Six Nations Under-20s special

Introducing Danny Wright, England under-20 lock. Initially called up to the international squad for the Six Nations tournament last year, he has fast become a senior member of the squad. With one international cap already under his belt, he is on for a second and to break into the team, starting with Friday’s match against Italy.


International Rugby at any level requires a strong team, with a strong mentality and strong characters. That is no different at the very competitive under-20s level, where the eagerness to impress and show character is a huge part of a player’s game. Danny Wright displays this no end.

At 20-years-old and playing in his second Six Nations campaign with the England under-20s, he is looked upon as one of the more senior members of the squad. Young players just entering the international fray look to him and the other senior players for leadership and to set an example. This is a pressure that he thrives on.

“This year I have more input, because I’m like a senior player in the team. In a way it puts pressure on me because I got to lead by example and there are young boys coming in. But now I can enjoy it more because I’m actually part of the squad, whereas last year I got called into it. There’s more responsibility on my shoulders now to take more of an authoritative role. I enjoy being a directive figure.”

The young player, who is on loan at Cinderford from his parent club Gloucester, understands this role fully and attributes the closeness of the squad and management to the high confidence in the camp ahead of Friday’s match against Italy in Venice.

“We have a strong team leadership group, based of four or five players, which feeds back to us and the management. Our team is full of motivators, we’re all passionate and we all lead each other on.”

Confidence breeds success and this can be seen following the huge 41-14 victory over Wales last week. Wright puts this down to the focus and concentration of the team, together with the sense of camaraderie. It is this camaraderie within the whole of the set up which makes gruelling matches abroad much more manageable.

“With the management and the group of lads we have, it [playing away from home] doesn’t really change. We are as focused as if we were at home and with everything we use and all the facilities we have, it’s like nothing has changed.”

It is not just the work that the under-20 squad does that prepares them, it is also the interaction with the senior squad and the attention to detail that helps the players learn and develop.

“We trained with the full first team seniors and took a lot out of that. That has made us confident.

Then we all [the youth team] get together. All the forwards will have a meeting, talk through what we need to do, what we need to work on and the same with the backs. Then we all come together and get focus.”

Despite the positive mood throughout the camp, the match against Italy is huge and will no doubt have a bearing on the direction of the Six Nations championship. Wright and the rest of the squad know that they can’t take any match lightly and with a trip to France and a massive game against Ireland just around the corner, focus and preparation is essential.

With Scotland’s draw with France last week though, nothing is predictable in this year’s tournament.




Catch Sportsvibe’s follow-up with Danny Wright next week.

Danny Wright is exclusively represented by Total Sport Promotions.