Ireland u20 Head Coach Richie Murphy has announced his match day squad for final World Rugby U20 Championship Pool match against Fiji in Stellenbosch on Tuesday.
The game, which was originally scheduled to take place at Paarl Gymnasium, has been moved to Danie Craven Stadium.
Murphy has made 11 changes to the team that drew with England and beat Australia last week. Diarmuid Mangan will replace Gus McCarthy as captain of the team on Tuesday.
Harry West takes up the fullback position, supported by James Nicholson and Andrew Osborne on the wings. Sam Berman, who joined the squad in South Africa this week, earns his first cap at U20s level, partnering with John Devine in the Ireland midfield.
The half-back partnership sees Matthew Lynch and Oscar Cawley taking the field together for the first time.
In the forward pack, George Hadden, Danny Shehan, and Fiachna Barrett are named as the front row, while Evan O'Connell and Joe Hopes form the second row. Mangan leads the team from the blindside flanker position, with Dan Barron making his Ireland U20s debut as openside, and Brian Gleeson retaining his place at number eight.
Murphy has a strong bench at his disposal, with Max Clein, George Morris, Ronan Foxe, Charlie Irvine, and Gus McCarthy providing forward reinforcements. Jack Oliver, Sam Prendergast, and Henry McErlean complete the 23-man squad.
Commenting ahead of the game, Murphy said: “It has been a demanding couple of weeks with short turnarounds between our Pool matches, so it is important for us to use our squad wisely and we have selected the best 23 players for Tuesday’s challenge against Fiji.
“There is real excitement among the group as players get their starting opportunity in a green jersey and we’re looking forward to seeing how they perform and put their best foot forward for the team as we bid to finish the Pool stages strongly and give ourselves the best chance of progressing through to the semi-finals.”
Tuesday’s match is live on Virgin Media Two in Republic of Ireland and on World Rugby platforms where there is no local broadcaster.
