Four Chiefs Academy players to face South Africa for England U18s

Exeter Chiefs Academy and Exeter College have provided four players to the England U18s squad that will take on South Africa U18s in the 2026 U18 International Series.

Jeremey Keys will start in the second row with Will McIntosh retaining his sport at full-back and Archie Guyver has been brought back in on the wing. Centre Jack McIntosh will look to make an impact from the bench to take on the hosts on home turf tomorrow - KO 14:30 BST - at Stellenberg High School

Exeter Chiefs assistant academy manager Marc Dibble said: “All four players are great young men and are super talented rugby players. They all have a certain amount of natural talent, but they have also worked really hard with their clubs and the College to get where they are today. The reports from South Africa say they are working just as hard over there, which is testament to where they have come from.”

Jon Hill, rugby academy lead at Exeter College, said: “As a College, we are so proud of our players and their achievements. To have four players selected in the same England U18s squad is remarkable and is indicative of the strength of the programmes being run at their clubs, the Exeter Chiefs Academy and at the College.

"Our coaches put a lot of detail into their development, but it is very much up to the players and their attitudes as to how much they want to absorb and how motivated they are to commit to their individual player development programmes.

“These four, plus many others on the programme, have demonstrated a work ethic and a desire to improve which places them in contention for a really bright future and gaining international honours recognises this. This is a key step for the lads but is also still the beginning of their journeys."

England U18s’ head coach Jonathan Pendlebury said: "We're proud of the way this group has represented the Rose so far on tour, showing real ambition with ball in hand and outstanding mental resilience in victories over Georgia and France.

"Throughout the programme we've challenged the players to take ownership of their development, support one another and embrace every opportunity to grow, and that mindset remains as important as ever ahead of this final test.

"Facing South Africa in South Africa demands a relentless approach, and we know we must continue getting better in every area of our game if we want to perform at our best.

"Most importantly, we want the players and staff to enjoy the occasion, play with pride and express themselves in an England shirt against a strong home side."

This fixture, the last in the series, will be streamed live on SuperSport Schools and Official Springbok YouTube channel.

England U18s

15 Will McIntosh (Exeter Chiefs, Exeter College, Kingsbridge RFC, 2 caps)

14 Taniel Tumusiime (Saracens, Harrow School, Wasps FC, 2 caps)

13 Will Moore (Bristol Bears, Clifton College, South Gower RFC, 4 caps)

12 Zac Jones (Gloucester Rugby, Mill Hill, Westcombe Park RFC, 6 caps)

11 Archie Guyver (Exeter Chiefs, Exeter College, Ivybridge RFC, 5 caps)

10 Oscar Talbot (Leicester Tigers, Rugby School, Barkers Butts RFC, 8 caps*)

9 Sonny Goode (Northampton Saints, Bloxham School, Banbury RFC, 7 caps)

1 Kaiden Corbett (Bristol Bears, SGS College, Cleve RFC, 2 caps)

2 Tiane Elone (Saracens, Mill Hill, Westcombe Park RFC, 5 caps)

3 Lawrence Ogbonnaya (Sale Sharks, Kirkham Grammar School, Winnington Park, 5 caps*)

4 Fin Charles (Leicester Tigers, Denstone College, Newark Rugby Club, 6 caps)

5 Jeremy Keys (Exeter Chiefs, Exeter College, Withycombe RFC, 5 caps)

6 Kwame Bekoe (Leicester Tigers, Norwich School, Norwich RFC, 9 caps)

7 Charlie Bray (c) (Sale Sharks, Kirkham Grammar School, Preston Grasshoppers RFC, 6 caps*)

8 Ediz Karsak (Saracens, The Judd School, Sevenoaks Rugby Club, 2 caps*)

Replacements

16 Henry Sui (Bath Rugby, Beechen Cliff School, Salisbury Rugby Club, 2 caps)

17 Henry Veale (Bath Rugby, Beechen Cliff School, Blandford RFC, 2 caps)

18 Joe Edmunds (Leicester Tigers, Denstone College, Belper Rugby Club, 1 cap)

19 Ben Allen (Bath Rugby, Wellington College, Gosport and Fareham Rugby Club, 6 caps)

20 Jordan Ikeh (Sale Sharks, Stockport Grammar, Stockport Rugby Club, 4 caps)

21 Will Bayston (Sale Sharks, Sedbergh School, Selby RFC, 8 caps)

22 Will Catley (Northampton Saints, Stowe School, Market Bosworth RFC, 2 caps)

23 Jack McIntosh (Exeter Chiefs, Exeter College, Kingsbridge RFC, 2 caps)

24 Jack Tyler (Harlequins, Cardinal Newman, Pulborough RFC, 2 caps)

25 Jeremiah German (Northampton Saints, Ipswich School, Colchester RFC, 2 caps)

26 Charles Morgan (Saracens, Mill Hill, Aylesford Bulls, 2 caps)

*denotes capped at U19s level