IRELAND U18 SCHOOLS head coach Noel McNamara has named a 27-strong squad to take on Scotland U18 on Sunday in Coolmine RFC [KO 2.00pm].
Defeated Leinster Senior Cup finalists Clongowes provide four players in rangy back row Will Connors, hooker John Molony, centre Colm Mulcahy and intelligent scrum-half Rowan Osborne, who is a fifth year student.
Blackrock College, who beat Clongowes 22-17 in the final at the RDS, provide two players to the Ireland Schools squad in powerful hooker Hugo Kean and pacy centre Jack Power, who have both impressed throughout the season.
However, it is fellow Dublin school St. Michael’s who have had the largest number of their students selected for McNamara’s group, with captain Charlie Cregan leading a contingent of six.
Max Deegan, David Duggan, Matthew Gilsenan, Oisin O’Meara and highly-rated lock James Ryan all make the cut, despite having lost out to Blackrock at the quarter-final stages of the Senior Cup.
St. Andrew’s have had four of their Senior Cup pillars picked, in Johnny Guy, back row Greg Jones, Jordan Larmour and Andrew Porter, while Cistercian College Roscrea’s promising out-half Tim Foley is also involved.
Connacht’s representation in the squad comes in the shape of Garbally College’s Peter Claffey and Conor Kenny, as well as prop Conan O’Donnell of Summerhill College in Sligo.
There are three Munster representatives among the 27, with Rockwell’s Alan McMahon and Sean O’Connor, Pres Cork’s centre Paul Kiernan, and Calvin Nash of this year’s champions Cresent included.
From Ulster, Elliott Boyd and Conor McIlmurray of Campbell College are joined by the elusive Jacob Stockdale of Wallace High School.
Ireland Under-18 Schools Squad (v Scotland Under-18): Elliott Boyd (Campbell College), Peter Claffey (Garbally College), Will Connors (Clongowes Wood College), Charlie Cregan (St Michael’s College), Max Deegan (St Michael’s College), David Duggan (St Michael’s College), Tim Foley (Cistercian College Roscrea), Matthew Gilsenan (St Michael’s College), Johnny Guy (St Andrews College), Greg Jones (St Andrews College), Hugo Kean (Blackrock College), Conor Kenny (Garbally College), Paul Kiernan (Presentation Brothers Cork), Jordan Larmour (St Andrews College), Conor McIlmurray (Campbell College), Alan McMahon (Rockwell College), John Molony (Clongowes Wood College), Colm Mulcahy (Clongowes Wood College), Calvin Nash (Crescent College Comprehensive), Sean O’Connor (Rockwell College), Conan O’Donnell (Summerhill College), Oisin O’Meara (St Michaels College), Rowan Osborne (Clongowes Wood College), Andrew Porter (St Andrews College), Jack Power (Blackrock College), James Ryan (St Michael’s College), Jacob Stockdale (Wallace High School).
