London & South East U18s v South West, 20th February

Maggie Alphonsi, England Womens flanker and Talent Development Officer for the RFUW in London & South East, has named the regions team for their inaugural Under 18s match against the South West at Newbury RFC on Sunday (February 20).

The Under 18s will hope to emulate the senior London & South East side who won their inaugural match against the South West at Newbury last Sunday (February 13) by 15-5 with tries by Natalie McClarnon, Tina Lee and Hannah Gallagher.

Alphonsi said: "This is the first Under 18s Divisional match of the season and we are really excited. We have a very talented pool of players. A lot of them have been involved in the RFUW Player Pathway for the last few years so it is great to see them now part of the RFUW Divisional Programme which will give them the opportunity to show what they can do.

"There are two England U20s players involved in this squad, forwards Ellie Gattlin and Alex Matthews, and we also have a handful of AASE (Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence) players involved too. It is also great to see a good selection of players from the different London & South East counties selected. This will be a tough match, against a strong South West squad, so I am sure it will be an evenly matched encounter."

The RFUW Divisional Programme forms an integral part of the RFUW Player Pathway, which can see players from U15s upwards progress from playing club rugby to potentially representing their country. Current England stars who have qualified through the player pathway include Margaret Alphonsi and Emily Scarratt.

Players selected for the Divisional Programme have been selected by their Constituency Body and if they are successful could go on to try out for England this season, or qualify for the Under 18s and Under 15s RFUW National Talent Development Groups, which looks to develop the future talent of England Womens rugby.

London & South East Under 18 team, RFUW Divisional Programme, v South West at Newbury RFC, Sunday February 20:

15 Georgia Peedle (Hertfordshire and Welwyn)
14 Jasmine Clarke (Hampshire and Ellingham & Ringwood)
13 Nina Crowther (Sussex and Hastings)
12 Rochelle Smith (Surrey and London Irish)
11 Siobhan Longdon-Hughes (Surrey and London Irish)
10 Rosie Tugwell (Hampshire and Ellingham & Ringwood)
9 Millie Moore (Surrey and London Irish)
1 Katie Carter (Surrey and London Irish)
2 Lydia Beard (Kent and Aylesford Bulls)
3 Catherine Pugh (Essex and Rochford Hundred, capt)
4 Ellie Gattlin (Essex and Rochford Hundred)
5 Colette Broome (Surrey and Esher)
6 Sam Voyle (Hertfordshire and Welwyn)
7 Maddie Lockwood (Essex and Rochford Hundred)
8 Alex Matthews (Surrey and London Irish)

Replacements:
16 Alice Nee (Hertfordshire and Saracens)
17 Zoe Barber (Hampshire and Basingstoke)
18 Lisa Cockburn (Hampshire and Ellingham & Ringwood)
19 Claire Shutler (Hertfordshire and Saracens)
20 Florence Williams (Kent and Aylesford Bulls)
21 Shira Kilgallon (Hertfordshire and Welwyn)
22 Debbie Harwood (Sussex and Heathfield & Waldron)