Wales Under-20s Head Coach Liza Burgess has named the side to face England in the U20s Six Nations Summer Series at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma, on Tuesday, July 9th (KO: 8pm UK time) - with four Dragons named in the match day day squad.
Amy Williams, Katie Bevans and Lucy Isaac all start while Chloe Thomas Bradley is named among the replacements.
Number 8 Jess Rogers is named as captain, with co-captain Jenna De Vera named on the bench in a side with ten changes made to the starting line-up.
Wales full-back Nel Metcalfe is one of five players who starts her second game of the Women’s Summer Series in Italy.
Skipper Rogers, wing Amy Williams, prop Cadi-Lois Davies and flanker Lucy Isaac are all selected from the side that went down 57-12 to France in the morning heat in Parma.
Wales face an England side that beat Ireland 33-10 on the opening weekend of the tournament but will now kick off in the evening.
Prop Maisie Davies and fly-half Hanna Marshall, who both trained with the extended senior Six Nations for the 2024 championship, both make their first starts of the tournament.
The Wales WU20s squad includes 21 players who were in the Brython Thunder and Gwalia Lightning squads which played in last season’s Celtic Challenge tournament.
Liza Burgess, Wales WU20s Head coach, said: “We came to the Summer Series with a clear idea of what we wanted to achieve as a coaching team and that was to expose as many players as possible to this standard of rugby.
“We have made the number of the changes to the starting line-up to underline how important it is that the players get to experience and understand the demands of playing at international level.
“We know we need to find out about the players we have selected, and this is another chance to do that and an opportunity for the players to show what they can do and have to offer on this stage.
“We are expecting England to test us like France did in the opening game, but we learnt a lot from that game and need to show we can adapt and compete against one of the best sides in the world at U20s level.
“Playing sides like France and England will only help us improve as a team and as players.”
Wales WU20s to face England WU20s
Nel Metcalfe, Kim Thurlow, Ellie Tromans, Molly Anderson-Thomas, Amy Williams, Hanna Marshall, Katie Bevans; Maisie Davies, Molly Wakely, Cadi Lois Davies, Robyn Davies, Milly Summer, Catrin Stewart, Lucy Isaac, Jess Rogers (CC)
Replacements
Mollie Crabb, Chloe Thomas Bradley, Lowri Williams, Alaw Pyrs, Lily Terry, Seren Singleton, Jenna De Vera (CC), Hannah Lane
