The monastic setting of Bisham Abbey, once the training base of the country’s football team, is now home for a golden generation of rugby players. It is where David Beckham practised his free kicks in the early 2000s, a time before England’s world-beating Under 20 squad were born.
Mail Sport were granted unprecedented access behind the scenes with the World Cup winners, who are two from two in their Six Nations title defence after commanding victories over Ireland and France.
Standing on the sideline, the first thing that strikes you is their size. These are no ordinary kids. Some of them are already bigger than their counterparts in the men’s team.
They bark orders about entering the ‘kill zone’ and defending their castle. Similar buzz words are used throughout every step of the English rugby pathway. ‘F***ing hit it,’ shouts one of the forwards during their mauling session. This is not child’s play.
A few forwards squabble over the XXXL training tops as they head back inside for an analysis session. The pathway has stalled in recent years but the picture is changing. They won the Under 20 World Cup last year and up to 10 of them have been earmarked for senior honours.
Chandler Cunningham-South and Asher Opoku-Fordjour have already broken through but the best is yet to come. They are a group brimming with confidence after conquering the world, and they are not afraid to show it.
England’s Under 20s bark orders about ‘the kill zone’ and ‘defending their castle’ during training
Kepu Tuipulotu (right) is a cousin of Mako and Billy Vunipola, Toby Faletau and Sione Tuipulotu
England kicked off their Under 20 Six Nations title defence with a 19-3 win in Ireland
They followed that up with a 27-10 victory over France at the Rec in Bath last Friday
‘The other night we were talking about how many players here are gunning to represent England at the 2027 World Cup,’ says 19-year-old hooker Kepu Tuipulotu, whose cousins include Billy and Mako Vunipola, Toby Faletau and Sione Tuipulotu. Not a bad rugby pedigree.
Last year, while Tuipulotu was still doing his A Levels, then Wales head coach Warren Gatland asked him to play for the country in the 2024 Six Nations. He turned down the offer and he is now regarded as one of the brightest prospects on the English production line.
He is not the only player from strong bloodline. Winger Jack Bracken, the son of 2003 World Cup winner Kyran, stops by to explain why there are broken baguettes on the floor of the meeting room ahead of their match against France.
‘Our doctor had a topless baguette fight with our physio during our defensive review,’ explains Bracken. ‘It was all about not switching off while the French attack and they were doing it as a bit of a distraction tactic as we watched some clips.
‘It’s pretty normal for them to come in with a few unusual acts! It’s good to have a fun environment.’
A team of a dozen or so support staff work on the computers, studying drone footage of training and GPS data. They have adopted an Avengers theme for this year’s Six Nations campaign and messaging is plastered across the walls, including an image of Thor to reinforce their hammer ‘blitz’ defence.
The senior team have moved away from the high-risk, high-reward blitz because there was too much to lose on the Test stage. However, the Under 20s have decided to keep it, with the hope that it will pay off in a few years’ time.
‘Last year, the senior team had the hammer defence and we did the same,’ explains Lucas Friday, the sharp scrum-half. ‘The seniors changed it this year but we’ve decided to keep it. For us, we think it will work. If and when we get up there in the future, we’ll be a bit more familiar with it.’
Henry Pollock has been tipped for big things and has been called into senior England camps
Nik Simon and Andy Hooper were granted behind the scenes access at Bisham Abbey
England want at least 10 of this talented Under 20s group to graduate to the senior squad
Friday is the son of the former England Sevens coach, Mike, and is mentored by Danny Care and his 101 England caps at Harlequins. At 18 years and seven months he is one of the youngest players in the camp and, at 11st 7lb, is working on a tailored program to prepare for the physical demands of the men’s game.
‘This year is the main time for me to put on some strength, speed and fitness,’ adds Friday. ‘I’ve got a development block to hopefully get bigger and stronger. A lot more gym.
‘I don’t look like I do, but right now I’m eating around 4,500 calories. Five big meals a day; breakfast at home, breakfast at the club, lunch, dinner around 5pm after training and another dinner around 8pm.
‘Danny Care has been helping out. My dad, too. I see a lot of my characteristics in (South Africa scrum-half) Faf de Klerk. He’s not the biggest lad but he’s ferocious.’
The players are on a carefully nurtured path towards senior rugby. Talent depth charts are shared between coaches at senior level, Under 20 and Under 18.
Tuipulotu, Bracken and Friday’s names will appear on lists with the likes of Luke Cowan-Dickie, Tommy Freeman and Alex Mitchell. Look out too for the likes of Ben Redshaw, Billy Sela, Archie McParland, Junior Kpoku, Henry Pollock, and Angus Hall – all identified as ones to watch.
‘There’s no actual target but we identify players that could go on to the senior team,’ explains head coach Mark Mapletoft. ‘We have tiers within that: a handful of caps, 50 caps, 100 caps.
‘Our job is to provide an environment where we can create well-rounded players for the top level. We identify players who might benefit from training with the seniors; someone like Henry Pollock who would benefit from being taken out of his comfort zone. Some players go and play for the A team. Every player is different.
Olamide Sodeke, a 6ft 7in second row, is being mentored by England captain Maro Itoje
Nothing is child’s play for the Under 20 world champions as they target the senior side
The group have been inspired by the likes of Chandler Cunningham-South and Asher Opoku-Fordjour making it into the first team
‘We’ve aligned the men’s pathway from Under 18 upwards. A player can be part of this space for just shy of four years.
‘You can come in straight from Year 11 and exit the programme four years later having played for the Under 18s and two Junior World Cups. That’s close to 40-odd playing opportunities. It’s like progressing through a curriculum at school.
‘In the past, the age group teams have trained at different places, had different philosophies, different ways of doing things.
‘They could have been in Newcastle or Manchester or wherever but now most of our camps are here. There’s a lot more synergy and a really clear model.
‘We sat down 18 months ago, coming off the back of Covid, and said, “This is the time to look at what we’re doing”. From last year and this year, I would like to see between six and 10 of the players capped by the seniors.’
No stone is left unturned. They now have a dedicated scrum coach, former Bath prop Nathan Catt, to help unearth the next generation of props. Sela, at 6ft 2in and 19st 10lb, was born to Fijian parents and has all the physical attributes required for the front row. Transitioning into men’s scrummaging is the biggest challenge so game time is key.
‘When I saw Asher (Opoku-Fordjour) break through into the firsts squad, it shows how close we are,’ says Sela. ‘Tom Harrison, the seniors’ scrum coach, often pops up and gives us tips. The seniors do a lot more conditioning whereas we are more gym based.
‘They push us but not to the point where we’re finished. It’s mainly power. Size isn’t a problem for most of us boys, there’s a lot of that in our team.
The team are brimming with confidence and are on course for more success this year
The Under 20s are using Bisham Abbey where the England football team used to train
They enjoy games nights, meals out and talk about friendships that extend beyond camp
Every player mentions the ‘brotherhood’. A group of youngsters aiming for a common goal
‘We know we can go big in the gym but it’s high reps because they want repeatability – get off the line, come back, get off the line again.
‘A few of us boys were here last year so we know how it works. We know what we have to do and when it comes to the games we turn on. All of us are confident.
‘Everyone here loves to talk. Everyone’s confident in our team and what we can do. There are characters in our team. The people who chat the most back it up. Against Ireland in round one, we went down to 14 but we were just driven by our confidence. I started to lose my voice because everyone was shouting!’
Every player talks about the ‘brotherhood’. A group of youngsters on a crusade with a common goal. They enjoy games nights, meals out and talk about friendships that extend beyond camp.
Many of them juggle training with academic studies. Take Olamide Sodeke, the 6ft 7in lock who has been taken under the wing of England captain Maro Itoje at Saracens. He made his senior club debut in January but is balancing rugby with an economics and management degree at Kings College London.
‘Maro tells me stories about cycling to the station after training to go to uni in London,’ says Sodeke. ‘He tells me that us boys have it easy!
‘Being able to share a workplace with Maro and soak up all the information from him, it’s something I’m so grateful for. He’s a brilliant fella, a great leader, always willing to help. I’m always asking him picky rugby questions about line-out triggers and the reasoning behind his calls. Picking his brains to understand why he’s doing certain things.’
Sooner or later, the cream of this talented crop will be joining Itoje on the main stage.
Sooner or later, the cream of this talented crop will be stepping up onto the main stage
The Under 20s have a dedicated scrum coach, Nathan Catt, to unearth the next wave of props
How England celebrated France victory
Steve Borthwick granted his players a few days off after England’s late victory over France at Twickenham.
Skipper Maro Itoje enjoyed a night at the iconic Ronnie Scott’s jazz bar in Soho, watching the Billy Harper quintet.
Centre Ollie Lawrence booked in for a staycation in the Cotswolds at the Fish Hotel, whose guests include Made in Chelsea star Binky Felstead.
And Marcus Smith showed his support for Filipino boxer Tom Welland by attending his win against Michael Ramabeletsa at the Brentwood Centre.
Matt Sherratt is unveiled as Wales’ new interim head coach …in his Cardiff training gear
Sherratt’s crash course
Matt Sherratt was unveiled as Wales’ new interim head coach while still wearing his Cardiff training gear and then vowed to learn the Welsh national anthem on YouTube.
Sherratt, who has an English father and a Welsh mother, has been parachuted in after Warren Gatland’s exit.
Such was the rush in appointing Sherratt, that the current Cardiff coach drove straight from a session with his club side.
‘I’ll be on YouTube tomorrow,’ said Sherratt, when asked if he knew the words to Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers).
Quirke not for sale
England scrum-half Raffi Quirke is set to sign a new contract at Sale.
Raffi Quirke is set to sign a new deal at Sale after being linked with moves elsewhere
The 23-year-old, who is currently injured, has been linked with moves to Exeter, Harlequins and Saracens.
However, he is now expected to stay put in Manchester for at least another season.
Offiahs on fire
It has been a good week for the family of Martin Offiah, with the code-switching rugby player’s sons both enjoying big moments in their young sporting careers.
Phoenix Offiah, 15, has signed a contract with Tottenham Hotspur while Bath wing Tyler Offiah, 18, was invited to train with the England Under 20 squad at Bisham Abbey.
