Former Ulster scrum-half Neil Doak has been appointed as Ireland Men’s U20s Head Coach ahead of the 2025 U20 Six Nations.
Doak replaces another former Ulster player, Willie Faloon, in the role. Faloon succeeded Richie Murphy last year and guided the young Irish team to the semi-finals of the World Rugby Under-20 Championship during the summer.
Doak, a former Ireland cricket international, was part of the South Africa tour last year. He has worked as both an attack coach and interim head coach with Ulster and has also held roles with Worcester Warriors, Georgia, and Emerging Ireland.
Speaking on the IRFU website this week, Doak expressed his excitement about the role and eagerness to start working with the U20s.
“It is a huge honour to take on the role of Ireland Men’s U20s Head Coach, and a challenge I am massively excited about. We have had a number of camps in the High-Performance Centre, and the application, hard work, and commitment of the players have been really impressive,” said Doak.
Doak will work alongside several familiar faces for the 2025 Six Nations campaign, including assistant coaches Ian Keatley, who continues in his role, as well as former Connacht second-row players Andrew Browne and Seamus Toomey.
We're delighted to announce the appointment of Neil Doak as the Ireland Men's U20s Head Coach for the upcoming U20 Six Nations! 🟢#FutureIsGreen
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) December 11, 2024
The Ireland U20s squad will prepare for the U20 Six Nations with an uncapped match against Italy on 20 December at St Mary’s College and a game against a Leinster Development XV on 4 January at Energia Park.
Head Coach Doak will then finalise the squad for the Championship, which begins against England in Cork, followed by trips to Scotland on 8 February and Wales on 21 February. Ireland will host France on 7 March at Virgin Media Park before concluding the campaign against Italy in Treviso on 14 March.
“We have a lot of work to get through in preparation for the U20 Six Nations, but the group is focused on building positively day by day. The upcoming matches against Italy and the Leinster Development XV over the Christmas and New Year period present us with an invaluable opportunity to build that cohesion and momentum,” added Doak.
“We look forward to the challenges ahead, starting off with the visit of England to Virgin Media Park, where the Ireland U20s have received incredible support from the people of Cork in recent years. We are determined to continue our excellent home record there and produce a performance we can be proud of."
Ireland U20's fixtures
- Friday, 20 December: Ireland U20s vs. Italy U20s (Uncapped) – St Mary’s College, 2 pm
- Saturday, 4 January: Ireland U20s vs Leinster Development XV – Energia Park, 5 pm
- Friday, 2 February: Ireland U20s vs. England—Cork (Time TBD)
- Saturday, 8 February: Scotland vs. Ireland U20s—Edinburgh, 7.45 pm
- Friday, 21 February: Wales vs. Ireland U20s—Rodney Parade, 7.45 pm
- Friday, 7 March: Ireland U20s vs. France—Virgin Media Park, 8 pm
- Friday, 14 March: Italy vs. Ireland U20s—Treviso, 7:45 pm
