Two Wigton players have been selected for the North in an Under-18s festival next month with the chance of an England call-up to follow.
Flynn Manihera, a fly-half and winger Ellis Holliday, both are pupils of Wigton Nelson Thomlinson School and play for the Wigton Colts, who currently top their league.
They came through an assessment at the weekend held in Keighley and learnt afterwards that they have made the North squad.
Ahead of that assessment 43 players had been selected from the northern counties and that was subsequently reduced to 23.
Five Cumbrian players took part in the workout at Keighley but Ashton Quigley (Keswick School and the Ospreys), Owen Ackerley (Cockermouth School and Ospreys) and Johnny Swallow (Kirkbie Kendal School and Kendal RU) did not make the final squad.
Selection for England comes after a series of festivals which involve matches and the first training session is on Sunday at Preston Grasshoppers club.
The first Festival is at Warwick University on February 14 and February 15 and the same venue will stage the second on February 28 and March 1.
The players will get details of a third and final festival when they attend Sunday’s session.
