England U20s close to world title thanks to a faith in youth
RFU and clubs joined forces to put team on verge of more success, writes Kate Rowan
Many comparisons have been made this week between the England Under-20 footballers who won the World Cup in South Korea and their rugby counterparts aiming to beat New Zealand in tomorrow’s World Under-20 Championship final in Tbilisi. However, scratch just beneath the surface and you start to find differences.
Whereas the footballers’ victory was the first World Cup win for an English side since 1966, England’s young rugby players have been a dominant force in the youth game in recent years. They are defending under-20 champions and victory over the Baby Blacks would give them their fourth World Cup triumph in five years.
Only three countries have won the Under-20s Championship since its inception in 2008: New Zealand with five titles, followed by England’s three and South Africa with one. So, how have England become so formidable at this level?
Head coach Ian Vass, formerly a scrum-half with Northampton Saints, Stade Français and Harlequins, explains how a combination of investment in the youth game along with the alignment of clubs with the Rugby Football Union has helped to create such a strong under-age system.
“Firstly, there is the money invested by the RFU and the clubs from under-13 all the way up to under-18. That is now in a really good place, with people doing the work on the ground – grass-roots stuff,” he says.
“Clubs are realising that home-grown players who are dedicated to the club maybe give that little bit extra. In the long run, it will be more beneficial and probably more cost-effective if you look at it that way as well.
“So, they are putting a lot more money into those areas to create a bigger squad, using more academy players in them. That increases the depth and the range of the talent we would be able to use for the under-20s.
“A lot of it is from the alignment between the academies and the RFU that maybe wasn’t there before. It is now huge. It means that all the academies have to work with certain standards, which then improves the quality of what comes out the other end.”
The strength in depth of the English under-20s game is such that a number of players who would have been eligible to play in Georgia were called up to the senior squad to tour Argentina.
They include Sale back-row twins Tom and Ben Curry, hooker Jack Singleton, lock Nick Isiekwe, scrum-half Jack Maunder and wing Joe Cokanasiga.
Dean Ryan, the RFU’S head of international player development, says: “The context of those going [to Argentina], added to the five starting backs that have been injured out here, as well as guys like Jamie Shillcock and Will Evans at home injured, makes the achievement of this group such a significant one.”
Ryan is also keen to laud the coaching group of Vass, along with former England international Louis Deacon and Tom Williams, who came into lead the under-20s set-up in January of this year.
“They are working against incredible odds and Ian Vass, Tom Williams and Louis Deacon have been tremendous. We’ve won two or three games because of their tactical set-up,” he said.
“I always wanted to get the best young coaches who are working in a Premiership environment and utilise them in the pathway and they have made a difference. Their impact has enabled us to still be in games with 70 minutes to go.”
The England team to face New Zealand will be named this afternoon.