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IRB Junior World Championship
England out for revenge in JWC final
Scrum.com
June 20, 2009
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England Under-20s skipper Calum Clark takes on the Samoa defence, England v Samoa, IRB Junior World Championship, Prince Chichibu Stadium, Tokyo, June 13, 2009
Calum Clark will lead England Under 20 into battle in Tokyo © Getty Images
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England take on reigning champions New Zealand in the final of the Junior World Championship in Tokyo on Sunday, with the English hoping to avenge their loss in last year's decider.

The brute strength of England will go up against the technical excellence of the Baby Blacks, who were impressive in seeing off Australia in the semi-final. New Zealand coach Dave Rennie is expecting a huge challenge from England and said his team would have to refocus for the final despite strong performances from Hurricanes wing Zac Guildford, and Junior Player of the Year nominees Winston Stanley and Aaron Cruden.

"The English team has some very big boys in it and have played over a dozen games this year," he said. "It's going to be a big challenge but our team has grown as group over the past few weeks and are looking forward to the occasion."

England coach Mark Mapletoft has made one change for the final, with Saracens hooker Jamie George getting the nod alongside Bob Baker and Ben Moon in the front-row.Calum Clark leads the team from openside, with Rory Clegg and Ben Youngs continuing their impressive development at half-back.

Tom Homer starts at fullback and will be looking to add to his impressive points haul so far this tournament, with Gloucester's Charlie Sharples and Harlequins' George Lowe alongside him.

"People say games are won and lost up front and there's no doubt that we have a strong pack," said Mapletoft. "But you also need a good blend and we've got great half backs, a decent backline, pace out wide and a phenomenal goal kicker, which is a big plus in keeping momentum. Tom Homer averages 87% which is an incredible success rate for a player of his age. When you think that he's had limited top level kicking experience it's quite amazing."

New Zealand: Robbie Robinson (Southland), Nafi Tuitavake (North Harbour), Winston Stanley (Auckland), Shaun Treeby (Wellington), Zac Guildford (Hawke's Bay), Aaron Cruden (Manawatu, captain), Frae Wilson (Wellington), Trent Boswell-Wakefield (Hawke's Bay), Bernie Hall (Canterbury), Brendon O'Connor (Canterbury), Daniel Faleafa (Auckland), Alex Ryan (Southland), Ma'afu Fia (Manawatu), Brayden Mitchell (Southland), Willie Ioane (Manawatu).

Replacements: Shae Tamati (Hawke's Bay), Latu Talakai (Waikato), Leighton Price (Hawke's Bay), Elliot Dixon (Canterbury), Tom Taylor (Canterbury), Codey Rei (Taranaki), Ken Pisi (North Harbour).

England: Tom Homer (London Irish), George Lowe (Harlequins), Henry Trinder (Gloucester Rugby), Luke Eves (Bristol), Charlie Sharples (Gloucester), Rory Clegg (Newcastle Falcons), Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers), Ben Moon (Exeter Chiefs), Jamie George (Saracens), Bob Baker (London Wasps), Graham Kitchener (Worcester Warriors), James Gaskell (Sale Sharks), Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), Calum Clark (Leeds Carnegie, capt), Carl Fearns (Sale Sharks)

Replacements: James Clark (London Irish), Shaun Knight (Gloucester), Dan Williams (Gloucester), Josh Ovens (Bath), Dave Lewis (Gloucester), Rob Miller (Newcastle Falcons), Jack Cobden (Leicester Tigers)

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