THREE Barnard Castle School players are in the England Under 18 squad to face Australia A in Brisbane today.

Flanker Alex Gray, who captained England Under 16s last season, has been selected at blind side, while prop Calum Clark and fly half Rory Clegg will be on the bench.

For the third match of the tour Gray is joined in the team by fellow Newcastle Academy boy Rob Miller, a fly half from Keswick.

Newcastle Falcons' academy manager Richard Metcalf said: "For Alex to start for England Under-18s two years young is a great achievement, but one that is fully merited judging by the superb talent and form he has shown.

"Having both fly halves in the squad is also a credit to the club with Rory Clegg still having a year left at school, and Rob Miller moving over from Cumbria to train with us full-time this season."

Gray is the nephew of the late Dave Mitchell and played some of his early rugby at Mowden Park when the former West Hartlepool captain became Mowden's player-coach.

Friday night promises to be an emotional one for Gary Armstrong, now coaching the backs at his home club Jedforest, as Newcastle Falcons visit the Scottish club for a pre-season friendly.

Armstrong, a legend of Falcons and Scottish rugby, has described the match as "a massive night for the town of Jedburgh", having outlined his enormous affection for both clubs.

The scrum half spearheaded the Falcons' drive to the Premiership title in 1998 with his 15 tries in 32 games in a glittering career which also produced 51 Scotland caps.

"I've lived in Jedburgh all my life, even when I was playing for the Falcons, and the driving down to training every day didn't bother me at all," he said.

"It's a big thing for us to be playing the Falcons, especially with the young squad we have, and it's a big night from a personal point of view, because I have so much affection for both clubs.

"It's a family night with free entry and loads of entertainment for the kids. I'm sure the Newcastle supporters will come up in their numbers, and I look forward to seeing them because that is my main memory of Newcastle - the friendliness of all the fans and the people in the city.

"You have to applaud what they've done down there. The ambition that the club continues to show is fantastic, firstly by bringing through so many young players and then going out and getting top quality names like Carl Hayman and Matt Burke.

"The amount of talent there is amazing, and I strongly believe they will be up there challenging."