Newcastle Falcons pair Joe Davis and Patrick Hogg have been named in England Under-18s’ squad for next Saturday’s game against France Under-18s.

Barnard Castle School scrum-half Davis (left of picture) and Durham School and Blaydon RFC lock Hogg are both part of the 24-man group heading out for the game in Chalon-sur-Saône, which kicks off at 4pm UK time.

In the most recent meeting between the two sides England emerged 41-0 victors in the 2023 U18 International Series in South Africa, scoring seven unanswered tries.

The team are readying themselves for the trip to France in anticipation for this year’s Six Nations Rugby U18 Men’s Festival, with fixtures against Wales, Scotland and the recently-introduced Georgia now confirmed at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma, Italy.

England Under-18s head coach Jonathan Pendlebury said: “We are really excited to bring this new cohort into the U18 level here at England Rugby. We’re aiming to give them positive experiences on and off the field, with what promises to be a really exciting trip across the Channel.

“In what will be our first outing of the season, France pose a great challenge for us to overcome and will prepare us nicely for our trip to Parma next month.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to not only prepare for our U18 Six Nations Festival, but also to implement our core values of exploration and adaptation as we ready these young men to excel as England internationals.”

England Under-18s squad to face France

Tayo Adegbemile (Saracens, St Albans School)

Aiden Ainsworth-Cave (Northampton Saints, Bedford School)

Jack Bracken (Saracens, St Albans School)

Ollie Davies (Sale Sharks, Kirkham Grammar)

Joe Davis (Newcastle Falcons, Barnard Castle School)

Tom Dye (Northampton Saints, Ipswich School)

Jos Gilmore (Sale Sharks, Kirkham Grammar)

Charlie Griffin (Saracens, Harrow School)

Angus Hall (Saracens, The Judd School, Tonbridge)

Patrick Hogg (Newcastle Falcons, Blaydon RFC, Durham School)

Seb Kelly (Sale Sharks, Kirkham Grammar)

George Knowles (Midlands West, Hereford Cathedral School)

Nick Lilley (Exeter Chiefs, Exeter College)

James Linegar (Bath Rugby, Kingswood School)

Tubuna Maka (Leicester Tigers, Brooksby College)

Josh Mann (Exeter Chiefs, Truro College)

Bronson Kingsley-Mellowes (Leicester Tigers, Brooksby College)

George Pearson (Midlands Central, City of Oxford College)

Solomon Shand (Gloucester Rugby, Hartpury College)

Jimmy Staples (Harlequins, Seaford College)

Connor Treacey (Bath Rugby, Beechen Cliff)

Jonny Weimann (Northampton Saints, Bedford School)

Toby Wilson (Sale Sharks, Kings Macclesfield)

Rafe Witheat (Northampton Saints, Stowe School)

England Under-18s 2024 U18 Festival fixtures

Sat March 30: v Wales (5.45pm)

Weds April 3: v Scotland (1.15pm)

Sun April 7: v Georgia (3.30pm)