BLUES dual registration players Owen Farrell and Jake Sharp have been selected as part of the Under 20 Elite squad for the 2010/2011 season.
Farrell and Sharp, both with the Blues from Saracens, have been selected by head coach Rob Hunter to join the 32-man group to compete in the Under 20 RBS 6 Nations in the New Year before heading for the IRB Junior World Championship in Italy next June.
Centre, Farrell made his competitive debut for Bedford at the weekend, playing 20 minutes against Plymouth, after scoring in the friendly against Rosslyn Park. Sharp is yet to feature in competitive game.
Hunter said: "It’s a very talented group, competition for places has been very high and there are some good players who missed out on a place in the 32 who will continue to push for inclusion. Within the squad there’s a great blend of skill, pace and power and we can’t wait to see them wearing the England jersey.
"It’s an exciting time to be involved with a new management team and a new squad coming together. The England Under 18 team has set a standard of playing at pace in recent years and we are looking forward to building on that and the excellent work being done in the regional academies.
"The England age group programmes are a key part of developing future international players and the progress made by the likes of Courtney Lawes and Ben Youngs into the England senior team last season is testimony to that."
England U20 Elite Player Squad
Forwards
Ryan Bower (Leicester Tigers)
Koree Britton (Gloucester Rugby)
Rob Buchanan (Harlequins)*
Will Collier (Harlequins)
Matt Everard (Leicester Tigers)
Alex Gray (Newcastle Falcons)*
Jonny Harris (Leicester Tigers)
Sam Jones (London Wasps)
Matt Kvesic (Worcester Warriors)
Addison Lockley (Exeter Chiefs)
Kieran Low (London Irish)
Charlie Matthews (Harlequins)*
Ollie Stedman (Leeds Carnegie)
Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks)
Sam Twomey (Harlequins)
Billy Vunipola (London Wasps)
Mako Vunipola (Bristol Rugby)*
Backs
Chris Cook (Bath Rugby)
Elliot Daly (London Wasps)
Owen Farrell (Saracens)
George Ford (Leicester Tigers)
Jonathan Joseph (London Irish)*
Ryan Mills (Gloucester Rugby)
Ben Ransom (Saracens)
Dan Robson (Gloucester Rugby)
Jake Sharp (Saracens)*
Andy Short (Worcester Warriors)
Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers)
Christian Wade (London Wasps)*
Jack Wallace (Wasps)*
Marcus Watson (London Irish)*
Marland Yarde (London Irish)
*Capped by England at U20 level last season
