Ireland Under-20 Men’s Squad Selected For 2026 U-20 Six Nations
UCD and Leinster prop Sami Bishti has been appointed as the Ireland Under-20 Men's captain for the upcoming U-20 Six Nations campaign ©Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
Head coach Andrew Browne has today announced the Ireland Under-20 Men’s squad (sponsored by PwC) for the 2026 U-20 Men’s Six Nations Championship.
Browne has selected a panel of 29 players and named Leinster tighthead prop Sami Bishti as captain for the 2026 Championship, which gets underway with a round 1 clash with France in Perpignan on Saturday, February 7.
There are four returning players who were involved in last year’s U-20 Six Nations World Rugby U-20 Championship, with forward Donnacha McGuire and backs Tom Wood, Charlie Molony, and Derry Moloney all included at this age-grade for a second year.
The Ireland Under-20s have been building towards the Six Nations through a series of camps at the IRFU High Performance Centre, while uncapped challenge matches against South Africa and Italy either side of Christmas have aided preparations.
PwC Managing Partner Enda McDonagh (centre) was joined by, from left, Tom Wood, Diarmaid O’Connell, head coach Andrew Browne, IRFU Junior Vice President Michael Collopy, IRFU Chairperson of Commercial and Marketing Commitee Billy Murphy, Sami Bishti, and Blake McLean during the Ireland U-20 Men’s squad announcement at PwC Ireland headquarters in Dublin ©Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
Following their opening encounter with France, Browne’s charges will return home to Virgin Media Park in Cork to play Italy on Friday, February 13 (kick-off 7.45pm).
They then travel to Bath to face England on Friday, February 20 (kick-off 7.45pm), before welcoming Wales and Scotland to Cork for back-to-back home fixtures to finish the tournament, on Saturday, March 7 (kick-off 7.45pm) and Sunday, March 15 (kick-off 3.15pm), respectively.
Speaking at today’s squad announcement and media day at PwC Ireland headquarters in Dublin, Browne said: “We have been working hard together as an extended squad for a number of months, and it’s an exciting time for these young players, who have the honour of representing the wider group in the Six Nations.
“We, as coaches, have pushed the players over the last number of months and I have been impressed by their work-rate, commitment, and application. Now our focus turns to performance and the opening game against France, which we know will be a big challenge first up.
We are looking forward to the opportunities over the coming weeks, and are excited by the prospect of an Ireland U-20 team returning to Six Nations action at Virgin Media Park in Cork, where we always have huge support.”
Enda McDonagh, Managing Partner at PwC Ireland, commented: “At PwC, we are delighted to support the Ireland Under-20 Men’s squad as they prepare for their 2026 U-20 Six Nations campaign.
Our commitment to supporting Ireland’s next generation is central to our partnership with the IRFU.
“The Under-20 programme plays a vital role in developing emerging talent, and we are proud to stand behind these young players as they take the next step in their rugby journey.
“We wish the team every success in the Championship and look forward to supporting them throughout their campaign.”
Tickets for Ireland’s home matches at Virgin Media Park are available to purchase via Ticketmaster.ie here.
IRELAND UNDER-20 MEN’S Squad (2026 Under-20 Men’s Six Nations Championship):
Forwards (17) –
Tyrese Abolarin (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster)
Sami Bishti (UCD RFC/Leinster) (capt)
Ben Blaney (Terenure College RFC/Leinster)
Jonathan Byrne (Garryowen FC/Munster)
Max Doyle (UCD RFC/Leinster)
Joe Finn (Garryowen FC/Munster)
Christian Foley (Young Munster RFC/Munster)
Rian Handley (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster)
Bill Hayes (Garryowen FC/Munster)
Alex Lautsou (Shannon RFC/Munster)
Duinn Maguire (UCD RFC/Leinster)
Blake McClean (Instonians RFC/Ulster)
Donnacha McGuire (UCD RFC/Leinster)
Dylan McNeice (UCD RFC/Leinster)
Josh Neill (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster)
Diarmaid O’Connell (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht)
Sean Walsh (MU Barnhall RFC/Leinster)
Backs (12):
Christopher Barrett (UCC RFC/Munster)
Ethan Black (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster)
Noah Byrne (Dublin University FC/Leinster)
Luke Fogarty (MU Barnhall RFC/Leinster)
Derry Moloney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)
Charlie Molony (UCD RFC/Leinster)
James O’Dwyer (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)
Charlie O’Shea (UCC RFC/Munster)
Johnny O’Sullivan (Dublin University FC/Leinster)
Daniel Ryan (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht)
Harry Waters (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)
Tom Wood (Garryowen FC/Munster)
IRELAND UNDER-20 MEN’S FIXTURES – 2026 U-20 MEN’S SIX NATIONS:
- Saturday, February 7: France v Ireland, Stade Aime Giral, 9pm local time/8pm Irish time
- Friday, February 13: Ireland v Italy, Virgin Media Park, 7.45pm
- Friday, February 20: England v Ireland, Recreation Ground, 7.45pm
- Saturday, March 7: Ireland v Wales, Virgin Media Park, 7.45pm
- Sunday, March 15: Ireland v Scotland, Virgin Media Park, 3.15pm