The A-Team.

England Men A will take on Ireland A next February at Ashton Gate Stadium, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) have confirmed.

The fixture will take place on Sunday 23rd February 2025 at 13:00 GMT, with match broadcasting information to be communicated in due course.

Confirmation of next February’s match comes after the announcement of England A facing Australia A in the upcoming Autumn international window on 17th November at the Twickenham Stoop (tickets available here).

England Men A was reintroduced earlier on in 2024 with an encounter against Portugal at Welford Road, the hosts taking a 91-5 victory with some of the brightest young talent capped in the England Rugby Men’s Pathway and Gallagher Premiership taking to the field.

With capped senior England players such as Tom Pearson, Harry Randall and Fin Baxter all involved back in February, the England A side provides a platform for players transitioning from the Gallagher Premiership and pathway at U20 level to the senior men’s team.

A coaching team involving personnel from across the Premiership and England Rugby will be chosen by the RFU in consultation with Premiership Rugby, with the selection of the match day 23 determined by senior men’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, and RFU Executive Director of Performance, Conor O’Shea.

The previous meeting between the teams back in 2015, then named Saxons and Wolfhounds respectively, saw current senior men’s international Henry Slade contribute 13 points to an 18-9 win at Musgrave Park, Cork.

Conor O’Shea said:

“Next year’s game is a fantastic development opportunity for the respective unions, each of whom possesses some of the most exciting young prospects in rugby.

“Our aim is to have consistent gametime in each international period for our emerging players. This fixture, alongside the Australia A game, is testament to the work being put in to ensure there is a window of opportunity for players and coaches outside of the England senior men’s set-up.

“We look forward to welcoming Ireland’s players and staff to Ashton Gate in 2025. It is a fantastic stadium worthy of hosting what promises to be a memorable occasion for all involved.”