U20 Six Nations: England's Mark Mapletoft and Tom Burrow are motivated for back-to-back titles

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As current holders of both the World Rugby U20 Champions as well as the U20 Six Nations, England head coach Mark Mapletoft faces his toughest tournament yet in the role. The opening match, away against Ireland in Cork, will be played on Thursday and is a huge test of character, with a partisan crowd expected. 

With the likelihood being that teams will raise their game against the reigning champions, as well as the expectation that comes with it, all signs are pointing to England facing stern competition, no more so than in the opener. 

Find your local Greene King and settle in for the 2025 Six Nations!

Another issue that is often forgotten is the motivational aspect, speaking about how to keep the players mentally fresh and focused after such an impressive year, the head coach said: 

"Well, I think it’s a bit easier if that’s perceived to be an enjoyable, successful space, which we would always like to think that it is. It’s one where we provide a framework for the players to be in. We want to we want them to be themselves.  

"We want them to meet new friends, to make some lifelong acquaintances.  And there’s always enough hurn every year for it to be slightly different.  There’s always new coaches, there’s always new staff, there’s always new players. It’s the same venue, but we try and mix it up as much as we can." 

He compared the successes of last year as reaching the top of a mountain, something which he looks forward to doing again. 

"When you’ve been to the top of the mountain, which we did last summer, it was a brilliant achievement, but we’ve got to get back to the top of Everest again, haven’t we? That’s the challenge ahead for a new group of people, and one I’m really looking forward to. It’s the enthusiasm, the energy that the lads bring into camp. Somebody in their 50s like me, it keeps me going." 

Henry Pollock is a surprise inclusion to the starting XV for the first game, having recently trained with the senior team and seemingly in contention for some minutes in the Six Nations. With the Saints flanker having trained with the senior squad in Girona last week, Mapletoft spoke about integrating him back into the U20 set up: 

"It’s been a challenge and players priorities when they’re playing at first team level and get training opportunities with the seniors, it is difficult to balance that out. But look, Henry’s been in and around this group now.  Tom (Burrow) and Henry toured South Africa together in summer of 2022 you know a lot of these players. They know each other through the pathway." 

Speaking more about the pathway and the benefits of integrating age groups into each other as well as into the senior team, Mapletoft talked about it in Pollock's context:  “It's a brilliant opportunity for our young lads to get those training opportunities.  

"That’s part of an integrated pathway, that the pathway doesn’t have a start point or an end point, it’s a continuous period of time in a person’s development. Steve (Borthwick) made that decision to give him those training opportunities, I think it was brilliant." 

Mapletoft has selected Tom Burrow as his captain for the first game of the Under 20s Six Nations. 

The Sale Sharks lock will lead his team out at Virgin Media Park in Cork. For those not so familiar with his leadership style, Burrow gave an insight as to what he is like in the dressing room: 

"I’m confident, I like to take authority, but also I feel like I work well when I communicate with lads, individually, checking up on boys and making sure we’re on the same page, and then going out and doing it. You can’t be a leader unless you put it in yourself.  So you have to make sure your actions replicate your words." 

Creating a winning team is not only about performing on the pitch, but also about what happens off it, and having the togetherness to get through the tough moments. Burrow spoke about what this group is like off the pitch: 

"It’s a really close group. A lot of us have known each other for probably two, three years, and the fresh blood they’ve added so great value to the group.  

"I think adding a bit of leadership, and a bit of fun along the way, is helping this group together.  I think there’s enough charisma in the team. So for me, it’s just about sort of directing that and keeping us on track. The boys want to go and do it again. So there’s not too much for me to do, really." 

When asked about who exactly in the team brings the charisma, he said: 

"There’s a lot of boys that like laugh away from training. One that springs to mind, Junior Kpoku.  We all know, Junior has been playing a lot, and he, he likes to, likes to say his piece, but he backs it up on the pitch. He’s always got something to say, you could say that." 

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