Bath Rugby has officially announced its Under-18 squad for the upcoming 2026/27 PREM Next Gen League season. The team, proudly known as the Blue, Black and White, enters the season with a strong pedigree, having been crowned champions in 2023/24 after reaching the final of the age-grade competition in three consecutive seasons.
Last season, Bath narrowly missed out on retaining the trophy, finishing runners-up following a thrilling 38-36 defeat to Bristol Bears in the final. This year’s squad looks to build on that experience and push for top honours once again.
Bath’s campaign is set to kick off on Wednesday 5 August, when they face Newcastle Red Bulls U18 at Malvern College with kick-off at 15:30. This intense fixture forms part of a festival of rugby at the Worcestershire-based school, featuring six matches throughout the day.
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The squad’s first away match will be against Harlequins U18 at Gordon’s School on Saturday 15 August, starting at 14:30. Their first home game follows a week later, hosting Northampton Saints U18 at Chippenham RFC on Saturday 22 August, with kick-off at 13:00.
The team will then play away fixtures against Bristol Bears U18 at the end of October, followed by clashes with Gloucester Rugby U18 and Leicester Tigers U18 in January. The group stage will conclude with home games against Saracens U18 on the weekend of 16 January (kick-off to be confirmed) and Exeter Chiefs U18 at 12:30 on Saturday 23 January.
Semi-final and final matches are scheduled for the weekends of 13 and 27 February respectively, with locations and kick-off times yet to be confirmed.
The squad features a robust 57 players, comprising 31 forwards and 26 backs, reflecting Bath Rugby’s commitment to depth and development at youth level.
Notably, former Bath U18 players Max Hooper, Declan Treacey and Alex Yeabsley have recently signed Senior Academy contracts as of June 2026. Their progression exemplifies the success of Bath’s talent pathway, which has developed senior players such as Josh Bayliss, Tom Carr-Smith and Tom de Glanville.
The coaching team remains consistent, with Luke Charteris, Ryan Davis, Mark Lilley and Louis Messer leading the development and performance of the squad.
Craig Lilley, Bath Rugby’s Head of Academy, expressed optimism ahead of the season:
“We are looking forward to a second season under the highly competitive structure of the Defender PREM Next Gen League. This competition challenges our young talent against teams across the country-not just our regional rivals-offering invaluable opportunities for our players to grow, adapt, and compete in varied environments.”
He added, “The boys have worked extremely hard during pre-season and are ready to showcase their talents on the pitch. Every member of our staff has contributed to creating an environment where our players can thrive. We’re excited to see the squad enjoy themselves, play with determination, and represent the Blue, Black and White with pride.”
Below is the full Bath Rugby U18 Squad for the 2026/27 season:
Hookers: Max Edwards (Millfield School/Dings Crusaders RFC), Doug Lemon (Marlborough College/Marlborough Rugby Club), Malachi Randolph (Harrow School/Maidenhead RFC), TJ Shearer (Purbeck School/Swanage & Wareham RFC), Henry Sui (Beechen Cliff School/Salisbury RFC)
Props: Matteo Donzelli (Eton College), James Eldridge (Wellington College/Maidenhead RFC), Noah Harding (Beechen Cliff School/Chippenham RFC), Jack Hobbs (Beechen Cliff School/Royal Wootton Bassett RFC), William Jordan-Willis (Radley College), Josh King (Beechen Cliff School/Chippenham RFC), Theo Lewis-Zdybel (Beechen Cliff School/St. Mary’s Old Boys RFC), Miles Wilson (Millfield School/Cranbrook Rugby Club), Archie Winterburn (Beechen Cliff School), Lucas Whitlock (Peter Symonds College/Havant RFC)
Second Row: Max Carter (Kingswood School/Chippenham RFC), Byron Crow (Reading Blue Coat School/Rams RFC), Oscar De Gruchy (Boundary Oak School/Winchester Rugby Club), Ben Loosemore (Beechen Cliff School/Bishopston Rugby), Lex Vrettos (Canford School)
Back Row: Ben Allen (Wellington College/Havant RFC), Caspar Balby-Welsh (Beechen Cliff School), Will Dawson (Bryanston School/Bournemouth Rugby), Georgia Faosiliva (Hartpury College), Charlie Greenhough (Beechen Cliff School/Bath RFC), Filippo Hurrell (Wellington College/London Welsh RFC), Zachary Kelly (Peter Symonds College/Portsmouth RFC), Morne Lane (Peter Symonds College/Winchester Rugby Club), Zachary Leach (Wellington College/Battersea Ironsides), Ewan Ross (Beechen Cliff School/Oldfield Old Boys RFC), Sam Tillier-Wood (Beechen Cliff School/New Milton RFC)
Scrum-halves: Oscar Harrison (Marlborough College/Marlborough Rugby Club), Lawson Horler (Beechen Cliff School/Windsor RFC), Milo Powell (Kingswood School/Chippenham RFC), Jack Thorpe (Wellington College), Seb Tomey (Peter Symonds College/Ellingham and Ringwood RFC)
Fly-halves: Rupert Jones (Millfield School), Piran Moran (Beechen Cliff School), Zach Nicholson (Cheltenham College/Marlborough Rugby Club)
Centres: Aston Barrington-Hibbert (Millfield School), Hamish Kennedy (Radley College/Radley Rugby Club), Will Kemp (Beechen Cliff School/Chippenham RFC), Henry Middlehurst (Millfield School), Naibuka Rabuli (Beechen Cliff School), Ivo Rees (Canford School), Savenaca Turagabeci (Beechen Cliff School/Royal Wootton Bassett RFC)
Outside Backs: Charlie Day (Kingswood School/Chippenham RFC), Jacob Goatham (Millfield School), Jordan Ifil (Beechen Cliff School/Cricklade RFC), Harrison Lane (Seaford College), Tom Meredith (Beechen Cliff School/Winchester RFC), Alfie Walker (Beechen Cliff School), Oli Beckly (Sherborne School), Will Catt (Marlborough College/Marlborough Rugby Club), Freddie Corbett (Wellington College/Henley Hawks), Deacon Cullum (Beechen Cliff School/Newbury Rugby Football Club), Louis Derwent (King Edward’s School)