THE England Universities trial system, via which the side is selected, will kick-start on Saturday, December 6, in line with the tradition of the last few years.
Sheffield Hallam will host the event, which will again involve six regional teams, comprising Yorkshire, Midlands, North East, North West, South East and South West.
The three fixtures for the tried and tested programme will be announced shortly by organiser David Butler.
Players who most impress will be selected for the North versus South Origin game at the turn of the year, when England’s coaching staff will be on hand to run the rule over international hopefuls.
The South side is made up of players studying in the Midlands, South East and South West regions, whilst players in the Yorkshire, North West and North East areas feed into the North team.
Fixtures: North East v Yorkshire (1.30pm), South East v South West (3.30pm), Midlands v North West (5.30pm).
Admission is free.
Adam Houston, meanwhile, has stepped down as England Universities head coach to accept the same role with the Scotland men’s senior side.
He told League Express: “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and I like to think I’ve left the team in a better place than I found it. We’ve won everything we can and there are systems in place to build for the future.
“I’ve resigned as I couldn’t resist the chance to coach Scotland. Some strategic work is required to move to where we feel we should be and rise back up the world rankings but it’s a challenge that excites me, with plenty of opportunities ahead if it’s done correctly.”