Two Changes Made To Ireland Under-20 Team

The matchday squad shows four changes to the one that claimed a late win over their Scottish counterparts last Friday night. Charlie Connolly will start in the front row, with Calvin Nash coming into the back-three and Matthew Burke and Gavin Coombes coming on the bench.

The front row sees hooker Tadgh McElroy joined by props Joey Conway and Connolly, who replaces the injured Peter Cooper at tighthead.

The second row pairing of Fineen Wycherley and Oisin Dowling remains the same from last week’s Championship opener, while flanker Cillian Gallagher will captain the side in the absence of injured full-back Jack Kelly. Gallagher is joined in the back row by Paul Boyle and number 8 Caelan Doris.

The Ulster duo of Jonny Stewart and Johnny McPhillips – the man-of-the-match against Scotland – continue as Ireland’s starting half-backs, with UCD club-mates Ciaran Frawley and Gavin Mullin retained in the centre.

Colm Hogan shifts from the wing to full-back, with Jordan Larmour and Nash, who made his senior debut for Munster last weekend, taking their places on the wings.

Ahead of the squad’s departure for Prato, Nigel Carolan said: “It was tough going last Friday night in Glasgow. The conditions made it challenging and with 21 of the 23 players involved gaining their first experience of international rugby at this level, the fact that we came away with the result against a very good Scottish side is a big positive.

“The Italians are ever improving, so we are expecting another tough encounter, particularly up front, where they made life difficult for Wales last week.

“We have made a couple of changes for this week, so for the players selected, we’re looking for them to build on their experience from last week and continue to develop as a team.”

Tickets are available for Ireland Under-20s’ home Six Nations games against France and England at Donnybrook via www.ticketmaster.ie.

IRELAND UNDER-20 Team & Replacements (v Italy Under-20s, 2017 Under-20 Six Nations, Stadio Enrico Chersoni, Prato, Friday, February 10, kick-off 7pm local time/6pm Irish time):

15. Colm Hogan (Dublin University/Munster)
14. Jordan Larmour (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
13. Gavin Mullin (UCD/Leinster)
12. Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster)
11. Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster)
10. Johnny McPhillips (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
9. Jonny Stewart (Queen’s University/Ulster)
1. Joey Conway (UL Bohemians/Munster)
2. Tadgh McElroy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
3. Charlie Connolly (Dublin University/Leinster)
4. Fineen Wycherley (Young Munster/Munster)
5. Oisin Dowling (Lansdowne/Leinster)
6. Cillian Gallagher (Corinthians/Connacht) (Captain)
7. Paul Boyle (Lansdowne/Leinster)
8. Caelan Doris (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
 
Replacements:

16. Adam Moloney (Shannon/Munster)
17. Rory Mulvihill (UCD/Leinster)
18. Matthew Burke (Corinthians/Connacht) *
19. Jack Regan (UCD/Leinster)
20. Gavin Coombes (Young Munster/Munster) *
21. Jack Lyons (Young Munster/Munster)
22. Conor Fitzgerald (Shannon/Munster)
23. Tommy O’Brien (UCD/Leinster)

* Denotes uncapped player

IRELAND UNDER-20s’ Six Nations Schedule:

Friday, February 3
Scotland U-20s 19 Ireland U-20s 20, Broadwood Stadium, Glasgow

Friday, February 10
Italy U-20s v Ireland U-20s, Stadio Enrico Chersoni, Prato, 7pm local time/6pm Irish time

Friday, February 24
Ireland U-20s v France U-20s, Donnybrook Stadium, 8pm

Saturday, March 11
Wales U-20s v Ireland U-20s, Parc Eirias, Colwyn Bay, 6.30pm

Friday, March 17
Ireland U-20s v England U-20s, Donnybrook Stadium, 6pm

IRELAND UNDER-20 Management –

Head Coach – Nigel Carolan
Assistant Coach – Peter Malone
Scrum Coach – Conor Twomey
Team Manager – Hendrik Kruger
Strength & Conditioning Coach – Martin Kennedy
Physiotherapist – Nicholas Lalor
Performance Analyst – Jim Herring
Masseur – Gareth Rossi
Equipment and Logistics Manager – Lar Hogan
Team Services – Amanda Craig
Media Officer – Sam O’Byrne