Seven Saracens youngsters helped England's Under-20s lift the IRB Junior World Championship at the expense of South Africa.

Captained by Maro Itoje, England's Under-20s beat the Baby Boks 21-20 in a tight final at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday morning.

Nathan Earle and Nick Tompkins were also named in the starting XV, with scrum-half Henry Taylor and full-back Aaron Morris also selected as starters.

Loose forward Hayden Thompson-Stringer and tighthead prop Biyi Alo were both replacements.

Earle scored an important 39th minute try for England - his sixth of the competition - but was beaten to the player of the tournament crown by South Africa captain, Handre Pollard.

Morris also scored a penalty for England, who were trailing 10-3 at one stage before Earle's try and Billy Burns' second penalty turned the game in the Red Rose's favour.

Speaking to Saracens' website, captain Itoje said: “It doesn’t feel real at the moment. It feels pretty special.

“It’s something I dreamt of when I heard about the Under-20 Championship and I am so happy to be able to lift the trophy. This has been a fantastic experience for us," the 19-year-old added.

“It’s an amazing feeling; we have been working so hard. It’s just joy, our boys worked so hard and we got what we deserved. We believed that if we stayed to our principles and stayed to the plan we’d do well and we did, we won the World Cup."