Ireland's U-20s Head Coach Willie Faloon has named his 30-player Ireland Men’s U20s squad for the upcoming World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa. The underage tournament will take place in the Cape Town region over five match days from June 29 to July 19.
Paul O'Connell's nephew, Evan, captains the side.
Faloon, who replaced former Ireland U-20s coach Richie Murphy, has named four uncapped players in the 30-man squad, while the likes of O’Connell, Brian Gleeson, Danny Sheahan, Hugh Gavin, and Sam Berman are the five returning players from last year’s tournament. Ireland lost to France in last year's finale.
Our Ireland Men's U20s squad for this summer's World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa! 🟢#FutureIsGreen
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) June 14, 2024
Ireland opens their 2024 campaign against Six Nations rivals Italy on Saturday, June 29 (4:30 p.m. local time and 3:30 p.m. Irish time) at DHL Stadium in Cape Town. They then face Georgia on Thursday, July 4 (2 p.m. local time/1 p.m. Irish time) at Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch, and Australia on Tuesday, July 9 (2 p.m. local time/1 p.m. Irish time) at Athlone Sports Stadium in Cape Town.
Faloon, speaking in the wake of the squad announcement, said, "It is an exciting time for the squad as we prepare to depart for the World Rugby U20 Championship.
"It has been a competitive couple of weeks as the squad has pushed each other in preparation for the tournament, and we know we'll need to grow and evolve as a team from the Six Nations for what will be a challenging couple of weeks against quality opposition in South Africa."
Ireland squad
Forwards: Alex Usanov (Clontarf FC/Leinster), Stephen Smyth (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster), Patreece Bell (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby), Alan Spicer (UCD RFC/Leinster), Evan O'Connell (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster) (captain), James McKillop (Queen's University RFC/Ulster), Max Flynn (Corinthians RFC/Connacht), Brian Gleeson (Garryowen FC/Munster), Emmet Calvey (Shannon RFC/Munster), Danny Sheahan (Cork Constitution FC/Munster), Jacob Boyd (Queen's University Belfast RFC/Ulster), Billy Corrigan (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster), Sean Edogbo (UCC RFC/Munster), Bryn Ward (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster), Luke Murphy (Shannon RFC/Munster), Mikey Yarr (Lansdowne FC/Leinster), Andrew Sparrow (UCD RFC/Leinster)
Backs: Oliver Coffey (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Jack Murphy (Clontarf FC/Ulster), Hugo McLaughlin (Lansdowne FC/Leinster), Hugh Gavin (Galwegians RFC/Connacht), Wilhelm de Klerk (UCD RFC/Ulster), Finn Treacy (Galwegians RFC/Connacht), Ben O'Connor (UCC RFC/Munster), Tadhg Brophy (Naas RFC/Leinster), Sean Naughton (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht), Sam Berman (Terenure RFC/Ulster), Davy Colbert (Dublin University FC/Leinster), Ruben Moloney (UCD RFC/Leinster), Jake O'Riordan (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster)
Ireland Men’s U20s Fixtures:
- Saturday, 29 June: Ireland vs. Italy, DHL Stadium, Cape Town, 4.30pm local time/3.30pm Irish time
- Thursday, July 4: Ireland vs. Georgia, Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch, 2pm local time/1 Irish time
- Tuesday, July 9: Ireland vs. Australia, Athlone Sports Stadium, Cape Town, 2pm local time/1 Irish time
- Sunday, 14 July: Match Day 4 (Semi-finals and play-off matches)
- Friday, July 19: Match Day 5 (Final and ranking matches).
