SO HERE THEY are again, starting the year as unknowns, wondering where it’ll all end. Eleven months ago, they were champions, stars in the here and now, not just the future.
Yet all bar seven of that squad have gone. The only other thing that remains are the lessons from history’s scrapbook.
That’s no bad thing, either. If there was one quality that resonated with last year’s U20 grand slam winners, it was their attitude, not just their talent. They say these things can’t be taught, that it’s either in a player or it’s not. But it’s not strictly true. In every team, irrespective of the sport, a coach’s personality is mirrored in his players.
Refreshingly, neither Noel McNamara – the Irish U20s head coach nor his assistant, Colm Tucker – view this team and this competition as a vehicle for enhancing their egos or their careers. There is a loftier ideal behind their motives.
We are putting all our stock in performance,” Tucker, the forwards coach, says. “Our real focus is around those zero talent elements. What I mean by that is we ask the players, ‘how quick are you at getting up off the ground?’ We look to see what their energy is like – their body language? If we get those elements right, if we come out of the blocks, the result for me – I know it’s a cliché – but it takes care of itself.”
Tucker and McNamara’s job is to take care of the players, mindful of their age and vulnerabilities. “We have to have an eye on the competitive nature of this competition but we also have to acknowledge these lads are still growing, still developing into what will be professional rugby for them,” he says. “It’s about getting the balance.”
The imbalance of their squad is reflected in the numbers – 20 of them coming from Leinster’s academy, a reflection of the efficiency of that province’s system. “There is absolutely no doubt it is a machine that is churning out fantastic players,” Tucker says.
In his day job, he’s based in Connacht, yet rather than compare their situation to Leinster’s, he paints a different picture. “We don’t have half a million people in Connacht. But the game is growing all the time there.
“I don’t think we’ll ever have the same volume of players coming through that Leinster get but certainly we’re happy with the quality of player that is emerging. You have to understand what works for your particular area. What Leinster is doing is right but we think there are massive opportunities for us out here (in Connacht). They might not come through in the same numbers (as Leinster) and they might take a little bit longer to develop but that’s okay as well. We’re getting there.”
In the meantime, they’re all taking the same road to Cork for tonight’s game against the Scots (kick-off 19.15, RTE 2) – and Tucker is expecting an open, fast encounter.
“They are going to try and put width on the game, so we have to be ready to be tested on the fringes,” he said. “But the most important thing for us to focus on at this stage is on ourselves. We need to get our own head space right. Our energy, our attitude – that is what we are focusing on at the moment. The lads are in the best place to perform.
“The U20s are an interesting group. Lads like Dave McCann, Tom Clarkson and Thomas Ahern, all those lads are back again. So their experience at the World Cup, some of them in the Six Nations last year, is going to be vital. You have to draw a line under last year as this is a new group, a new team who are coming through.”
Ireland U20 (v Scotland)
15. Oran McNulty (Millfield School / Corinthians RFC / Connacht)
14. Ethan McIlroy (Methody College / Queens RFC / Ulster)
13. Dan Kelly (Kirkham Grammar / Loughborogh University / IQ Rugby)
12. Hayden Hyde (Cranleigh School / Ballynahinch RFC / Ulster)
11. Andrew Smith (St Michael’s College / Clontarf FC / Leinster)
10. Jack Crowley (Bandon RFC / Cork Constitution FC / Munster)
9. Lewis Finlay (Down High School / Malone RFC / Ulster)
1. Charlie Ward (Tullow RFC / Clontarf FC / Leinster)
2. Tom Stewart (Belfast Royal Academy / Ballynahinch RFC / Ulster)
3. Thomas Clarkson (Blackrock College / Dublin University FC / Leinster)
4. Brian Deeny (Wexford Wanderers / Clontarf FC / Leinster)
5. Thomas Ahern (Waterpark RFC / Shannon RFC / Munster)
6. Sean O’Brien (Blackrock College / UCD RFC / Leinster)
7. Mark Hernan (St Michael’s College / Lansdowne FC / Leinster)
8. David McCann (RBAI / Banbridge RFC / Ulster)(captain)
Replacements:
16. John McKee (Campbell College / Old Belvedere / Leinster)
17. Ciaran Ryan (Rockwell College / Cashel RFC / Munster)
18. Ryan McMahon (Clongowes Wood College / Old Belvedere RFC / Leinster)
19. Joe McCarthy (Blackrock College / Dublin University FC / Leinster)
20. Alexis Soroka (Belvedere College / Dublin University FC / Leinster)
21. Ben Murphy (Presentation College Bray / Clontarf FC / Leinster)
22. Tim Corkery (Kilkenny RFC / UCD / Leinster)
23. Luis Faria (Newpark Comprehensive / Dublin University FC / Leinster).
