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Ireland captain Evan O'Connell. Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Ireland unveil starting side to face Italy in their World U20 rugby opener

Italy await in Ireland’s first pool game.

IRELAND HAVE NAMED their starting side for Saturday’s World Rugby U20 championship opener agaisnt Italy in Cape Town.

Head coah Willie Faloon has revealed his selection for the Pool B opener at the DHL Stadium, with Evan O’Connell captaining the side from the second row, where he will partner Alan Spicer.

Ben O’Connor is at full-back, while Jack Murphy and Oliver Coffey are the half-back pair. 

Connacht’s Max Flynn will make his U20 debut at openside, while Jake O’Riordan is another newcomer amongst the replacements.

Brian Gleeson is a notable absentee, while Hugh Gavin, a standout performer in the Six Nations earlier this year, is on the bench.

Kick-off is 3.30pm (Irish time).

Ireland Men’s U20s (v Italy)

  • 15. Ben O’Connor (UCC RFC/Munster)
  • 14. Davy Colbert (Dublin University FC/Leinster)
  • 13. Finn Treacy (Galwegians RFC/Connacht)
  • 12. Sam Berman (Terenure College RFC/Leinster)
  • 11. Hugo McLaughlin (Lansdowne FC/Leinster)
  • 10. Jack Murphy (Clontarf FC/Leinster)
  • 9. Oliver Coffey (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)
  • 1. Jacob Boyd (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster)
  • 2. Danny Sheahan (Cork Constitution FC/Munster)
  • 3. Patreece Bell (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby)
  • 4. Alan Spicer (UCD RFC/Leinster)
  • 5. Evan O’Connell (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster) (captain)
  • 6. Sean Edogbo (UCC RFC/Munster)
  • 7. Max Flynn (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht)*
  • 8. Luke Murphy (Shannon RFC/Munster)

Replacements:

  • 16. Stephen Smyth (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster)
  • 17. Emmet Calvey (Shannon RFC/Munster)
  • 18. Andrew Sparrow (UCD RFC/Leinster)
  • 19. James McKillop (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster)
  • 20. Bryn Ward (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster)
  • 21. Jake O’Riordan (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster)*
  • 22. Sean Naughton (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht)
  • 23. Hugh Gavin (Galwegians RFC/Connacht)
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29 Comments
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    Mute anthony davoren
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    Jun 27th 2024, 4:04 PM

    Looking forward to Ray Ridge’s infinite positivity in relation to this group as they begin their campaign.

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    Mute damien reidy
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    Jun 27th 2024, 4:37 PM

    @anthony davoren: Ray of light Optimision plus

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    Mute Ray Ridge
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    Jun 27th 2024, 5:36 PM

    @anthony davoren: England and France. Same as last year.

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    Mute Petter Sellberg
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    Jun 27th 2024, 9:02 PM

    @Ray Ridge: Ireland 2nd last year. Surprised?

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    Mute Kevin Ryan
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    Jun 27th 2024, 4:01 PM

    I’m guessing they’re going with a strong bench; but Brian Gleeson is a big loss. Assume he’s not fit. Hope he can make the other games – important if we’re going to do well

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    Mute Con Cussed
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    Jun 27th 2024, 7:33 PM

    No Wilhelm de Klerk?

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    Mute Tom Reilly
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    Jun 27th 2024, 6:52 PM

    I would have thought that Calvey, Sparrow, Ward and Gavin were first choice but maybe the coach is rotating his squad. It would useful if there was an injury update on the star player Gleeson. Looking forward to see how Finn Treacy performs at 13. He has serious speed and good handling and kicking skills.

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    Mute Ciaran Kennedy
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    Jun 27th 2024, 10:06 PM

    @Tom Reilly: hardly rotation against a team we were lucky to beat in 6 nations if I remember right

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    Mute Tom Reilly
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    Jun 27th 2024, 11:07 PM

    @Ciaran Kennedy: Hugh Gavin is miles, yeah miles ahead of the other centres. Indeed Treacy is a speedy winger and not a centre.Ward was brilliant in 6Ns. Boyd struggled in the scrums when he subbed in 6ns.Sparrow was badly missed when he got injured also.

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    Mute Eoin H
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    Jun 27th 2024, 5:02 PM

    Spicer is Irelands Will Skelton. 6 foot 10 and built like a truck

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    Mute munsterman
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    Jun 27th 2024, 5:32 PM

    @Eoin H: he’d be closer to toner rather than Skelton I’d say

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    Mute Liam23
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    Jun 27th 2024, 5:34 PM

    @Eoin H: sometimes play like Tarzan, sometimes plays like Jane

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    Mute Ray Ridge
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    Jun 27th 2024, 5:39 PM

    @Eoin H: That’s where the similarities begin and end unfortunately. The guy will be blowing hard after 10 minutes, needs to work on his stamina big time.

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    Mute Eoin H
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    Jun 27th 2024, 5:57 PM

    @Liam23: Spicer is about twice the width mad and three feet taller than O Connell. Decent lineout jumper but Spicer is there to make up for his lack of power

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    Mute Square
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    Jun 27th 2024, 6:01 PM

    @Ray Ridge: unfortunately im afraid to say whens the last time you moved ??

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    Mute munsterman
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    Jun 27th 2024, 6:06 PM

    @Eoin H: oconnell was irelands stand out forward in the 6ns. I can see where spicers weight is useful in scrum & mauls but in the loose he offers very little impact. He’s still very young and you can’t coach that size but he’s an awful lot of work to do. He’s definitely not an explosive athlete like Skelton or meafou though

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    Mute Ray Ridge
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    Jun 27th 2024, 6:23 PM

    @Square: Nothing moves me quite like your punctuation.

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    Mute Square
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    Jun 27th 2024, 6:35 PM

    @Ray Ridge: i type love im not a cop police punctuation type im afraid to say

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    Mute Liam23
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    Jun 27th 2024, 7:27 PM

    @Eoin H: Spicer was dropped twice during the Six Nations

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    Mute Kevin Ryan
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    Jun 28th 2024, 10:26 AM

    @Liam23: Not really true. Genuine rotation and horses for courses. He was played against the big sides – France, Italy, England. Where his size and weight was needed. The lighter but more mobile Hopes moved up from the back row against Wales and Scotland

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    Mute Nicholas Farrar
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    Jun 27th 2024, 11:59 PM

    Spicer’s a young guy, who has (as someone said) the uncoachable skill of being a massive human. There’s no need to judge him now, give him a few years in the academy and see where all that raw potential can take him. It took many years for Will Skelton’s size and talent to be optimised.

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    Mute Diarmuid O'Rourke
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    Jun 28th 2024, 12:14 PM

    @Nicholas Farrar: I agree wholeheartedly. All these are young players still developing. Writing young players off is poor form

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    Mute kieran horgan
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    Jun 27th 2024, 7:05 PM

    Very strange team named

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    Mute Des Lamont
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    Jun 27th 2024, 10:10 PM

    Almost as many queries about that Squad as there were throughout last year’s entire campaign. Notable faces missing?. Last season’s stand-out performers on the bench (Gavin, Ward, McKillop).? Players selected out of position?

    A little background from the Coaching Staff wouldn’t go amiss. But maybe that’s the journalist’s role?

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    Mute Hud Hastings
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    Jun 28th 2024, 12:31 PM

    @Des Lamont: yeah the article gave no insight whatsoever. It just named the team in sentence form.

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    Mute Gary Galligan
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    Jun 27th 2024, 5:03 PM

    This on virgin

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    Mute Square
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    Jun 27th 2024, 6:00 PM

    @Gary Galligan: no

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    Mute pat ryan
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    Jun 27th 2024, 4:59 PM

    Is it on TV?

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    Mute Kevin Ryan
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    Jun 27th 2024, 6:39 PM

    @pat ryan: Free streaming on RugbyPass.tv

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