Sami Bishti and Tom Wood. Ben Brady/INPHO

Ireland U20 squad named for Junior World Championship

Head coach Andrew Browne includes six newcomers.

ANDREW BROWNE HAS named a 30-player Ireland U20 squad for the Junior World Championship in Georgia.

Leinster U20 prop Sami Bishti will captain a side drawn to face England, Argentina, and USA in Pool C.

The head coach includes six newcomers in Jamie Conway, Adam Cooper, Charlie Keane, Luke McLaughlin, Paddy Woods, and Jack Deegan.

The Irish starting team which claimed the U20 Triple Crown against Scotland all feature in the final selection, including the high-scoring half-back duo of Tom Wood and Christopher Barrett.

Fly-half Wood kicked 42 points in the Six Nations, while scrum-half Barrett ran in five tries.

Munster noted that prop Christian Foley was unavailable for selection due to injury.

“Building on from our Six Nations campaign, we have worked hard over a number of preparation camps and recent uncapped matches against Scotland and a Munster Development side,” said Browne. 

“The World Rugby Junior World Championship is a fantastic challenge and an opportunity to test ourselves against the best teams in the world. We are aware of the challenges ahead, coming up against some quality sides in our Pool, but the players are excited for what lies ahead and are relishing the platform to grow and develop our performance levels in green.”

Ireland Men’s U20s Squad:

Forwards (17):

  • Sami Bishti (UCD/Leinster)(captain)
  • Ben Blaney (Terenure/Leinster)
  • Jamie Conway (Shannon/Munster)
  • Adam Cooper (Buccaneers/Connacht)
  • Max Doyle (UCD/Leinster)
  • Joe Finn (Garryowen/Munster)
  • Rian Handley (Old Wesley/Leinster)
  • Charlie Keane (Corinthians/Connacht)
  • Alex Lautsou (Shannon/Munster)
  • Duinn Maguire (UCD/Leinster)
  • Blake McClean (Instonians/Ulster)
  • Donnacha McGuire (UCD/Leinster)
  • Luke McLaughlin (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
  • Dylan McNeice (UCD/Leinster)
  • Josh Neill (Old Wesley/Leinster)
  • Diarmaid O’Connell (Corinthians/Connacht)
  • Paddy Woods (Queen’s University/Ulster)

Backs (13):

  • Christopher Barrett (UCC/Munster)
  • Noah Byrne (Dublin University/Leinster)
  • Rob Carney (Cashel/Munster)
  • Jack Deegan (Blackrock/Leinster)
  • Daniel Green (Queen’s University/Ulster)
  • Charlie Molony (UCD/Leinster)
  • James O’Dwyer (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
  • James O’Leary (UCC/Munster)
  • Charlie O’Shea (UCC/Munster)
  • Johnny O’Sullivan (Dublin University/Leinster)
  • Daniel Ryan (Corinthians/Connacht)
  • Sean Walsh (Corinthians/Connacht)
  • Tom Wood (Garryowen/Munster)

Ireland Men’s U20s Fixtures – 2026 World Rugby Junior World Championship:

  • Saturday, 27 June: Ireland v England, Avchala Stadium, 12.30pm Irish time
  • Thursday, 2 July: Ireland v Argentina, Avchala Stadium, 12.30pm Irish time
  • Tuesday, 7 July: Ireland v USA, Avchala Stadium, 10am Irish time.
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