IRELAND WILL OPEN their World Rugby U20 Championship campaign against host nation France, after the match schedule for this summer’s tournament was confirmed.
The tournament will be staged across three cities over a 19-day period, with Ireland drawn alongside Les Blues, South Africa and Georgia in Pool C.
Noel McNamara’s side will face France at the Stade Aimé Giral on Wednesday 30 May before travelling to Narbonne, where they will conclude the pool stages with games against South Africa and Georgia on 3 and 7 June respectively.
Narbonne and Perpignan will then host the semi-finals and ranking play-offs on 12 June, with Béziers hosting all finals day matches on 17 June across two pitches.
Last summer, Ireland failed to win any of their pool games and finished ninth overall in Georgia, although Peter Malone’s side were severely hampered by injuries to key players, including Jordan Larmour.
New Zealand, winners of the 2017 edition, are in Pool A alongside Australia, Wales and Japan. England, Scotland, Italy and Argentina have been drawn in Pool B.
“The World Rugby U20 Championship that will take place across three venues in the Occitanie region is due to be a fantastic event,” FFR president Bernard Laporte said.
“It will be an opportunity to enjoy some spectacular rugby produced by the best young players and to discover before everybody else the next rugby stars who will play in the Rugby World Cup in France in 2023.”
World Rugby U20 Championship 2018:
- Wednesday 30 May: France v Ireland, Perpignan
- Sunday 3 June: South Africa v Ireland, Narbonne
- Thursday 7 June: Ireland v Georgia, Narbonne
- Tuesday 12 June: Play-off games
- Sunday 17 June: Play-off games
Full match schedule available here
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