Ireland U-19 Team Announced For Wales Match In Cardiff

Belvedere College prop Harry Goslin will captain the Ireland Under-19 Men’s team (sponsored by PwC) against Wales at Cardiff Arms Park on Sunday afternoon (kick-off 1pm).

Aiden McNulty is the Ireland Under-19s’ head coach this year, as they come together for a three-match programme which culminates with the annual Easter series against France in early April. Creggs Rugby Club and Mullingar Rugby Club will host those two games.

For this weekend’s trip to Cardiff, two members of the Ireland U-20 group, Fergus Callington and Alex Lautsou, will both start along with hooker Joe Christle, fresh from Leinster Schools Senior Cup success with St. Mary’s College.

Callington and City of Armagh sharpshooter Owen O’Kane will pair up in the half-back positions, as they did for Ulster during this season’s PwC Under-19 Interprovincial Championship.

Buccaneers duo Andrew Henson and Rourke O’Sullivan feature in the back-line, the latter lining out at outside centre alongside Bernard White, a try scorer for Blackrock College in last week’s drawn Leinster Schools final against St. Mary’s.

Daniel O’Connell, who touched down for Garryowen against Old Wesley recently, and Ronan Kelly form the back-three with Henson, while captain Goslin (pictured below) and Christle will be joined in the front row by James Gould, an Ulster Schools Senior Cup winner with Wallace High School last year.

Shannon and Munster ‘A’ youngster Lautsou will pack down at number 8, with Ulster pair Ben Moore and Jon Rodgers in the flanker roles. Jamie Walsh and Portlaoise’s Cian Butler, who was part of Leinster’s U-19 Interprovincial title-winning squad earlier this season, are the starting locks.

The bench options include Newbridge College prop Jamie Bohan, a younger brother of Connacht Academy member Billy who was called up to the Ireland Six Nations squad recently, and RBAI’s Adam Boyd, whose older sibling Jacob is in the Ulster Academy.

Fifteen players in the matchday squad played for the Ireland Under-18 Schools team in last August’s U-18 Men’s International Series. Travelling reserves Ben Guerin and Jonathon Ginnety were also part of that tour to South Africa.

IRELAND UNDER-19 MEN’S Team & Replacements (v Wales Under-19s, Under-19 Men’s International Match, Cardiff Arms Park, Sunday, March 29, kick-off 1pm):

15. Andrew Henson (Buccaneers RFC/Marist College/Connacht Rugby)
14. Ronan Kelly (St. Gerard’s School/Leinster Rugby)
13. Rourke O’Sullivan (Buccaneers RFC/Connacht Rugby)
12. Bernard White (Blackrock College/Leinster Rugby)
11. Daniel O’Connell (Garryowen FC/Munster Rugby)
10. Owen O’Kane (City of Armagh RFC/Ulster Rugby)
9. Fergus Callington (Durham University/IQ Rugby)
1. James Gould (Wallace High School/Ulster Rugby)
2. Joe Christle (St. Mary’s College/Leinster Rugby)
3. Harry Goslin (Belvedere College/Leinster Rugby) (capt)
4. Jamie Walsh (Cistercian College Roscrea/Munster Rugby)
5. Cian Butler (Portlaoise RFC/St. Mary’s CBS Portlaoise/Leinster Rugby)
6. Ben Moore (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster Rugby)
7. Jon Rodgers (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster Rugby)
8. Alex Lautsou (Shannon RFC/Munster Rugby)

Replacements:

16. Harry O’Neill (Blackrock College/Leinster Rugby)
17. Jamie Bohan (Newbridge College/Leinster Rugby)
18. Ollie Fitzsimmons (Wallace High School/Ulster Rugby)
19. Leo Anic (Buccaneers RFC/Connacht Rugby)
20. Adam Boyd (Royal Belfast Academical Institution/Ulster Rugby)
21. Connor McVicker (Belfast Royal Academy/Ulster Rugby)
22. James Curry (East Glendalough School, Wicklow/MU Barnhall RFC/Leinster Rugby)
23. Fionn Rowsome (Garryowen FC/Munster Rugby)

Travelling Reserves –

Ben Guerin (Blackrock College/Leinster Rugby)
Jonathon Ginnety (Castleknock College/Leinster Rugby)

IRELAND UNDER-19 MEN’S MANAGEMENT TEAM –

Aiden McNulty – Head Coach
Jonathon Graham – Assistant Coach
Tommy O’Donnell – Assistant Coach
Niall Annett – Assistant Coach
Noel McKenna – Team Manager
Dr. Billy Twomey – Team Doctor
Nick Lalor – Team Physio
Rob Cassidy – Athletic Development Coach
Eoin Smyth – Team Analyst
Maxi McDonald – Team Logistics

IRELAND UNDER-19 MEN’S 2026 FIXTURES:

Sunday, March 29: Wales Under-19s v Ireland Under-19s, Cardiff Arms Park, 1pm

Wednesday, April 8: Ireland Under-19s v France U-20 Development XV, Creggs RFC, 2.30pm

Sunday, April 12: Ireland Under-19s v France U-20 Development XV, Mullingar RFC, 2.30pm