Lilley starting for England U20s in play-off

Exeter Chiefs' Nick Lilley has retained his starting position for England U20s as they prepare to face New Zealand in a third-place play-off final.

Following a 53-37 defeat to the Junior Springboks in their semi-final on Monday evening, the Englishmen will now face the Junior All Blacks on Saturday afternoon to determine third and fourth place in the 2026 World Rugby Junior World Championship.

England campaign finale marks their first meeting with South Africa at U20s level since 2017. The two sides will face off at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tblisi. Chiefs man Lilley will start in the centre with Saracens’ Finn Keylock.

In his final game for the U20s side, Northampton Saints’ lock Aiden Ainsworth-Cave will captain the side.

Head coach Andy Titterrell said: "The group has earned this opportunity through the work they've put in across the tournament, and the commitment shown by players and staff to build strong connections, take ownership of their development and support one another every step of the way has been imperative.

“We know New Zealand will provide another huge test, but there's a real belief within our team and a unity in how we've prepared, with everyone aligned on finishing the competition strongly.

“This fixture is a chance to bring together everything we've worked on as a team and deliver a performance that reflects who we are and what we've built throughout the Championship."

England U20s:

15 George Pearson (Leicester Tigers, Buckingham RFC, 12 caps)

14 Tyler Offiah (Bath Rugby, Ealing Trailfinders, 10 caps)

13 Nick Lilley (Exeter Chiefs, Ivybridge RFC, 17 caps)

12 Finn Keylock (Saracens, Marlow RUFC, 7 caps)

11 Sam Winters (Bath Rugby, Henley Hawks, 4 caps)

10 Hugh Shields (Northampton Saints, Old Northamptonians RFC, 4 caps)

9 Jonny Weimann (Northampton Saints, Royston Rugby Club, 10 caps)

1 Oliver Scola (Northampton Saints, Old Northamptonians RFC, 17 caps)

2 Jimmy Staples (Harlequins, Worthing Rugby Club, 8 caps)

3 Ollie Streeter (Harlequins, Haywards Heath RFC, 10 caps)

4 Elliot Williams (Harlequins, London Irish Amateurs, 8 caps)

5 Aiden Ainsworth-Cave (c) (Northampton Saints, Bedford Junior Blues, 17 caps)

6 Tate Williams (Harlequins, East Grinstead RFC, 6 caps)

7 Jack Lewis (Northampton Saints, Ashby RFC, 2 caps)

8 George Marsh (Leicester Tigers, Holt RFC, 8 caps)

Replacements

16 Jerold Gorleku (Harlequins, Twickenham RFC, 5 caps)

17 Alan Poku (Saracens, Ealing Trailfinders, 2 caps)

18 Sonny Tonga’uiha (Northampton Saints, Old Northamptonians RFC, 8 caps)

19 Freddie Ogden-Metherell (Gloucester Rugby, Lydney RFC, 4 caps)

20 Kealan Freeman-Price (Gloucester Rugby, Drybrook RFC, 3 caps)

21 Lucas Friday (Harlequins, Bromley RFC, 16 caps)

22 Will Knight (Gloucester Rugby, Longlevens RFC, 12 caps)

23 Zac Finch (Saracens, Sidcup RFC, 2 caps)