These players must think fast and play what's in front of them

Ben Jaycock catches up with England U20s pathway coach and former Sale, Gloucester and Leeds hooker Andy Titterrell, ahead of the upcoming Junior World Cup and also gets his thoughts on the state of the game in the Premiership.

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Andy, how are preparations going ahead of the Junior World Cup?

It’s been a solid few weeks. We had a nice, competitive match against Georgia recently, which was really useful. When you're up against another team, you can iron out details that you don’t always spot in training, especially since players know the calls in camp. The boys have really bought into what we’re doing. We were based out in the mountains in Georgia — no distractions, just us. It was a great environment to get some serious work done.

What's stood out about this group compared to previous squads?

Every year has some crossover with players, but this is still a new group that needs its own identity. After a successful campaign last year, it was important to keep some of that momentum but also let this group evolve in their own way. We’ve been working hard post-Six Nations to build that, and the lads have embraced it.

Has there been a lingering disappointment from how the Six Nations ended with that defeat against Wales?

A bit, yeah. Personally, it took me a few months to get over that one. When you lose the final game of a campaign, you don’t get the immediate chance to bounce back the next week. It lingered. We only got the boys together again a few weeks ago, and it gave us a chance to reflect, to talk about what didn’t go right and where we need to be better. These camps have been about addressing those things and preparing for our opening game against Scotland.