Falcon Pascoe starts for England Under-18s
The Gosforth Academy player starts in the No 9 shirt for the English, who have fellow Falcon Will Haydon-Wood (Sedbergh School) on the bench.
The match is England’s first in the four-team series, which also involves Wales Under-18s and South Africa Schools.
Friday’s 1.15pm BST kick-off takes place at Boland Landbou, with England also due to face Wales on Tuesday and South Africa next Saturday.
The squad in South Africa are coached by Steve Bates and Jim Mallinder, who are being assisted by Mark Luffman and Nick Kennedy.
“The real challenge for this squad and therefore the excitement is going to be that for many of them and certainly altogether as a group they are representing their country for the first time, and are starting their England pathway journey,” said Bates.
“To play for your country on foreign soil is always huge challenge but also something to be proud of.
“This is the first of three highly-competitive fixtures against three established teams, so it is going to be very interesting to see how they cope with that, but will be a good reference point for the future and will be an experience that benefits them as they progress through the pathway.
“We want to see them play with ambition and a desire to play quickly. We want it to be a team performance where everyone makes a contribution, and understands what their contribution is and how important that is.”
**England U18s v France U18s**
15 Louis Lynagh – Harlequins (Hampton School)
14 Josh Gillespie – Northampton Saints (Millfield School)
13 Lennox Anyanwu – Harlequins (Christ’s Hospital)
12 Josh Hallett – Saracens (New Hall School)
11 Tom Roebuck – Sale Sharks (Wirral Grammar)
10 Tom Curtis – Sale Sharks (Sedbergh School)
9 Callum Pascoe – Newcastle Falcons (Gosforth Academy)
1 James Whitcombe – Leicester Tigers (Woodhouse Grove)
2 Alfie Barbeary – Wasps (Bloxham School)
3 Harvey Beaton – Saracens (Sutton Valence)
4 George Hammond – Harlequins (Whitgift School)
5 George Martin – Leicester Tigers (Brooksby Melton
College)
6 Harry Dugmore – Harlequins (Whitgift School)
7 Jack Clement – Gloucester Rugby (Cheltenham College)
8 Nahum Merigan – Bath Rugby (Beechen Cliff School)
**Replacements**
16 Sam Riley – Harlequins (St George’s Weybridge)
17 Rowan Mullis – Gloucester Rugby (Hartpury College)
18 Jack Hughes – Northampton Saints (Uppingham School)
19 Chunya Munga – London Irish (Leighton Park School)
20 Fin Rossiter – London Irish (Wellington College)
21 Raphael Quirke – Sale Sharks (St Ambrose College)
22 George Barton – Gloucester Rugby (Dean Close School)
23 Phil Cokanasiga – London Irish (St Pauls College)
24 Jack Bates – Bristol Bears (SGS Filton)
25 Will Haydon-Wood – Newcastle Falcons (Sedbergh School)
**Aon U18 International Series fixtures:**
**Friday, 10 August 2018 (at Boland Landbou)**
1.15pm BST – England v France
3pm BST – SA Schools v Wales
**Tuesday, 14 August 2018 (at Stellenberg)**
1.15pm BST – Wales v England
3pm – SA Schools v France
**Saturday, 18 August 2018 (at SACS)**
11.15am BST – France vs Wales
1.05pm BST – SA Schools vs England