Lewis Ludlow to captain England ‘A’ at Welford Road
SALFORD, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Lewis Ludlow of Gloucester Rugby during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Sale Sharks and Gloucester Rugby at AJ Bell Stadium on April 17, 2021 in Salford, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Lewis Ludlow will captain England ‘A’ in Sunday’s summer internationals opener against Scotland ‘A’ at Welford Road.
Ludlow has just come through his first season as Gloucester captain after being appointed by head coach George Skivington, and finished as the top tackler in the Premiership by a distance of 52.
The 26-year-old will lead a team which features 11 uncapped players in the starting line-up, with John Mitchell acting as a head coach in place of Eddie Jones.
Of the 11, four are Leicester Tigers who will make their debuts on home soil. Lock Harry Wells, prop Joe Heyes, centre Dan Kelly and full-back Freddie Steward join vice-captain Ellis Genge in being named starters.
Kelly is the youngest player named in the line-up at 20 and will partner Ollie Lawrence in the midfield, while Steward finds Adam Radwan and Max Malins for company in the back three.
The pack sees Ben Curry and Callum Chick included in the back row.
Mitchell said: “This squad has grown over the past few weeks, full of energy and competition and the players have given their all.
“Now the next step is for us to work even harder at becoming more cohesive in our final stages of our preparation.
“We are looking forward to a tough game against Scotland A. We’ve prepared well and will arrive ready for it.”
England A team to play Scotland A (Sunday, 2pm kick-off, Channel 4)
15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)
14. Adam Radwan (Newcastle Falcons, uncapped)
13. Ollie Lawrence (Worcester Warriors, 6 caps)
12. Dan Kelly (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)
11. Max Malins (Bristol Bears, on loan from Saracens, 7 caps)
10. Jacob Umaga (Wasps, uncapped)
9. Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, uncapped)
1. Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers, 28 caps)
2. Curtis Langdon (Sale Sharks, uncapped)
3. Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)
4. Harry Wells (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)
5. Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby, 21 caps)
6. Lewis Ludlow (C) (Gloucester Rugby, uncapped)
7. Ben Curry (Sale Sharks, uncapped)
8. Callum Chick (Newcastle Falcons, uncapped)
Replacements
16. Jamie Blamire (Newcastle Falcons, uncapped)
17. Beno Obano (Bath Rugby, 1 cap)
18. Trevor Davison (Newcastle Falcons, uncapped)
19. Ted Hill (Worcester Warriors, 1 cap)
20. Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints, 8 caps)
21. Dan Robson (Wasps, 12 caps)
22. George Furbank (Northampton Saints, 3 caps)
23. Joe Cokanasiga (Bath Rugby, 9 caps)
