England’s first game is against Ireland at Benetton Treviso’s Stadio Communale di Monigo on Friday (kick-off 5.10pm BST) with Scotland and South Africa making up the rest of Pool C.
England put one over Ireland and Scotland on their way to a 2011 RBS 6 Nations Grand Slam and Leicester Tigers prop Ryan Bower says the squad want to build on that success.
“Everyone is looking forward to getting out there and playing,” says the 20-year-old Bower. “The success we had through the Six Nations, everyone is looking to keep that momentum going into the World Championships.
“Everyone is excited from winning the Six Nations and looking to build on the performances we put together.
“It is going to be a lot hotter and the grounds will be a lot firmer than they were during the Six Nations. Some of the Southern Hemisphere teams will be used to it already. Some of the Southern Hemisphere teams will be used to it already.”
Bower made his first Tigers start in the LV= Cup game away to Ospreys this season and came off the bench against Newcastle Falcons at Welford Road for his first Aviva Premiership appearance. He is joined in the England U20s squad by Tigers team-mates Matt Everard and George Ford and there is plenty of Aviva Premiership experience with the likes of Owen Farrell (Saracens), Joe Launchbury (London Wasps) and Jonathan Joseph (London Irish) also selected.
England reaching the final at the first two IRB Junior World Championship in 2008 and 2009, where they were beaten by New Zealand, the tournament’s only winners, and Bower is hoping to go one better this year.
“I have watched it on television for the last couple of summers,” says the former pupil at John Cleveland College in Hinckley. “England have done well getting to the final. Hopefully we can do that and beat whoever comes.”
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