England A national rugby union team
Rugby team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
England A is England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England Saxons. England A were unbeaten for 13 games until losing to Ireland A, now known as Ireland Wolfhounds, in the 2009 Churchill Cup Final on 21 June 2009.
| |||
| Union | Rugby Football Union | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | Mark Mapletoft | ||
| Captain | Ethan Roots | ||
| |||
| First match | |||
 England XV 29–0  Canada(30 September 1967) | |||
| Largest win | |||
England A 91–5  Portugal(25 February 2024) | |||
| Largest defeat | |||
England Saxons 0–35  Scotland A(3 February 2012) | |||
England A was one of three sides that regularly competed in the now-defunct annual Churchill Cup competition, the others being the full national teams of Canada and the United States. From 2006 onwards, they also regularly played two matches against other European countries in parallel with the full Six Nations Championship.
History
England's second team was known as England B until 1992, when it was renamed as England A. In 2000, as part of its long-term strategic plan, the RFU re-examined the role of the 'second team' and decided that a change of name was desirable. Several names were considered – for example, England Aces and England Bloods – before the name England Saxons was chosen from a short-list of possibles. The change of name took effect from mid-May 2006, just before the start of that year's Churchill Cup.
England Saxons participated in the Churchill Cup from its inception in 2003 until its demise following the 2011 edition. Under the final format, they played three games: two at the pool stage and one on finals day. The Saxons also played two matches each season against the other teams competing in the Six Nations Championship – (France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales) – with the games being played on the same weekends as Six Nations test matches.
The team reverted to their traditional name of England A in May 2021.[1] The name change was made ahead of the team's planned return against Scotland A that summer, having been on an extended hiatus since its two-match series win over South Africa A in 2016.[2] However, this fixture was ultimately cancelled, due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Scotland squad.[3]
In November 2023, it was announced that England A would make another revival the following spring, coinciding with the 2024 Six Nations.[4] In their first game in eight years, England A achieved their biggest ever win, defeating Portugal by 91–5 in February 2024.[5] This marked the beginning of a more regular schedule of fixtures for the side, with another match against Australia A taking place in November of that year.[6]
Concept
England A are seen as an integral part of the RFU's development process:[7]
England Saxons is a key part of the development pathway to the senior side...
The future success of rugby in England depends, to a large extent, on the next best 15 players.
England A will give up and coming players a platform to perform in an international environment and to show that they can make the step up when required.
— Andy Robinson (England head coach), 18 May 2006
Recent results
The following is a list of England A's recent match results, since the team's revival in February 2024, as well as upcoming scheduled fixtures:
Win Draw Loss Upcoming
| 25 February 2024 | England A |
91–5 | Portugal |
Welford Road, Leicester | |
| 13:00 GMT (UTC+0) | Try: Blamire 2' m Pearson 5' m Barbeary 13' m Tuima 18' c Muir 24' c Murley (3) 28' c, 71' m, 75' m Hodge 33' c Ojomoh 40' c Penalty try 41' Riley 52' m Shillcock 57' m Beard 62' c Fisilau 67' c Con: Hodge (5/6) 19', 25', 29', 34', 40+1' Shillcock (2/5) 63', 68' |
Report | Try: Vareiro 59' m Cards: Vareiro  18' |
Attendance: 15,123 Referee: Luc Ramos (France) | |
| England A: Forwards – 1. Baxter 2. Blamire 3. Heyes 4. Tuima 5. Ewels (c) 6. Pearson 7. Pepper 8. Barbeary Backs – 9. Randall 10. Atkinson 11. Muir 12. Ojomoh 13. Beard 14. Murley 15. Hodge Substitutes – 16. Riley 17. Haffar 18. Iosefa-Scott 19. Bamber 20. Fisilau 21. Englefield 22. Shillcock 23. Hartley | |||||
| Portugal: Forwards – 1. Arrojado 2. Vicente 3. Prim 4. Andrade 5. Fernandes 6. Ribeiro 7. F. Almeida 8. Roque Backs – 9. Pinto 10. Vareiro 11. J. Cortes 12. Nobre 13. Leite 14. Gomes 15. A. Almeida Substitutes – 16. Da Cunha 17. Rodrigues 18. Turabelidze 19. Batista 20. Cabaco 21. B. Almeida 22. D. Cortes 23. Da Camara | |||||
| 17 November 2024 | England A |
38–17 |  Australia A |
Twickenham Stoop, London | |
| 14:00 GMT (UTC+0) | Try: Heyes 6' m Murley (2) 42' m, 77' c Langdon 56' c Fisilau 61' c Muir 67' c Con: Atkinson (2/4) 57', 62' Shillcock (2/2) 68', 78' |
Report | Try: Reimer 9' c Van Nek 65' c Con: Lynagh (1/1) 10' McLaughlin-Phillips (1/1) 66' Pen: Lynagh (1/1) 30' |
Referee: Eoghan Cross (Ireland) | |
| England A: Forwards – 1. Opoku-Fordjour 2. Oghre 3. Heyes 4. Tizard 5. Clark 6. Pearson 7. Pollock 8. Willis Backs – 9. Porter 10. Atkinson 11. Ibitoye 12. Dingwall (c) 13. Beard 14. Murley 15. Carpenter Substitutes – 16. Langdon 17. Iyogun 18. Fasogbon 19. Tuima 20. Fisilau 21. McParland 22. Shillcock 23. Muir | |||||
| Australia A: Forwards – 1. Hoopert 2. Nasser 3. De Lutiis 4. Smith 5. Canham 6. Hooper 7. Reimer 8. Brial Backs – 9. R. Lonergan (c) 10. Lynagh 11. Lancaster 12. Stewart 13. Walton 14. Toole 15. Campbell Substitutes – 16. L. Lonergan 17. Lambert 18. Van Nek 19. Blyth 20. Scott 21. Fines-Leleiwasa 22. McLaughlin-Phillips 23. Sapsford | |||||
| 23 February 2025 | England A |
28–12 |  Ireland A |
Ashton Gate, Bristol | |
| 13:00 GMT (UTC+0) | Try: Hassell-Collins 13' c Van Poortvliet 25' c Fisilau 74' c Penalty try 80' Con: Atkinson (2/2) 14', 26' Shillcock (1/1) 75' |
Report | Try: Bolton 17' m Gavin 76' c Con: Doak (1/1) 77' Cards: Deegan 80' |
Referee: Ben Breakspear (Wales) | |
| England A: Forwards – 1. Brantingham 2. Langdon (vc) 3. Kloska 4. Tizard 5. Lockett 6. Pearson 7. Kenningham 8. Barbeary Backs – 9. Van Poortvliet (c) 10. Atkinson 11. Hassell-Collins 12. Butt 13. Ojomoh 14. Elliott 15. Carpenter Substitutes – 16. Oghre 17. Haffar 18. Green 19. Capstick 20. Fisilau 21. Porter 22. Shillcock 23. Hendy | |||||
| Ireland A: Forwards – 1. O'Toole 2. Barron 3. Aungier 4. O'Connell 5. Murray 6. Deegan (c) 7. Kendellen 8. Jansen Backs – 9. Doak 10. Frawley 11. Bolton 12. Gavin 13. Postlethwaite 14. O'Brien 15. Daly Substitutes – 16. Smyth 17. McCarthy 18. Jager 19. O'Tighearnaigh 20. Soroka 21. Gunne 22. Byrne 23. Gleeson | |||||
| 21 June 2025 | England XV |
24–26 |  France XV |
Allianz Stadium, London | |
| 15:15 BST (UTC+1) | Try: Willis 23' c Coles 27' m Carpenter 39' c Dombrandt 59' m Con: Ford (2/4) 24', 40' Cards: Feyi-Waboso  33' |
Report | Try: Barlot 6' m Auradou 9' c Malez 74' c Taofifénua 80+1' c Con: Le Garrec (1/2) 10' Hastoy (2/2) 75', 80+2' Cards: Woki 55' |
Attendance: 34,129 Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland) | |
| England XV: Forwards – 1. Baxter 2. George (cc) 3. Heyes 4. Coles 5. Isiekwe 6. Hill 7. Pepper 8. Willis Backs – 9. Spencer 10. Ford (cc) 11. Feyi-Waboso 12. Atkinson 13. Slade 14. Roebuck 15. Carpenter Substitutes – 16. Dan 17. Rodd 18. Davison 19. Cunningham-South 20. Kenningham 21. Dombrandt 22. Quirke 23. Beard | |||||
| France XV: Forwards – 1. Erdocio 2. Barlot 3. Slimani 4. Auradou 5. Duguid 6. Fischer 7. Tixeront 8. Guillard Backs – 9. Le Garrec 10. Hastoy 11. Duguivalu 12. Fickou (c) 13. Gailleton 14. Moustin 15. Attisogbe Substitutes – 16. Marchand 17. Malez 18. Bamba 19. Taofifénua 20. Woki 21. Van Tonder 22. Jauneau 23. Berdeu | |||||
| 8 November 2025 | England A |
14–31 |  New Zealand XV |
The Recreation Ground, Bath[8] | |
| 13:15 GMT (UTC+0) | Try: Hodge 27' c Batley 77' c Con: Hodge (2/2) 28', 78' |
Report | Try: Tangitau 11' m Hannah 24' c Jacomb 53' c Reihana 63' c Fakatava 75' m Con: Jacomb (3/5) 25', 54', 64' |
Referee: Jérémy Rozier (France) | |
| England A: Forwards – 1. Iyogun 2. Blamire 3. Fasogbon 4. Lockett 5. Batley 6. Roots (c) 7. Pearson 8. Fisilau Backs – 9. McParland 10. Atkinson 11. Hassell-Collins 12. Ojomoh 13. Hall 14. Caluori 15. Hodge Substitutes – 16. Tuipulotu 17. Haffar 18. Sela 19. Bamber 20. Harding 21. Englefield 22. Ma'asi-White 23. Radwan | |||||
| New Zealand XV: Forwards – 1. Numia 2. McAlister 3. Dyer 4. Howden 5. Hannah 6. Flanders 7. Papali'i (c) 8. Lio-Willie Backs – 9. Preston 10. Jacomb 11. Reece 12. Havili 13. Ennor 14. Tangitau 15. Fihaki Substitutes – 16. Taylor 17. Fusitua 18. Lauaki 19. Beehre 20. Jacobson 21. Fakatava 22. Reihana 23. McLeod | |||||
| 15 November 2025 | Spain  |
25–29 | England A |
Estadio José Zorrilla, Valladolid[9] | |
| 16:00 GMT (UTC+0) | Try: Ezeala 44' c Con: Richardis (1/1) 45' Pen: Richardis (6/6) 8', 25', 37', 40', 59', 76' Cards: Cian 20'Bell 78' |
Report | Try: Caluori 33' c Hendy 62' m Tuipulotu 74' c Redshaw 78' c Con: Hodge (1/2) 34' Atkinson (2/2) 75', 79' Pen: Hodge (1/1) 54' Cards: Jibulu 7'Michelow 12' |
Attendance: 12,105 Referee: Morgan White (Hong Kong) | |
| Spain: Forwards – 1. Futeu 2. García (c) 3. Merkler 4. Foulds 5. Urraza 6. Pichardie 7. Imaz 8. Nieto Backs – 9. Bay 10. Richardis 11. Laforga 12. Gimeno 13. Ezeala 14. Cian 15. Bell Substitutes – 16. Ovejero 17. Vasquez 18. Domínguez 19. Piñeiro 20. Saleta 21. Infer 22. Vinuesa 23. Mateu | |||||
| England A: Forwards – 1. Iyogun 2. Jibulu 3. Fasogbon 4. Sodeke 5. Bamber 6. Michelow 7. Harding (c) 8. Fisilau Backs – 9. Englefield 10. Atkinson 11. Hendy 12. Ma'asi-White 13. Hall 14. Caluori 15. Hodge Substitutes – 16. Tuipulotu 17. Haffar 18. Sela 19. Owen 20. Richards 21. McParland 22. Woodward 23. Redshaw | |||||
| 6 February 2026 | Ireland XV |
14–52 | England A |
Thomond Park, Limerick[10] | |
| 19:15 GMT (UTC+0) | Try: Gleeson 23' c Kenny 38' c Con: Frawley (2/2) 24', 39' Cards: Wycherley 42' |
Report | Try: Roots (2) 8' c, 78' c Searle 18' m Hassell-Collins (2) 28' m, 50' c Randall 35' c Kloska 43' c Murley 61' c Con: Searle (5/7) 9', 36', 44', 51', 62' Atkinson (1/1) 79' |
Referee: Benoit Rousselet (France) | |
| Ireland A: Forwards – 1. Bohan 2. McCarthy 3. Wilson 4. Irvine 5. Wycherley 6. Deegan (c) 7. Ward 8. Gleeson Backs – 9. Gunne 10. Frawley 11. Ward 12. Kelly 13. Hume 14. Kenny 15. Daly Substitutes – 16. Barron 17. Crean 18. Aungier 19. Sheridan 20. Boyle 21. Devine 22. Ford 23. Jansen | |||||
| England A: Forwards – 1. Haffar 2. Blamire 3. Kloska 4. Bamber 5. Batley 6. Roots (c) 7. Kenningham 8. Dombrandt Backs – 9. Randall 10. Searle 11. Hassell-Collins 12. Bailey 13. Northmore 14. Murley 15. Carpenter Substitutes – 16. Tuipulotu 17. Van der Flier 18. Fasogbon 19. Tizard 20. Harding 21. Quirke 22. Atkinson 23. Hendy | |||||
Squad
In January 2026, England named their 'A' squad for the match against Ireland Wolfhounds, played on 6 February 2026.[10][11]
- Head Coach:
Mark Mapletoft (RFU) - Attack Coach: James Lightfoot Brown (Gloucester)
- Defence Coach: Adam Powell (Saracens)
- Forwards Coach: James Craig (Northampton)
- Scrum Coach: Matt Ferguson (Harlequins) / Nathan Catt (Red Roses)
Note: Players capped at senior international level are listed in bold.
Caps and clubs correct as of: 23 November 2025.