England v Scotland: Score and latest updates from World U20 Championship
1:45PM
Preview: Can England defend their title?
Hello and welcome to our live blog of England u20s opening match of the World rugby u20 Championship, where they begin their title defence against Scotland. Kick off is at 14.30 BST in sweltering conditions at Payanini Centre, Verona, Italy. Temperatures sit at 34°C so it's nothing the players aren't used to, hailing from tropical England!
England's 20s programme is riding a wave of momentum developed by a World Championship win last year, with a squad including one Henry Pollock, and other now-prominent names like Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Afolabi Fasogbon and Ben Waghorn beating France 21-13 in South Africa to coronate what's been dubbed as a golden generation of English rugby.
The 2025 World Rugby u20s Championship presents England with the opportunity to win a fifth title, and a second title defence, as co-captains Tom Burrow and Ben Redshaw aim to follow in the footsteps of a Jack Clifford-led side in 2013, a Maro Itoje-led side in 2014, and a Harry Mallinder-led side in 2016.
Last year's 20s squad, who also won the grand slam earlier that year, really seemed to capture the country's imagination, no doubt due to the influence of seemingly test-ready players like Pollock and Opoku-Fordjour - here's an obligatory reminder that Pollock is still eligible for this 20s team! Six of the 23 that won last year feature today, names that have garnered plenty interest in their own rights: Junior Kpoku, Olamide Sodeke, Jack Bracken, Ben Coen, Archie McParland, Vilikesa Sela, and Ben Redshaw.
Despite the turnover in players, this current crop boast fresh big game experience, the learnings from their gut-wrenching, grand slam-denying defeat to Wales earlier this year likely looming in hearts and minds. They'll look to transfer that pain to a Scotland side who were thrashed 57-13 in this year's Six Nations - it's set up to be a magnificent game in the Verona sun, stay tuned!
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