Where are they now? The star-studded World Rugby U20 Championship-winning England team that ended their title drought
2013 World Rugby U20 Championship winners England.
In 2013, England finally ended their wait for World Rugby U20 Championship success, winning their first title after beating Wales 23-15 at the Stade de la Rabine in Vannes.
Before their triumphant victory that year, England had faced disappointment at the final stage three times, losing to New Zealand in 2008, 2009, and 2011.
However, Nick Walshe’s side would not be undone this time around, clinching the title for the first time.
11 years on and ahead of the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship, we take a look at where the star-studded England team that won the tournament for the first time are now.
15 Jack Nowell
One of the many stars in 2013 that would go on to represent the senior men’s team, Jack Nowell became a fan favourite with Exeter Chiefs, winning the Premiership twice with the side and claiming a Champions Cup title.
He would also rack up 45 Test caps for England, helping the side win two Six Nations titles and reach the Rugby World Cup final in 2019. He became the first Exeter Chiefs player to be selected for the British and Irish Lions and featured in the second and third Test matches against the All Blacks in 2017.
Having played well over 150 games for Exeter during his spell spanning over 12 years, Nowell left the Chiefs to sign with Top 14 club La Rochelle ahead of the 2023/24 season.
14 Anthony Watson
Widely regarded as one of the best outside backs in the game, Anthony Watson has struggled with injuries throughout his career but has still enjoyed enormous success at the highest level. At the time of writing, he has earned 56 Test caps for England’s senior team, scoring 23 tries.
He has played his club rugby for London Irish, Bath and Leicester Tigers and earned selection for the British and Irish Lions in 2017 and 2021, racking up six Test appearances.
He continues to ply his trade with Leicester Tigers, who he joined in 2022.
13 Harry Sloan
A talented midfielder, Harry Sloan, represented Worthing, Ealing Trailfinders and London Scottish while he contracted with Harlequins, who he was with between 2013 and 2018. He made a permanent move to Ealing in 2019 before a stint with Saracens between 2020 and 2022.
He packed his bags for France in 2022 joining Agen where he has become a regular starter for the side in the Top 14 and Pro D2.
12 Sam Hill
A powerful inside centre, following the success at age-grade level Sam Hill quickly became a key member of Exeter Chiefs’ midfield. While he did receive a call-up to the England senior squad, he never made his Test debut for the side.
Having played over 150 times for Exeter, Hill penned a deal to join Sale Sharks in 2020 and would represent the club until 2023, when he left England for America, signing with Major League Rugby side the Houston SaberCats.
11 Ben Howard
Winger Ben Howard represented Worcester Warriors throughout his professional playing career. After a lack of minutes in 2018, Howard decided to leave the club to join Old Elthamians and began to prepare for life after rugby. He now works as an Associate at Living Capital Markets at JLL.
10 Henry Slade
Henry Slade is the third backline player from the successful 2013 team that has gone on to represent the England senior team.
While he played age-grade rugby at fly-half, Slade has since moved into the centres, playing a pivotal role in Exeter Chiefs’ aforementioned successes.
He continues to be a key player for club and country, recently signing a contract extension with Exeter, and has played over 60 Test matches with England. With the Red Rose, he has won two Six Nations and helped the side reach the 2019 Rugby World Cup final.
9 Alex Day
The scrum-half has represented Northampton Saints, Cornish Pirates and Saracens during his career and is currently plying his trade with Bedford Blues. He is also working as a Client Engagement Executive at a Software Development company.
8 Jack Clifford (c)
Jack Clifford captained England to success in 2013 and went on to star for Harlequins in the Premiership until 2020. He, too, would go on to make his Test debut against Scotland during the 2016 Six Nations.
However, the talented back-rower’s career was brought to an end at the age of 27 after an unsuccessful major shoulder surgery after dislocating the joint in his 100th appearance for Harlequins.
He now works for the Premiership’s title sponsor, Gallagher, as a Business Development Executive.
7 Matt Hankin
Flanker Matt Hankin was forced into retirement in 2018 after his battle with concussion symptoms caused by getting hit in the head by a fire extinguisher by a teammate, which was part of a drinking game on tour.
Hankin sued Saracens after the incident and was forced to give up rugby with the £3 million case settled in 2022. He is now a coach at Haileybury College.
6 Ross Moriarty
A hard-nosed, uncompromising back-rower, Ross Moriarty went on to represent Wales at senior level after featuring in the white jersey in the 2013 final. He played nearly 100 times for Gloucester before joining the Dragons in 2018.
Ross followed his father Paul’s footsteps in playing rugby union for Wales – with his dad also representing Great Britain in rugby league. He played over 50 Test matches for Wales and toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2017.
In 2023, he headed to France, signing a deal with Pro D2 club Brive.
Remembering the greatest age-grade clash of all time between New Zealand and England
5 Dominic Barrow
The second-rower represented Yorkshire Carnegie, Newcastle Falcons, Leicester Tigers, La Rochelle and Northampton Saints before deciding to hang up his boots in 2018 to run a firm specialising in installing electric vehicle charging points. However, he made a retirement U-turn, playing for Sale Sharks in 2020.
He is now the Managing Director of three companies.
4 Tom Price
A hard-working lock, Tom Price has played for the likes of Leicester Tigers, Scarlets, Llanelli, Llandovery and Exeter Chiefs throughout his career. He continues to represent Scarlets.
3 Scott Wilson
A talented tighthead prop, Scott Wilson was unfortunately forced into retirement in 2018 due to a neck injury after playing 80 times for Newcastle Falcons. Following his retirement, he has become a Police Officer for Northumbria Police.
2 Luke Cowan-Dickie
A club legend at Exeter Chiefs, Luke Cowan-Dickie has gone on to play over 40 times for England and played all three Test matches on the 2021 British and Irish Lions.
He played over 160 times for Exeter until departing the side in 2023 for a deal with Montpellier, which ultimately fell through as he signed for Sale Sharks instead, who he continues to represent.
1 Alec Hepburn
Another player from the Exeter Chiefs academy who went on to play for the senior England men’s team. He played nearly 200 matches for Exeter Chiefs, and after playing just six times in 2018 for England, he switched international allegiances to Scotland in 2024, making his debut against Wales. Hepburn has signed for Scarlets ahead of the 2024/25 season.
16 Scott Spurling
After the World Rugby U20 Championship, hooker Scott Spurling represented Saracens between 2011 and 2019. Since hanging up his boots, Spurling has worked for a Personal Care Product Manufacturing company where he is the Head of Exports.
17 Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi
Prop Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi played for the likes of Northampton Saints, London Irish and Bedford Blues with loan moves in between.
Most recently he played for Ampthill and Tel Aviv Heat.
18 Tom Smallbone
The tighthead prop played for London Irish and London Scottish during his playing career before hanging up his boots in 2018. He has since moved into the real estate business and is currently the Development Director at a Development and Project Management practice operating in the Hotel, Residential and Commercial sectors.
19 Harry Wells
Lock Wells earned his Test debut for England’s senior team in 2021 and while he has yet to add to his cap tally, he has been a regular figure in the Leicester Tigers pack throughout the years, racking up nearly 200 caps for the Premiership club.
20 David Sisi
After spells with London Irish, Bath and Leeds, Sisi packed his bags for Italy, joining Zebre. Born in Germany, Sisi qualified for Italy through his grandparents and his father, Carlo, and debuted for the team in 2019, representing the Azzurri at the 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cups.
21 Callum Braley
A talented scrum-half, Callum Braley followed the same route as Sisi as he went on to play Test rugby for Italy, which he qualified for through his Italian grandfather.
He played 15 times for Italy between 2019 and 2022 and also played at club level for Bristol, Gloucester, and Benetton Rugby.
He joined Northampton Saints in 2022, helping the side win the 2023/24 Premiership title while also co-founding Talent Transition Group off the pitch.
22 Ollie Devoto
A playmaking backline player, Ollie Devoto quickly became a regular for Bath following his success with the U20s, playing mostly at fly-half. However, in 2016, he made the switch to Exeter Chiefs, where he was mostly in the centres, playing over 120 times for the side before announcing that he would leave the club at the end of the 2023/24 season.
23 Henry Purdy
While he did not earn international recognition, Henry Purdy impressed in the Premiership, particularly with Gloucester and Bristol Bears, while also enjoying a stint in New Zealand with Otago.
In 2023, he made the switch to France, signing with Agen.
READ MORE: Where are they now? The U20 World Rugby Players of the Year
