George Kloska and Gabriel Oghre have been named in a 25-player squad has been selected as part of a wider England Men’s A group to prepare for the side’s upcoming fixture against Ireland A at Ashton Gate Stadium.
Oghre, who was selected for England’s tour of New Zealand last summer and represented England A before Christmas, is selected again while Bristolian Kloska, a product of the Bears Academy, receives his first international call-up.
Following on from a 38-17 win over Australia A last November, England A return to action on Sunday 23rd February (13:00 GMT kick-off) in Bristol, with tickets available here. The match will be streamed live for free on RugbyPass TV.
The squad boasts four previously capped players at senior men’s level, including Leicester Tigers duo Ollie Hassell-Collins and Jack van Poortvliet, and Curtis Langdon and Tom Pearson of Northampton Saints.
Twelve of the selected cohort have achieved appearances for the England Men’s A side in at least one of their 2024 fixtures against Portugal or Australia A. 21 of the 25 players also boast caps at age-grade level for the England Rugby Men’s Pathway.
Earlier on this week, Bath Rugby’s Lee Blackett was appointed the team’s head coach and attack coach for the game. He will be accompanied by Haydn Thomas (Exeter Chiefs, defence coach), Louis Deacon (Red Roses, forwards coach) and Matt Ferguson (Northampton Saints, scrum coach) as part of his staff for the match.
The coaching team was chosen by the RFU in consultation with Premiership Rugby, with the selection of the match day 23 determined by senior men’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, and RFU Executive Director of Performance Rugby, Conor O’Shea.
The squad will assemble at the Bristol Bears High Performance Centre next Tuesday (18th) to begin preparations for the fixture later that week, where they may be joined by selected players presently training with the senior squad. The coaching staff will be supported by Strength & Conditioning, Medical and Operational staff from across Premiership Rugby, Red Roses and England Rugby Pathway for the game.
Tickets for England A vs. Ireland A at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol are available from £20 for adults and £5 for U12s* and can be purchased here.
*booking fees apply
England Men A wider squad to face Ireland A (includes current club and senior caps)
Forwards
Alfie Barbeary (Bath Rugby)
Phil Brantingham (Saracens)
Richard Capstick (Exeter Chiefs)
Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs)
Luke Green (Northampton Saints)
Tarek Haffar (Northampton Saints)
Jack Kenningham (Harlequins)
George Kloska (Bristol Bears)
Curtis Langdon (Northampton Saints, 2 caps)
Tom Lockett (Northampton Saints)
Gabriel Oghre (Bristol Bears)
Tom Pearson (Northampton Saints, 1 cap)
Hugh Tizard (Saracens)
Backs
Charlie Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby)
Orlando Bailey (Bath Rugby)
Will Butt (Bath Rugby)
Joe Carpenter (Sale Sharks)
Tobias Elliott (Saracens)
Ollie Hassell-Collins (Leicester Tigers, 2 caps)
George Hendy (Northampton Saints)
Josh Hodge (Exeter Chiefs)
Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby)
Will Porter (Harlequins)
Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers, 16 caps)
Joseph Woodward (Leicester Tigers)
England Men A coaching staff for Ireland A fixture
Lee Blackett – Head Coach and Attack Coach
Haydn Thomas – Defence Coach
Louis Deacon – Forwards Coach
Matt Ferguson – Scrum Coach
