George Ford, son of England defence coach Mike, starts at number 10 and Gloucester’s Ryan Mills and Wasps man Elliot Daly pair up in the centres.

Full-back Ben Ransom, Saints winger Jamie Elliott and Sale’s highly-rated prop Henry Thomas all have Aviva Premiership experience under their belts.

And Hunter, who took the reins from Mark Mapletoft after the IRB Junior World Championships, can't wait to see his troops in action for the first time in the Under-20 Six Nations.

He said: "We're excited about getting stuck into the Six Nations, we've enjoyed good camps in Portugal and Surrey and it's time to put ourselves to the test.

“Starting off against Wales in Wales is as good as it gets.

“We've got our squad for Wales and that's our primary focus. It will be a tough match in Llanelli for us, they will have the crowd behind them, they'll be physical, they have good runners and we'll be tested.

"I'm pleased with where we are. It is tough to whittle the squad down to 22, we have some outstanding players at this age grade and a lot of competition for places.

“It's vital to get the blend right and we want to give the lads the opportunity both to perform and develop.

England Uunder-20 starting XV v Wales Under-20:
15 - Ben Ransom (Saracens)
14 - Andy Short (Worcester Warriors)
13 - Elliot Daly (London Wasps)
12 - Ryan Mills (Gloucester Rugby)
11 - Jamie Elliott (Northampton Saints)
10 - George Ford (Leicester Tigers)
9 - Dan Robson (Gloucester Rugby)
1 - Mako Vunipola (Bristol Rugby)
2 - Mike Haywood (Northampton Saints)
3 - Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks)
4 - Kieran Low (London Irish)
5 - Charlie Matthews (Harlequins)
6 - Matt Kvesic (Worcester Warriors)
7 - Matt Everard (Leicester Tigers)
8 - Alex Gray (Newcastle Falcons) (Captain)

Replacements:
16 - Rob Buchanan (Harlequins)
17 - Ryan Bower (Leicester Tigers)
18 - Addison Lockley (Exeter Chiefs)
19 - Ollie Stedman (Leeds Carnegie)
20 - Chris Cook (Bath Rugby)
21 - Guy Armitage (London Irish)
22 - Christian Wade (London Wasps