Ten of the squad are already capped from last season’s matches with Matthew Jones reclaiming the No 10 jersey in a side captained by No 8 Jonathan Mills. Wing Aled Brew follows in the footsteps of brother Nathan – who went on to win a senior cap – while there are two new faces on the replacements bench in Cardiff prop Phillip Osborne and Penzance scrum half Rhodri McAtee.
Wales finished sixth in last summer’s World Cup, losing twice to England in Glasgow, 23-14 and 26-19, as well as going down 22-19 in a Six Nations thriller at Gloucester last season. England have handed Leicester prospect Tom Varndell his chance to shine with selection to the squad.
Varndell, who has already shown his paces in the Zurich Premiership this season, is joined by fellow Tigers backs Ross Broadfoot and Matt Cornwell.
“We are all excited at the prospect of seeing this new group play their first game together,” said England Under-21 coach Jim Mallinder. “England faced Wales on three occasions last season in the Six Nations and world championship, and although we won each time, they were a very difficult team to play.”
Wales U21: Ricky Williams (Newport); Aled Brew (Ospreys/Neath), Andrew Bishop (Neath), Gavin Evans (Scarlets/Llanelli), Chris Czekaj (Cardiff); Matthew Jones (Ospreys), Wayne Evans (Carmarthen Quins); Scott Roberts (Bridgend), Duane Goodfield (Pontypridd), Cai Griffiths (Neath/Ospreys), Alun Wyn-Jones (Swansea), Ian Evans (Neath), Chris Davies (Bridgend), Rhys Shellard (Pontypridd), Jonathan Mills (Scarlets, captain)
Replacements: Rhys James (UWIC), Ross Davies (Newbridge), Phillip Osborne (Cardiff), James Merriman (Hartpury Coll/Gloucester), Tom Smith (Neath), Aled Thomas (Carmarthen Quins), Rhodri McAtee (Penzance)
England U21 Squad: Backs – Bedford (Saracens), Broadfoot (Leicester), Cornwell (Leicester), Davis (Bath), Foden (Sale Sharks), Morgan (Gloucester), Varndell (Leicester), Wellwood (Wasps), Whatling (Worcester)
Forwards – Blaze (Worcester), Briggs (Rotherham), Cox (Sale Sharks), Cracknell (Harlequins), Croall (Saracens), Cusack (Leeds), Goodman (Bath), Halsall (Sale Sharks), Hampson (Leicester), Haskell (Wasps), Rees (Wasps), Smith (Bath), Ward (Bath)
