NOEL MCNAMARA MUST have hoped that fresh injury trouble would be avoided until at least facing England in Santa Fe on Tuesday. But his Grand Slam-winning squad took off for the World Rugby U20 Championship in Argentina today shorn of more key man.
Already without the likes of out-half Harry Byrne, centre David Hawkshaw and rising Leinster talent Scott Penny, industrious back row Martin Moloney is now also sidelined for a tough Pool B run against England, Australia and Italy.
An ever-present at blindside through the Grand Slam, the Athy man was among the contenders to replace Penny in the number 7 shirt, but a knee injury keeps him off the plane. His replacement in the squad, Sale Sharks’ Ciaran Booth, will travel to Argentina.
Second row Brian Deeny will also miss out after suffering a training ground ankle injury, bringing an opportunity for 6′ 7″ Munster academy lock Thomas Ahern to make his mark.
In addition to the injured Deeny and Moloney, McNamara has trimmed three names from his initial training squad to hit the 28-man limit, so Ulster duo Callum Reid and Bruce Houston missing out along with Terenure’s Adam LaGrue.
Charlie Ryan will captain the squad having led the Grand Slam-decider against Wales. Munster scrum-half Craig Casey has been named vice-captain.
The group contains seven players who have not yet tasted international U20s rugby; Ahern, Booth, Leinster’s Declan Adamson and Charlie Ward plus Ulster’s Azur Allison, Iwan Hughes and Stewart Moore.
Ireland’s first outing will come against England next Tuesday, 4 June, in Santa Fe (kick-off 19.30 Irish time, eir Sport).
Ireland squad for 2019 World Rugby U20 Championship
Forwards
Declan Adamson (Clontarf/Leinster) *
Thomas Ahern (Shannon/Munster) *
Azur Allison (Ballymena/Ulster) *
Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster)
Ciaran Booth (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby) *
Tom Clarkson (Dublin University/Leinster)
John Hodnett (UCC/Munster)
David McCann (Banbridge/Ulster)
John McKee (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
Michael Milne (UCD/Leinster)
Niall Murray (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Charlie Ryan (UCD/Leinster) Captain
Dylan Tierney-Martin (Corinthians/Connacht)
Charlie Ward (Clontarf/Leinster) *
Ronan Watters (St.Mary’s College/Leinster)
Josh Wycherley (Young Munster/Munster)
Backs
Craig Casey (Shannon/Munster) Vice-Captain
Jake Flannery (Shannon/Munster)
Cormac Foley (St.Mary’s College/Leinster)
Sean French (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Ben Healy (Garryowen/Munster)
Iwan Hughes (Ballynahinch/Ulster) *
Angus Kernohan (Queen’s University/Ulster)
Stewart Moore (Malone/Ulster) *
Colm Reilly (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Rob Russell (Dublin University/Leinster)
Liam Turner (Dublin University/Leinster)
Jonathan Wren (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Gavan Casey is joined by Murray Kinsella and Sean Farrell for a review of the 2018/19 season, and cast an eye forward to next year and the Rugby World Cup in Japan.:
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