Martin Johnson's son gets first England start against Italy

Thursday, 09 April 2026 at 19:42

bySteven Smith

Henry Johnson, son of England World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson, will earn his first start for England Under-18s as they prepare to face Italy in their final fixture of the 2026 U18 Six Nations Festival.

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The Leicester Tigers back-rower is named at blindside flanker in a side showing six changes from the team that defeated Georgia 35-31 earlier in the week.

Johnson, who has previously featured off the bench, now has the opportunity to make his mark from the outset as England look to finish the tournament on a high.

Lewis Continues as Captain

Northampton Saints’ Jack Lewis will captain the side for the second consecutive match, providing continuity and leadership in the back row. His clubmate Charlie Tamani is set to earn his 10th U18 cap on the wing, underlining his growing experience at this level.

Moore Set for Full Debut

In the midfield, Bristol Bears’ Will Moore is handed his first England U18 start and will partner Bath Rugby’s Declan Treacey, who brings valuable experience with 10 caps. Moore’s inclusion is part of a broader reshuffle, with Will Bayston, Zac Jones, Aiden Reid, Fin Charles and Ben Allen all reintroduced to the starting XV.

Pendlebury Praises Squad Resilience

Head coach Jonathan Pendlebury highlighted the squad’s character following their hard-fought victory over Georgia and expressed optimism ahead of the clash with Italy.

“We’re really pleased with how the whole matchday 26 showed their mental resilience against Georgia, especially in key moments where they had to stay composed, support each other and find solutions under pressure,” said Pendlebury.

“Across the festival so far, the focus has been on enjoyment, development and growth, and it’s been encouraging to see the players take real ownership of that journey both on and off the field.

“Now we look forward to finishing strongly against Italy, continuing to express ourselves and building on the progress we’ve made together as a squad.”

England U18 Team to Face Italy

Starting XV

Aiden Reid (Northampton Saints, Northampton School for Boys)
Casper Wheeler (Bristol Bears, Hartpury College)
Seva Batikora (Leicester Tigers, Brooksby College)
Kwame Bekoe (Leicester Tigers, Norwich School)
Fin Charles (Leicester Tigers, Denstone College)
Henry Johnson (Leicester Tigers, Oakham School)
Jack Lewis (c) (Northampton Saints, Northampton School for Boys)
Ben Allen (Bath Rugby, Wellington College)
Will Bayston (Sale Sharks, Sedbergh School)
Zac Jones (Saracens, Mill Hill)
Charlie Tamani (Northampton Saints, Finborough School)
Declan Treacey (Bath Rugby, Beechen Cliff School)
Will Moore (Bristol Bears, Clifton College)
Archie Guyver (Exeter Chiefs, Exeter College)
Caspar Reeves (Bristol Bears, Taunton School)

Replacements
16. Tiane Elone (Saracens, Mill Hill School)
17. Hendro Hattingh (Sale Sharks, Scarisbrick School)
18. Ben Smith (Yorkshire Academy, Wath Academy)
19. Jeremy Keys (Exeter Chiefs, Exeter College)
20. Kaiden Watson (Harlequins, Trinity School)
21. Harry Westlake (Exeter Chiefs, Exeter College)
22. Sonny Goode (Northampton Saints, Bloxham School)
23. Max Hooper (Bath Rugby, Beechen Cliff School)
24. Charlie Bosanko (Exeter Chiefs, Exeter College)
25. Rio Bennett (Saracens, Brighton College)
26. Oli Hewitt (Gloucester Rugby, Bromsgrove School)

Tournament So Far

England’s campaign at the 2026 U18 Six Nations Festival has been a mixture of challenge and progress:

France 63-33 England (warm-up friendly)
Ireland 36-31 England (Matchday 1)
England 35-31 Georgia (Matchday 2)
England vs Italy – Saturday 11 April, 15:15 BST, Stade Municipal Louis Darragon