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).
The Ireland Men's U20s Match Day Squad for Saturday's World Rugby U20 Championship opener against Italy in Cape Town! 🟢#FutureIsGreen
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) June 27, 2024
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)
Looking forward to Ray Ridge’s infinite positivity in relation to this group as they begin their campaign.
@anthony davoren: Ray of light Optimision plus
@anthony davoren: England and France. Same as last year.
@Ray Ridge: Ireland 2nd last year. Surprised?
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
No Wilhelm de Klerk?
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.
@Tom Reilly: hardly rotation against a team we were lucky to beat in 6 nations if I remember right
@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.
Spicer is Irelands Will Skelton. 6 foot 10 and built like a truck
@Eoin H: he’d be closer to toner rather than Skelton I’d say
@Eoin H: sometimes play like Tarzan, sometimes plays like Jane
@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.
@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
@Ray Ridge: unfortunately im afraid to say whens the last time you moved ??
@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
@Square: Nothing moves me quite like your punctuation.
@Ray Ridge: i type love im not a cop police punctuation type im afraid to say
@Eoin H: Spicer was dropped twice during the Six Nations
@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
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.
@Nicholas Farrar: I agree wholeheartedly. All these are young players still developing. Writing young players off is poor form
Very strange team named
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?
@Des Lamont: yeah the article gave no insight whatsoever. It just named the team in sentence form.
This on virgin
@Gary Galligan: no
Is it on TV?
@pat ryan: Free streaming on RugbyPass.tv