PwC Under-19 Men’s Interpros – Round 1 Previews

The inaugural Barney McGonigle Trophy is the prize on offer in the PwC Under-19 Men’s Interprovincial Championship, which kicks off this weekend with games at Creggs RFC and Affidea Stadium.

PWC UNDER-19 MEN’S INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 1:

Saturday, August 16 –

CONNACHT UNDER-19s v MUNSTER UNDER-19s, Creggs RFC, 3pm

Oisin O’Donoghue and Philip Finnan, who both helped Marist College to end their 12-year wait for a Connacht Schools Senior Cup title, are part of the Connacht back-line for their PwC Under-19 Men’s Interprovincial Championship opener against Munster.

The pair’s Buccaneers club-mate, Tom Walsh, will captain the young westerners, who are coached by Michael Harding. Scrum half Walsh was part of last year’s Connacht U-18 squad that had a competitive campaign with defeats to Ulster (33-14), Leinster (22-14), and Munster (27-24).

There is a strong Galway Corinthians connection in the pack with four players – including locks Pasha Thiam and Dara Walsh – hailing from the Cloonacauneen side. Junior club Ballinasloe are represented by hooker Seán Glennon, an Ireland U-18 Clubs international.

St. Fintan’s High School duo Oisin Kelly and Simon Cantwell will feature at out-half and number 8 respectively. Players from the Sutton school are no strangers to representing Connacht, with recent Ireland debutant Jack Aungier and Declan Adamson having done so at adult level.

Hoping to have an impact off the bench are Castebar back rower Dylan Rice, who played for the Ireland U-18 Clubs team against Italy last season, and Newbridge College’s Billy Cross, a try scorer for IQ Rugby during their recent provincial tour.

Meanwhile, leading the Munster Under-19 back-line will be Daniel Coughlan (pictured above), who inspired Bandon’s Munster Under 18.5 Cup success last March. He will be partnered at half-back by Cistercian College Roscrea’s Aaron Moloney.

Rory Forde, Kinsale’s U18.5 Players’ Player of the Year, features at inside centre, while Thurles youngster Keelan Dunne will carry an attacking threat from full-back, along with PBC Cork’s pacy winger Bobby O’Callaghan, who scored this year’s Munster Schools Senior Cup final.

Dungarvan have two props in the squad, with Richie Whelan starting at loosehead, and Tomás Crotty providing back-up. David Mac Coitir, a Schools Cup medal winner with CBC Cork, joins forces with Crescent College Comprehensive’s Tom Shanahan in the second row.

Nenagh Ormond U18.5 captain Kedagh Broderick, who led Munster’s U-18 Clubs side last year, is selected at openside flanker, with Kilkenny College’s Charlie Bramley packing down in the number 8 position.

Munster’s bench options include Frankie Óg Sheahan, son of former Munster and Ireland hooker Frankie, Cobh Pirates duo Solomon Delea and Evan Welham, and Glenstal Abbey back Sean Roche, who lined out at outside centre for the Munster U-18 Schools team last year.

Munster U-19 head coach Aiden McNulty commented: “The players have gelled really well (during our camps in the build-up). We have a combination of clubs and schools guys coming together.

“We want them to go onto the pitch wearing a red shirt and caring about it and caring about each other, and caring about what the red shirt represents. So, they’ve done really well on gelling in that sense.

“Absolutely it’s a bonus. The four lads who were selected to go to South Africa with the Ireland U-18 Schools (Fionn Rowsome, Jamie Walsh, Alex Lautsou, and Daniel O’Connell), they are vastly experienced guys having been in camps before.

“They have been in the programme for quite a long time, and although we wished them the very best in South Africa, they were also incredibly valuable in helping our guys that are going to be going and representing the Under-19s in the Interpros.”

CONNACHT U-19: Josh Kelly (St. Mary’s College); Peter Moran (Carrick-on-Shannon RFC/Mohill Community College), Oisin O’Donoghue (Buccaneers RFC/Marist College), Daniel Browne (Galway Corinthians RFC/St. Joseph’s Patrician College), Philip Finnan (Buccaneers RFC/Marist College); Oisin Kelly (Suttonians RFC/St. Fintan’s High School), Tom Walsh (Buccaneers RFC/Clongowes Wood College) (capt); Cathal Moffatt (Sligo Rugby/Sligo Grammar School), Seán Glennon (Ballinasloe RFC/Garbally College), Ryan Duffy (Buccaneers RFC), Pasha Thiam (Galway Corinthians RFC/Coláiste Éinde), Dara Walsh (Galway Corinthians RFC/Coláiste Éinde), James Greaney (Galway Corinthians RFC/Presentation College Athenry), Luke Keaveny (Galway Corinthians RFC/Coláiste Bhaile Chláir), Simon Cantwell (Suttonians RFC/St. Fintan’s High School).

Replacements: Oisin Meehan (Galway Corinthians RFC/Presentation College Athenry), Jaynel Almanzar (Galwegians RFC/Coláiste Muire Máthair), Dara Noone (Galway Corinthians RFC/Coláiste Bhaile Chláir), Matthew McNamara (Galwegians RFC/Coláiste Éinde), Dylan Rice (Castlebar RFC/St. Gerald’s College), Fiachra O’Neill (Connemara RFC/Clifden Community School), Billy Cross (Naas RFC/Newbrigde College), Oisin Berthoz (Galway Corinthians RFC/St. Joseph’s Patrician College).

MUNSTER U-19: Keelan Dunne (Cistercian College Roscrea); Bobby O’Callaghan (PBC Cork), Robert O’Donnell (Castletroy College), Rory Forde (Kinsale RFC), Gerry Joyce (Crescent College Comprehensive); Daniel Coughlan (Bandon RFC), Aaron Moloney (Cistercian College Roscrea) (co-capt); Richie Whelan (Dungarvan RFC), Zach Piper (Bandon Grammar School), David Geoghegan (St. Munchin’s College), David Mac Coitir (CBC Cork), Tom Shanahan (Crescent College Comprehensive), Kedagh Broderick (Nenagh Ormond RFC) (co-capt), Cillian McNamara (Castletroy College), Charlie Bramley (Kilkenny College).

Replacements: Oscar Doody (Cistercian College Roscrea), Tomás Crotty (Dungarvan RFC), Solomon Delea (Cobh Pirates RFC), Olan Dillon (PBC Cork), Evan Welham (Cobh Pirates RFC), Frankie Óg Sheahan (PBC Cork), Jack O’Callaghan (CBC Cork), Sean Roche (Glenstal Abbey School).

Sunday, August 17 –

ULSTER UNDER-19s v LEINSTER UNDER-19s, Affidea Stadium, 5pm

Sunday’s age-grade triple header at Affidea Stadium will be closed out by the Ulster Under-19s, whose squad contains a number of players who impressed in the province’s PwC U-18 Schools Boys Interprovincial Championship title win from twelve months ago.

Ulster ‘A’ representative Owen O’Kane captains the selected side from out-half, and alongside him will be IQ Rugby recruit Fergus Callington, a Harlequins Under-18 player who was involved with the Ireland U-18 Clubs team last year.

There is a great spread of schools in the starting XV with a total of 12 represented. Sullivan Upper School’s Nathan Noble, the scorer of two tries for Ireland at the U-18 Men’s Six Nations Festival earlier this year, starts at hooker.

Head coach Ricky Andrew has retained the James Kerr-led back-three from Ulster’s recent clash with IQ Rugby, and Dalriada School captain Angus Graham, a try scorer in that game, has recovered from an ankle injury to start at tighthead prop.

Ballymena Academy have two players in the starting pack – loosehead Matthew Wright and number 8 Charlie Hargy – and former Western Force Under-16 player Paddy Woods will make his Interprovincial debut for Ulster at lock.

Malone’s Dylan Fox, the Ulster Boys Youth Player of the Year in 2023/24, is one of the hosts’ replacements, along with fellow forwards Michael McCavery and Sam Gray, who played against each other during last March’s Ulster Schools Senior Cup final.

Meanwhile, Castleknock College’s Cory O’Connor will captain the Leinster U-19 team from out-half, starting alongside Alex Crawley of St. Mary’s College who has been brought into the squad following some injuries.

Half-backs Serge Brougton and Gareth Morgan and utility back Rory Taylor all picked up injuries during last Saturday’s warm-up match against Saracens which finished in a 55-43 defeat. Leinster beat Leicester Tigers 35-33, previous to that.

Ben O’Toole (pictured above) and Matthew Brennan make it three Castleknock starters. There is a healthy clubs contingent in the backs with Wicklow’s James Curry and Ryan Ovenden from Greystones in the back-three, while Wexford Wanderers’ Daniel Norval partners Brennan in the centre.

Louis Magee, a Leinster Schools Senior Cup winner with Blackrock College in 2024, will pack down at loosehead prop, with athletic Suttonians forward Michael Bolger teaming up with Max Egan of St. Mary’s in the second row.

Longford’s Ireland U-18 Clubs international Shane McGuigan fills the blindside flanker berth, and Clongowes Wood’s Arthur Ashmore, a strong ball carrier from number 8, should have a interesting head-to-head with his opposite number Hargy.

For the trip to Belfast, Leinster have some decent depth on their bench, including Terenure College backs Alvaro Swords and Ethan Balamash, and Portlaoise native Evan Brophy, who was Cistercian College Roscrea’s SCT Player of the Year in 2024.

ULSTER U-19: James Kerr (RBAI); Ryan McDowell (Larne Grammar School), Max Readman (Sullivan Upper School), Callum Largey (Methodist College Belfast), Matthew Callaghan (Regent House School); Owen O’Kane (Rainey Endowed School) (capt), Fergus Callington (IQ Rugby); Matthew Wright (Ballymena Academy), Nathan Noble (Sullivan Upper School), Angus Graham (Dalriada School), Noah Bell (Banbridge Academy), Paddy Woods (Campbell College), Sam Clarke (Enniskillen Royal Grammar School), Harry McIlwaine (Omagh Academy), Charlie Hargy (Ballymena Academy).

Replacements: Michael McCavery (Wallace High School), Luke Caskey (Rainey Endowed School), Ranaan Potter (Campbell College), Dylan Fox (Malone RFC), Harry Lamont (Ballymena Academy), Luke Gibson (RBAI), Reuben Allen (Ballymena Academy), Russell Lovo (Campbell College Belfast).

LEINSTER U-19: James Curry (Wicklow RFC); Ryan Ovenden (Greystones RFC), Daniel Norval (Wexford Wanderers RFC), Matthew Brennan (Castleknock College), Ronan Kelly (St Gerard’s School); Cory O’Connor (Castleknock College) (capt), Alex Crawley (St. Mary’s College); Louis Magee (Blackrock College), Marcus McCarthy (Belvedere College), Henry Maher (Cistercian College Roscrea), Michael Bolger (Suttonians RFC), Max Egan (St. Mary’s College), Shane McGuigan (Longford RFC), Ben O’Toole (Castleknock College), Arthur Ashmore (Clongowes Wood College).

Replacements: Jack McGovern (St. Gerard’s School), Conor Canniffe (St. Michael’s College), Lorcan Golden (Blackrock College), Tom Reynolds (CBC Monkstown), Evan Brophy (Cistercian College Roscrea), Andrew Stronge (St. Mary’s College), Alvaro Swords (Terenure College), Ethan Balamash (Terenure College).

PWC UNDER-19 MEN’S INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES –

Saturday, August 16 –

Connacht v Munster, Creggs RFC, 3pm

Sunday, August 17 –

Ulster v Leinster, Affidea Stadium, 5pm

Saturday, August 23 –

Ulster v Munster, Newforge, 5pm

Sunday, August 24 –

Leinster v Connacht, Energia Park, 3pm

Saturday, August 30 –

Connacht v Ulster, Creggs RFC, 1pm

Munster v Leinster, Virgin Media Park, 5pm