Ireland Under-20s To Kick Off Six Nations With Trip To Brive
Friday nights at Donnybrook will be a regular date for the Ireland Under-20s during the 2018 U-20 Six Nations Championship, with the middle three fixtures all taking place at the Dublin 4 venue. They start the tournament with a February 2 trip to Brive to face France.
Donnybrook has been the Ireland Under-20s’ home ground for the past two years, with Jacob Stockdale, James Ryan and Andrew Porter, who all played for Ireland during this month’s GUINNESS Series, enjoying wins there with the U-20s in 2016, against Italy and Scotland.
Click here to buy tickets to Ireland’s home Under-20 Six Nations matches.
Last year’s Ireland Under-20s went very close to derailing England’s Grand Slam bid under the Donnybrook floodlights, in a memorable encounter which was watched by over 6,000 spectators. England went on to finish as World Rugby Under-20 Championship runners-up to New Zealand in the summer.
Today’s release of the Under-20 Six Nations fixtures will whet appetites for the fast-approaching 2018 tournament. It is just over nine weeks until the opening night, Friday, February 2, when Ireland will travel to Brive’s Stade Amédée Domenech to take on France (kick-off 9pm local time/8pm Irish time).
Supporters can get a glimpse of the next batch of possible Irish senior stars when the Under-20s host Italy (February 9), Wales (February 23) and Scotland (March 9) over successive rounds, with all three Friday night games kicking off at 7.15pm.
The U-20 Six Nations campaign will conclude on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day when defending champions England entertain Ireland at the home of Wasps, the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. That game will kick off at 8pm and will be the second part of a double header that night including England Women v Ireland Women (kick-off 5.30pm).
The Under-20 Six Nations Championship has gone from strength to strength in recent seasons with fans often taking in the U-20 game before supporting the senior team on the same weekend. Tickets are on sale now for the Ireland Under-20s’ 2018 matches at Donnybrook.
2018 UNDER-20 SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES:
Friday, February 2 –
Italy Under-20s v England Under-20s, Stadio Enzo Bearzot, Gorizia, 7pm local time
Wales Under-20s v Scotland Under-20s, Parc Eirias, Colwyn Bay, 8.15pm
France Under-20s v Ireland Under-20s, Stade Amédée Domenech, Brive, 9pm local time/8pm Irish time
Friday, February 9 –
Ireland Under-20s v Italy Under-20s, Donnybrook, 7.15pm – Buy Match Tickets
England Under-20s v Wales Under-20s, Kingston Park, Newcastle, 7.45pm
Scotland Under-20s v France Under-20s, Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld, 7.45pm
Friday, February 23 –
France Under-20s v Italy Under-20s, Stade Jean-Laville, Gueugnon, 6.45pm local time
Ireland Under-20s v Wales Under-20s, Donnybrook, 7.15pm – Buy Match Tickets
Scotland Under-20s v England Under-20s, Myreside, Edinburgh, 7.30pm
Friday, March 9 –
Ireland Under-20s v Scotland Under-20s, Donnybrook, 7.15pm – Buy Match Tickets
Wales Under-20s v Italy Under-20s, Parc Eirias, Colwyn Bay, 7.15pm
France Under-20s v England Under-20s, Stade de la Méditerranée, Béziers, 9pm local time
Friday, March 16 –
Italy Under-20s v Scotland Under-20s, Stadio della Vittoria, Bari, 3pm local time
England Under-20s v Ireland Under-20s, Ricoh Arena, Coventry, 8pm – Buy Match Tickets
Wales Under-20s v France Under-20s, Parc Eirias, Colwyn Bay, 8.15pm