Ireland Under-20 full-back Noah Byrne is pictured in action against Italy at the UCD Bowl last month ©Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
An electric atmosphere is expected tonight at Perpignan’s Stade Aimé Giral where the Ireland Under-20 Men (sponsored by PwC) get their 2026 U-20 Six Nations campaign underway against defending champions France.
Saturday, February 7 –
FRANCE UNDER-20 MEN v IRELAND UNDER-20 MEN, Stade Aimé Giral, Perpignan, kick-off 9pm local time/8pm Irish time (live RTÉ News Channel/RTÉ Player/BBC iPlayer/L’Equipe)
Team News: Having been part of last year’s coaching team, Andrew Browne brings continuity into his new role as Ireland Under-20 Men’s head coach for 2026. Ireland warmed up for the U-20 Six Nations with a recent 29-10 win over Italy, having also played South Africa in November.
Although a largely new-look squad, there are four returning players from last season, and three of them – Derry Moloney, Tom Wood, and Donnacha McGuire – will start against France in this opening round fixture.
Wood, who made his senior debut for Munster in Glasgow last week, combines at half-back with Christopher Barrett, and James O’Leary, Barrett’s UCC club-mate, has recovered from a hamstring injury to start alongside Johnny O’Sullivan in the centre.
Connacht Academy winger Daniel Ryan makes up a pacy back-three with Noah Byrne and Moloney, who comes in for the injured Molony. Ryan scored a brace of tries when the Ireland Under-19s beat France 33-24 in memorable fashion in La Roche-sur-Yon last April.
Browne’s matchday 23 includes fifteen players who were involved in that four-try victory, while Kieran Hallett, one of the Galway man’s assistant coaches with the U-20s, was the U-19 head coach for the drawn series in France.
UCD prop Sami Bishti, who led Blackrock College to Leinster Schools Senior Cup success last year, captains Ireland from tighthead. Max Doyle, Rian Handley, Dylan McNeice, and McGuire make it an all-Leinster front five.
Following his two-try performance against Italy, Leinster Academy recruit Josh Neill features again at blindside flanker, with Garryowen’s Billy Hayes, who captained that Ireland U-19 team in France, and Diarmaid O’Connell completing the back row.
IQ Rugby scrum half Fergus Callington, who played with Ulster in this season’s PwC Under-19 Interprovincial Championship, is part of a strong bench which also includes Instonians prop Blake McClean and Ethan Black, a regular starter for Old Wesley in the Energia All-Ireland League.
Speaking ahead of the clash with France, Browne said: “A lot of the lads have that experience (of winning at U-19 level in France last year), they have that pedigree. Going to Perpignan is class. It’s an unbelievable stadium and I’m sure there will be passionate home support for the France U-20s.
“I think it’s a brilliant start to the tournament. It is late, nine o’clock on a Saturday night, that’s new to all these players as well, but they’ve adapted to everything so far.
“Some of the best memories of my rugby career are playing away in France because you have a hostile crowd, they’re on top of you, they’re loud, they’re hissing, they’re booing. It’s brilliant. Just feed off it, absorb it.”
He added: “The South Africa game, we had three on-field training sessions beforehand. We were going in really raw, really undercooked, and all I was looking for was a performance. The first few minutes of that game told you everything I needed to know about the team and the way they just ripped into it.
“We’ve only had four camps, and then the Italy game recently was on the back of camp four. Again their mentality going into their game, we’ve sharpened up a few bits. I think how tight this group is a really important aspect.
“This is a group that would have travelled to South Africa together at U-18s, they would have been together at U-19s, so they’re a really tight-knit squad and you can see that every single day just in how they interact with each other. I think that is one of the big positives of this group.”
Following their trip to Perpignan, the Ireland U-20s will return to Virgin Media Park in Cork to play Italy next Friday (kick-off 7.45pm) in the first of three home matches in the Six Nations. Tickets are on sale from Ticketmaster.ie.
Meanwhile, brothers Luka and Tana Keletaona will both start for the France Under-20s, lining out at out-half and number 8 respectively, as they look to make a winning start to their U-20 Six Nations title defence.
The Brive-based sibilings – with back rower Tana only 18 – will have key roles for Cédric Laborde’s charges, with playmaker Luka, who made three recent starts in the Pro D2, the only survivor from the French squad that won 22-12 at Virgin Media Park last season.
Toulouse prospect Marceau Marzullo takes the captaincy reins in the back row, while La Rochelle scrum half Nolhann Couillaud comes in as the only change to the back-line from November’s noteworthy 20-12 defeat of South Africa in Châteauroux.
Pau’s Quentin Valentino, a try scorer that day, starts again at inside centre, and there are some alterations up front where Roméo Bonnard Martin moves to the back row, and Yanis Basse, who played for Racing 92 against Ulster in December, Ruben Pargade, Baptiste Veschambre, and Nils Punti all come in as starters.
The French U-20s’ Six Nations preparations have included training with Fabien Galthié’s senior squad – Kalvin Gourgues from last year’s U-20 group was opposing them – and a recent hit-out against the France Universities side.
“We’ve built a team that we feel has the most collective experience and that would allow us to start and finish the match in a balanced way, ready for the battle that awaits us,” said head coach Laborde.
“It’s the first round of the Championship, the first team selection of a very close-knit group. The challenge will be to enjoy the fight and win the pressure game. We’re all eager for it to start.”
There has been an intense and exciting rivalry between Ireland and France at this age-grade, with Ireland managing to win three U-20 Six Nations encounters in as many years before les Bleuets prevailed by 10 points in Cork last March.
Notably, the France U-20s have not managed two consecutive wins over Ireland in the U-20 Six Nations since 2010 and 2011. They last played at this level at the Stade Aimé Giral in 2022 when they overcame England 26-22.
Under-20 Men’s Six Nations Results/Fixtures
Under-20 Men’s Six Nations Table
FRANCE U-20: Axel Guillaud (ASM Clermont Auvergne); Dylan Cazemajou (SU Agen), Adrien Drault (Union Bordeaux-Bègles), Quentin Valentino (Section Paloise), Melvyn Rates (Montpellier HR); Luka Keletaona (CA Brive), Nolhann Couillaud (Stade Rochelais); Mathéo Frisach (ASM Clermont Auvergne), Yanis Basse (Racing 92), Ruben Pargade (Union Bordeaux-Bègles), Baptiste Veschambre (ASM Clermont Auvergne), Nils Punti (Montpellier HR), Marceau Marzullo (Stade Toulousain) (capt), Roméo Bonnard Martin (Stade Toulousain), Tana Keletaona (CA Brive).
Replacements: Lohann Gil (RC Toulon), Liam Couturier (Aviron Bayonnais), Maël Turpin (Stade Montois), Alban Portat (Stade Toulousain), Lucas Andjisseramatchi (Stade Rochelais), Antoine Latrasse (Racing 92), Gabin Kretchmann (USA Perpignan), Joachim Senga Kouo (RC Vannes).
IRELAND U-20: Noah Byrne (Dublin University FC/Leinster); Derry Moloney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Johnny O’Sullivan (Dublin University FC/Leinster), James O’Leary (UCC RFC/Munster), Daniel Ryan (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht); Tom Wood (Garryowen FC/Munster), Christopher Barrett (UCC RFC/Munster); Max Doyle (UCD RFC/Leinster), Rian Handley (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster), Sami Bishti (UCD RFC/Leinster) (capt), Dylan McNeice (UCD RFC/Leinster), Donnacha McGuire (UCD RFC/Leinster), Josh Neill (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster), Billy Hayes (Garryowen FC/Munster), Diarmaid O’Connell (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht).
Replacements: Duinn Maguire (UCD RFC/Leinster), Christian Foley (Young Munster RFC/Munster), Blake McClean (Instonians RFC/Ulster), Joe Finn (Garryowen FC/Munster), Ben Blaney (Terenure College RFC/Leinster), Fergus Callington (Durham University/IQ Rugby), Charlie O’Shea (UCC RFC/Munster), Ethan Black (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster).
Referee: Christopher Allison (SARU)
Assistant Referees: Alberto Favaro, Franco Rosella (both FIR)
TMO: Giuseppe Vivarini (FIR)
Tonight’s game is live on the RTÉ News Channel and RTÉ Player in the Republic of Ireland, while viewers in Northern Ireland/the UK can watch it live on the BBC iPlayer.
Pre-Match Quotes – Sami Bishti (Ireland U-20s): “It has been brilliant, we’ve been training really hard. Definitely the first game against South Africa was a great test for us, and we definitely stood up physically, although we didn’t get the result (losing 32-22).
“And then to have the game against Italy, the result went our way but we still have loads to work on. I think throughout all the training and the camps, we’ve definitely been building very well and we’re looking forward to going at it in the Six Nations.
“Against the Italian team, we put a lot of work into our maul and our lineout, our scrum, and I think it showed on the day, like our scrum was going well, our maul was definitely strong.
“We got a couple more tries, which was great to see, and yeah, obviously it helps having a big pack. It’s definitely key for a maul, and it goes for the scrum, of course, but I think there’s definitely other layers to our pack as well.”
Tom Wood (Ireland U-20s): “I think the main difference (compared to last year), and I’m trying to influence this, is that there is more of a leadership role on the team.
“I probably didn’t drive enough of the standards, not as demanding as I think I could have been last year. Coming in this year, I just think I need to drive that up another step and make sure I’m demanding standards of players around me.
“I think just being more of a leader on and off the pitch. That will stand to me and stand to the team, I think, throughout the year. So that’s pretty much the difference I see.
“It’s going to be a very hard test against France. It always is, it’s going to be really tough. It’s going to be a physical game, but I feel like we’re prepping really well. We’rre building each camp really well.
“It will be a big tell on how the Six Nations will go, that game. They gave us a bit of a hiding at 18s, but the lads went over last year at 19s and beat them. If we put the work in now, which we have been doing and just keep building on that, I think we can beat them.”
Recent Meetings –
2023: Under-20 Men’s Six Nations: Ireland U-20s 33 France U-20s 31, Virgin Media Park; World Rugby Under-20 Championship Final: Ireland U-20s 14 France U-20s 50, Athlone Stadium, Cape Town
2024: Under-20 Men’s Six Nations: France U-20s 31 Ireland U-20s 37, Stade Maurice David, Aix-en-Provence
2025: Under-20 Men’s Six Nations: Ireland U-20s 12 France U-20s 22, Virgin Media Park
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