Opta Facts: World Rugby U-20 Championship – Ireland v Italy

Maintaining their winning momentum is the target for the Ireland Under-20 Men’s team (sponsored by PwC), who come up against Italy, the World Rugby U-20 Championship hosts, for the second time in four months. Stats Perform preview Friday’s match with their Opta Facts.

The Pool C clash in Viadana gets underway at 8.30pm local time/7.30pm Irish time, and there will be live coverage on RugbyPass TV. Tickets can be purchased here, and cover all three games at a venue on a match day.

– Italy defeated Ireland in the final round of the Under-20 Six Nations earlier this year (15-12), just their second ever win against them in either the U-20 Six Nations or World Rugby U-20 Championship, after a one-point victory in the pool stages of the 2017 edition in Georgia (22-21)

– Ireland have won two of their last eight games across the World U-20 Championship and U-20 Six Nations (L6) after losing just one in 22 previously (W20, D1). They overcame Georgia 35-28 in their Pool C opener last Sunday

– Ireland are unbeaten across their last seven World U-20 Championship pool matches (W6, D1), but both of their last two wins have come by margins of just seven points or fewer after their previous four had all seen 20+ point gaps

– Italy have won just one of their last five games across the U-20 Six Nations and World U-20 Championship (L4). However, three of their four defeats across that period have only come by single-digit margins

– Italy have won just two of their last 10 World U-20 Championship pool fixtures (L8) and have lost each of their last two. The Azzurrini have not defeated European opposition at this stage since 2018 (27-26 v Scotland, L6 since)

– Ireland made the joint-fewest attacking 22-metre entries of any team in round 1 of the 2025 World U-20 Championship (6, also Scotland) but averaged the most points scored per entry (4.8). Italy made eight attacking entries but had the lowest average return (0.6)

– Italy conceded just four penalties against New Zealand last time out, the fewest of any team in round 1, while Ireland conceded 17 against Georgia, the most of any team, and saw tighthead prop Alex Mullan sent to the sin bin during the first half

– Italy were the only team to retain possession from all their attacking rucks in the opening round of this year’s World U-20 Championship (50/50) but also completed a lesser share of them in under three seconds than any other team (33%)

– Italy’s Riccardo Casarin and Ireland’s Mahon Ronan were the only two players to win three turnovers in round 1 of this year’s World U-20 Championship, while Ronan’s team-mate, Michael Foy, won the most turnovers of anyone in this year’s U-20 Six Nations (10)

– Italy’s Roberto Fasti put in the joint-most kicks in play of any player in the opening round of this year’s World U-20 Championship (14, also Nicolas Infer), while Ireland’s Daniel Green racked up the most kicking metres of any player in the 2025 U-20 Six Nations (1357)