Dees youngster named as England replacement

The England team were 38-10 winners when the sides met for the first time last season, but head coach Dave Reed is expecting a reaction to that defeat.

“We’re very excited about the prospect of playing Ireland away.” said Reed. “We had a decent performance last year and we have a good squad this time around which has trained really well in the preparations for the game.

“The lads have gelled together well – we couldn’t have asked for anything better.

“We were beaten 19-3 by Bedford U19s in a warm-up game, but they haven’t lost this season and there was no score in the second-half which proved were are capable of learning lessons as we go and putting things right.

“That said, Ireland will be very, very tough in their own back yard and they will be very keen to do well after last year.

“Obviously we’re looking for a win, but the most important thing is for these lads to be put into the spotlight and given the chance to development their rugby and showcase their talents.

“Development and exposure are the key elements – last year we had half-a-dozen players who were with Academies when we set out, but that number grew after the Ireland game and hopefully that will occur again after Saturday.”