Wesley College scrum half Johnny Woods will captain the Ireland U-18 Schools side for the first time, as they kick off the annual tournament in the Western Cape.
Woods pairs up at half-back with PBC Cork's David Nolan, a debutant at this level, while Kilkenny youngster Cillian McElwee will win his first Ireland U-18 Schools cap in the back row.
McElwee and Terenure College's Michael Smyth are the only personnel changes to the Irish pack that started against France in the final round of Easter's U-18 Six Nations Festival.
Along with Woods and Nolan, head coach Brendan O'Connor has also brought Finn Brennan, Ryan McCormack, and Luke Kelly, the scorer of two tries in Vichy, into the back-line.
Among the replacements are Blackrock College's Luke Coffey, a recent Ireland U-20 debutant at the World Rugby Junior World Championship, and Dara Walsh, younger brother of Connacht Academy centre Seán.
Ireland will play South Africa U-18 'A' at Cape Town's Durbanville High School on Friday (kick-off 11.30am local time/10.30am Irish time), before taking on the South Africa U-18s in Paarl next Tuesday.
Stellenberg High School in Cape Town will be the venue for their final game against their Georgian counterparts on Saturday week.
Each U-18 International Series fixture will be streamed live on the official SA Rugby YouTube channel and the SuperSport Schools app and website.
"It's great to be back in Stellenbosch," commented O'Connor. "We know the challenge that lies ahead with two quality South African schoolboy teams on their home soil, while Georgia will bring a completely different but equally demanding test.
"It is a brilliant opportunity for this group to experience different styles of rugby, challenge themselves in a high-performance environment, and continue to grow as players and as a team."
IRELAND UNDER-18 SCHOOLS Team & Replacements (v South Africa Under-18 'A', 2026 Under-18 Men's International Series, Durbanville High School, Cape Town, Friday, August 7, kick-off 11.30am local time/10.30am Irish time):
15. Finn Brennan (Kilkenny College/Leinster Rugby)
14. Matthew McCarthy (St. Michael's College/Leinster Rugby)
13. Alex Moloney (Presentation Brothers College, Cork/Munster Rugby)
12. Ryan McCormack (Ardscoil Rís Limerick/Munster Rugby)
11. Luke Kelly (Newbridge College/Leinster Rugby)
10. David Nolan (Presentation Brothers College, Cork/Munster Rugby)
9. Johnny Woods (Wesley College/Leinster Rugby) (capt)
1. Herbie Boyle (St. Michael's College/Leinster Rugby)
2. Harry Heagney (Glenstal Abbey School/Clontarf FC/Munster Rugby)
3. David Kenny (St. Mary's College/Leinster Rugby)
4. James Whitty (St. Mary's College/Leinster Rugby)
5. Philip Lynch (St. Michael's College/Leinster Rugby)
6. Cillain McElwee (St. Kieran's College, Kilkenny/Kilkenny RFC/Leinster Rugby)
7. Michael Smyth (Terenure College/Leinster Rugby)
8. Xabi Scanlan (Castletroy College/Munster Rugby)
Replacements:
16. Calum Tutty (St. Augustine's College/Dungarvan RFC/Munster Rugby)
17. Lewis Robinson (Regent House School/Ulster Rugby)
18. Alex Stinson (Royal School Armagh/Ulster Rugby)
19. Dara Walsh (Coláiste Éinde/Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht Rugby)
20. Frank Maher (Terenure College/Leinster Rugby)
21. Luke Coffey (Blackrock College/Leinster Rugby)
22. Paddy Scally (Blackrock College/Leinster Rugby)
23. Rian Macfarlane O'Shea (Presentation Brothers College, Cork/Munster Rugby)
24. Daniel Murphy (Presentation Brothers College, Cork/Munster Rugby)
25. Joshua Grant (Clongowes Wood College/Leinster Rugby)
26. Rhys Keogh (Blackrock College/Leinster Rugby)
IRELAND U-18 SCHOOLS MANAGEMENT TEAM -
- Brendan O'Connor – Head Coach
- Morgan Codyre – Assistant Coach
- Niall Annett – Assistant Coach
- Johne Murphy – Assistant Coach
- Stephen O'Hara – Team Manager
- Prof. John Ryan – Team Doctor
- David Lyons – Team Physio
- Mark Synott – Athletic Development Coach
- Alan Doonan – Team Analyst
- Niall Davison – Performance Nutritionist
- Tom Nyhan – Team Logistics
2026 UNDER-18 MEN'S INTERNATIONAL SERIES FIXTURES:
Friday, August 7 - Durbanville High School, Cape Town
11.30am local time/10.30am Irish time: South Africa U-18 'A' v Ireland U-18 Schools
1.30pm: Georgia U-18s v England U-18s
3.30pm: South Africa U-18s v France U-18s
Tuesday, August 11 - Boland Landbou, Paarl
11.30am: South Africa U-18 'A' v Georgia U-18s
1.30pm: England U-18s v France U-18s
3.30pm local time/2.30pm Irish time: South Africa U-18s v Ireland U-18 Schools
Saturday, August 15 - Stellenberg High School, Cape Town
11.30am: France U-18s v South Africa U-18 'A'
1.30pm local time/12.30pm Irish time: Ireland U-18 Schools v Georgia U-18s
3.30pm: South Africa U-18s v England U-18s
