Ollie Allan stars for England, as U20s top group in South Africa

Ollie Allan is playing a starring role for England at the World Rugby U20 Championships.

The former Hungerford RFC youngster has started all three of England’s group games in South Africa, the scrum-half earning the trust of Head Coach Mark Mapletoft.

Starring alongside Leicester Tigers club-mate and England captain Finn Carnduff, the pair have been the engine room of England’s performances so far.

They made the perfect start against Argentina in Cape Town, seeing off the Pumitas 40-21.

Another dominant win followed last Thursday, as they decimated Fiji 48-11 to take control of the group.

Tuesday night saw a different kind of test however, as England faced the hosts with a spot in the semi-final on the line.

The Junior Boks took an early lead, going 7-0 up after an early try.

After 26 minutes, it was Carnduff who led the reply, scoring to lead England to a 7-7 half-time scoreline.

The second half was a tough battle in the mud at Athlone Stadium, with a try for each side leaving the sides level 12-12 at the end of regulation.

The wet conditions were themselves a challenge, with rain in the area causing multiple games to be called off elsewhere.

An 86th minute lineout maul would be the difference maker, as England took advantage of a chaotic ending to steal the latest of victories by 17 points to 12.

Having gone three from three in the group, they’ll now face Six Nations rivals Ireland in the semi-final this Sunday at DHL Stadium, a side they’ve failed to beat in their last three meetings.