NOEL MCNAMARA HAS rotated his resources again for Ireland’s final U20 World Championship game against New Zealand on Saturday, with the starting XV showing seven changes in personnel from the defeat to England.
Ireland’s campaign, and Grand Slam-winning season, concludes against the Baby Blacks in tomorrow’s seventh-place playoff in Rosario [KO 5pm, eir Sport].
Both Jake Flannery and Liam Turner start their 10th consecutive games for Ireland, with the former moving from fullback to out-half, as his Munster team-mate Ben Healy drops to the bench. Craig Casey continues at scrum-half.
Max O’Reilly is drafted in to fill the number 15 jersey for his first Ireland U20 start, with Ulster’s Angus Kernohan and Rob Russell completing the back three, and Cormac Foley joining Trinity’s Turner — who has played all 720 minutes of the U20s’ games this season — in the centre.
Up front, McNamara has shuffled his pack with Josh Wycherley and Tom Clarkson returning to the front row to renew their partnership with Dylan Tierney-Martin, while Brian Deeny — an injury call-up earlier in the week — is handed a start at number eight.
After beating England in their opening pool game, defeat to Australia ultimately cost injury-ravaged Ireland a place in the tournament semi-finals, before they were beaten by the Red Rose in Monday’s fifth-place playoff semi-final.
McNamara’s side will be hoping to finish an excellent year off strongly, but face a New Zealand outfit facing into their worst-ever placing at the U20 World Championship.
Ireland U20s:
15. Max O’Reilly (Dublin University/Leinster)
14. Angus Kernohan (Queen’s University/Ulster)
13. Liam Turner (Dublin University/Leinster)
12. Cormac Foley (St.Mary’s College/Leinster)
11. Rob Russell (Dublin University/Leinster)
10. Jake Flannery (Shannon/Munster)
9. Craig Casey (Shannon/Munster)
1. Josh Wycherley (Young Munster/Munster)
2. Dylan Tierney-Martin (Corinthians/Connacht)
3. Tom Clarkson (Dublin University/Leinster)
4. Charlie Ryan (UCD/Leinster)(captain)
5. Thomas Ahern (Shannon/Munster)
6. Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster)
7. Ronan Watters (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
8. Brian Deeny (Clontarf/Leinster)
Replacements:
16. Declan Adamson (Clontarf/Leinster)
17. Michael Milne (UCD/Leinster)
18. Charlie Ward (Clontarf/Leinster)
19. John McKee (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
20. Niall Murray (Buccaneers/Connacht)
21. Luke Clohessy (Shannon/Munster)
22. Azur Allison (Ballymena/Ulster)
24. Colm Reilly (Buccaneers/Connacht)
25. Ben Healy (Garryowen/Munster)
26. Jonathan Wren (Cork Constitution/Munster)
27. David Ryan (UCD/Leinster)
28. Aaron O’Sullivan (UCD/Leinster).
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