https://supersportschools.com or by downloading the app which can be done here.
England under-18 team
15 *Ioan Jones (Gloucester Rugby, Dean Close School)â¯â¯
14 Tom Burton (Newcastle Falcons, Sedbergh School)
13 *Ben Redshaw (Newcastle Falcons, Sedbergh School)
12 Sean Kerr (Harlequins, Whitgift School)â¯â¯
11 *Toby Cousins (Northampton Saints, Oakham School)â¯â¯
10 *Rory Taylor (London Irish, Wellington College)
9 *Archie McParland (Northampton Saints, Stowe School)â¯â¯
1 Louie Trevett (Bristol Bears, Clifton College)â¯â¯
2 Jacob Oliver (Newcastle Falcons, Barnard Castle School)â¯
3 Billy Sela (Bath Rugby, Beechen Cliff)â¯â¯
4 Olamide Sodeke (Saracens, Gravesend Grammar School)â¯â¯
5 Tom Burrow (Yorkshire Academy, Heckmondwike Grammar School)â¯
6 Jack Bennett (Bath Rugby, Monkton Combe School)â¯
7 Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, Stowe School)â¯CAPTAIN
8 Barney Merrett (Saracens, Sutton Valence School)â¯â¯
Replacements
16 Loic Keasey (Worcester Warriors, RGS Worcester)â¯â¯
17 Alex O’Driscoll (Wasps, Berkhamsted)â¯
18 Isaac Keller (Newcastle Falcons, Gosforth Academy)
19 Finn Baker (Newcastle Falcons, Sedbergh School)â¯â¯
20 Will Owen (Worcester Warriors, Ellesmere College)
21 George Perkins (Leicester Tigers, Denstone College)â¯â¯
22 Will Wootton (Sale Sharks, Sedbergh School)â¯
23 Raff Weston (Bath Rugby, Beechen Cliff)â¯â¯
24 George Edson (Exeter Chiefs, Truro College)â¯
25 *Conor Byrne (Harlequins, Trinity College)â¯
26 *Will Glister (Wasps, City of Oxford College)â¯â¯
*Capped at under-18 level in the 2021-22 season.â¯
Match schedule:
19 August, KO, 14.30 BST, South Africa under-18 v England under-18
23 August, KO 12.30 BST, South Africa A v England under-18
27 August, KO 14.30 BST, South Africa under-18 v England under-18