RISING county rugby player Will Butler has had a week to remember by making his debut for Worcester Warriors and being called up by England Under-20s.

The 18-year-old centre, who started off at Ledbury Rugby Club, played 46 minutes for the Warriors in a 19-12 defeat to Russian side Enisei-STM in the European Challenge Cup.

His appearance followed him being named by England Under-20 coach Martin Haag in his 32-man elite player squad for the 2016/17 season.

“I was delighted and obviously very excited – Moscow is one of the biggest cities in the world and to get to represent Warriors is a dream come true," said Butler, who fronted up against the likes of experienced Georgia international Davit Kacharava, who has 95 caps for his country.

“I thought I did quite well against their physical lads.

"We were challenged hard and as a backline we showed up.

“In attack we didn’t execute as well as we’d have liked but with the first try we manipulated their defence quite nicely and we could’ve done with some more of that.

“I haven’t played in that environment before.

"The weather is always a challenge and it played into their hands a bit more than ours but we didn’t adapt quick enough so it’s another thing we can learn from and gain experience.”

Talking about his England Under-20 call-up, Butler said he missed the initial call.

"It's a nice feeling to be recognised at international level and I’m pleased for the other boys too," said Butler, who went to Hereford Cathedral School.

“I’m looking forward to the Six Nations and hopefully I’ll be able to show what I can do on the international stage later this season.”