Rugby ace David Smith is chasing global glory when he pulls on England's famous strip at the IRB Under-19 World Championships.

The prestigious event gets under way tomorrow when England lock horns with Samoa in their first game at Shaw's Bridge, Northern Ireland.

Smith, a former Colchester schoolboy who lives in Kirby Cross, is part of the Three Lions squad and - chomping at the bit to get going - told the Gazette: "It's going to be amazing.

"The prospect of taking part in a competition like this is a real buzz and I genuinely believe we've got a chance of winning.

"We've got a tough pool group to start with but that's perfect as far as I'm concerned because in order to do well we've got to beat big teams like Samoa, Argentina and New Zealand.

"Beating the All Blacks, especially, would be an amazing achievement and give everyone a huge psychological boost.

"It would lay down a marker for the rest of the competition and prove we can live with and beat the best."