James Chisholm hopes Brighton games boost Sussex rugby

Chisholm won the Six Nations and Junior World Championship with England Under-20s in 2014

Harlequins and England Under-20 forward James Chisholm hopes that upcoming rugby matches at the Amex Stadium will boost the sport in Sussex.

England face France in the Under-20 Six Nations next month and in September the Amex hosts two Rugby World Cup games.

"Sussex doesn't really have a rugby team at a top level.

"Hopefully this will help Brighton, Worthing and other local clubs open their doors to some new faces," the 19-year-old back row told BBC Sussex.

"It is an amazing opportunity for people in Sussex to come and watch some high-level teams."

Chisholm, who was born in Haywards Heath and is a former Brighton College pupil, has made nine senior appearances for Harlequins.

He has previously spent time with Worthing Raiders, who play in National League Two South and are Sussex's highest-ranked team.

Brighton's Amex Stadium, which has a capacity of 30,750, will host two matches at the Rugby World Cup later this year; South Africa vs Japan and Samoa vs USA

Chisholm has watched Brighton & Hove Albion play at the Amex, which was opened in 2011, and hopes some football fans take the chance to attend the first rugby match to be played at the ground.

"It's an amazing facility, an amazing pitch and hopefully there will be a good crowd," he said.

"Hopefully people will come who are more football fans. I hope Albion fans will come and watch and see what it's all about."

Chisholm was part of the England Under-20 side which won the Six Nations and the Junior World Championship last year.

England's youngsters have won the world title in the last two years and Chisholm hopes they can complete a hat-trick this summer in Italy, despite losing their first Six Nations fixture to Wales.

"The ultimate goal is to win the Six Nations and then go onto win the World Cup," he said.

"The World Cup is a great place to develop and play against teams you don't usually play against. I want to win the Six Nations but the World Cup is the big one for us.

"There are not many lads in the squad now who were part of the team last year. We have all got something to prove and all want to win something."