Ireland U-18 Schools Team Look To Bounce Back Against Wales
Head coach Noel McNamara has made three personnel changes and three positional switches to the Ireland Under-18 Schools team for tonight’s 5th-8th place play-off against Wales at the Rugby Europe U-18 European Championship in France.
Half-backs Conor Dean (Blackrock College) and Jonathon Stewart (Wallace High School) come in for their first starts of the tournament in a reshuffled Ireland back-line.
Rockwell’s Bill Johnston, the team captain, moves to inside centre where he links up with Jack Kelly from St. Michael’s, while Tim Foley from Cistercian College Roscrea reverts to full-back. Munster Schools duo Colm Hogan and Jack Lyons are the two players to make way.
Behind an unchanged all-Ulster front row, Jonny Guy of St. Andrew’s makes the move from the back row to the second row where he partners Oisin Dowling of St. Michael’s. Tom de Jongh from Belvedere College slots in at openside flanker, with Cillian Gallagher (Summerhill College Sligo) dropping to the bench.
The young Irish side lost their opening game of their European campaign on penalty kicks (3-1) to Georgia. They are now targeting a fifth place finish. The winners of tonight’s game in Balma will face Scotland or Portugal in Saturday’s 5th-6th place play-off.
IRELAND UNDER-18 SCHOOLS Team & Replacements (v Wales Under-18s, 2015 Rugby Europe Under-18 European Championship Elite 5th-8th Place Play-Off, Balma, France, Tuesday, March 31, kick-off 7pm local time/6pm Irish time):
15. Tim Foley (Cistercian College Roscrea)
14. Calvin Nash (Crescent College Limerick)
13. Jack Kelly (St. Michael’s College)
12. Bill Johnston (Rockwell College) (capt)
11. Robert Lyttle (Methodist College Belfast)
10. Conor Dean (Blackrock College)
9. Jonathon Stewart (Wallace High School)
1. Daniel Kealey (Campbell College Belfast)
2. Conor McEvoy (Sullivan Upper School)
3. Peter Cooper (Sullivan Upper School)
4. Jonny Guy (St. Andrew’s College)
5. Oisin Dowling (St. Michael’s College)
6. Caelan Doris (Blackrock College)
7. Tom de Jongh (Belvedere College)
8. John Foley (St. Munchin’s College Limerick)
Replacements:
16. Peter Kelleher (Christian Brothers Cork)
17. Alexander Clarke (Ballymena Academy)
18. Dylan Murphy (Cistercian College Roscrea)
19. James Kendrick (Rockwell College)
20. Jack O’Sullivan (Presentation Brothers Cork)
21. Jonathan McKeown (Ballymena Acadmeny)
22. Jack Lyons (Crescent College Limerick)
23. Rory Butler (Campbell College Belfast)
24. Tim Carroll (Cistercian College Roscrea)
25. Colm Hogan (Glenstal Abbey)
26. Cillian Gallagher (Summerhill College Sligo)
IRELAND UNDER-18 SCHOOLS’ MATCHES:
Friday, March 27: Elite Quarter-Final: Ireland U-18 Schools 8 Georgia U-18s 8 (Georgia won 3-1 on penalty kicks), Montauban
Tuesday, March 31: Elite 5th-8th Place Play-Off: Ireland U-18 Schools v Wales U-18s, Balma, 7pm local time/6pm Irish time