Three Cinderford players have been chosen in the England Counties squad that will travel to Romania for the team’s three-match tour.

Joe Smart, Matt Lane and Harry Hone are in the 29-strong squad which will play warm up match against CSM Bucharest on 1st June before two games on 5th and 8th June against Romania Under-23s and Romania A respectively.

Loosehead prop Joe Smart captained Gloucestershire this season while Matt Lane and Harry Hone were also key players as Gloucestershire came so close to getting to the county championship final at Twickenham.

Cinderford director of rugby Paul Morris said: “I’m delighted for all three of them. All three have been good servants of Gloucestershire, particularly Joe Smart who must have more than 15 caps.”

The England Counties squad will be hoping to continue where they left off last season having finished their tour of Spain unbeaten.

The players selected represent a range of clubs and counties from across the country. As well as their fixtures, England Counties will be undertaking outreach work in Bucharest to help grow the game in Romania.

The team announcement comes ahead of the Bill Beaumont County Championship finals on Sunday.

“We’re incredibly excited about the opportunity to tour Romania,” said team manager Matt Long.

“Representing your country is an unforgettable experience and for many of the players involved on the tour it will be the pinnacle of their rugby careers.

‘‘Following up on a previous visit by England Counties in 2015, we are expecting a series of physical games which will test the new England Counties squad.’’

England Counties are the flagship team of the community game in England and offers players from National League One and below the opportunity to represent their country.