It is a big night for new head coach Noel McNamara and captain Tommy O’Brien as the Ireland Under-20s (sponsored by PwC) kick off their Six Nations campaign with a tough assignment against France in Bordeaux.
2018 UNDER-20 SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Friday, February 2
FRANCE UNDER-20s v IRELAND UNDER-20s, Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux, 9pm local time/8pm Irish time (live RTÉ Two/www.rte.ie/live (island of Ireland only)/France 4)
Team News: Debutant tighthead Jack Aungier joins returning prop Jordan Duggan and hooker Ronan Kelleher in an all-Leinster front row, while the Ireland Under-20s’ other five starting forwards – Cormac Daly, Jack Dunne, Matthew Dalton, Aaron Hall and Jack O’Sullivan – are also new caps.
Flankers Dalton and Hall recently helped Ulster ‘A’ qualify for the British & Irish Cup quarter-finals, as did experienced scrum half Jonny Stewart who will win his eleventh Ireland Under-20 cap having made his senior debut for Ulster in October.
Stewart will be partnered at half-back by Harry Byrne, the teenage brother of Leinster out-half Ross Byrne, with Byrne’s UCD colleague Tommy O’Brien taking on the captaincy role in his second season with the Ireland U-20s. The new skipper starts in midfield alongside Garryowen and Munster ‘A’ centre David McCarthy.
The back-three is made up of Munster Academy member James McCarthy and Lansdowne’s Peter Sullivan, who both touched down for the Ireland U-20s against the Munster Development side last month, and previously-capped full-back Michael Silvester who has scored seven tries for Dublin University in the Ulster Bank League this season.
There are nine new caps in Ireland’s starting XV and five more potential debutants on the replacements bench, including Shannon second row Ronan Coffey and versatile Ballymena back Angus Kernohan who captained the Ireland Under-18 Sevens team to a European title in September.
Speaking before the squad’s departure for France, head coach Noel McNamara said: “We’ve had a good build-up over the past few months, and it’s an exciting time for the players as well as the coaching team.
“France is never an easy place to go to play, and we’re expecting a large and noisy crowd at the game, but it’s a good challenge for the players everyone involved is looking forward to getting the campaign underway on Friday night.”
Meanwhile, there are four players from host club Bordeaux-Bègles in the France squad for tonight’s eagerly-awaited encounter with Ireland. Arthur Coville, who has played 15 times for Stade Francais this season across the Top 14 and Challenge Cup, will captain the team from scrum half.
Coville is one of three players who will share the France U-20 captaincy during the Six Nations, along with forwards Killian Geraci and Maxime Lamothe. Notably, the French pack also includes Toulouse tighthead Daniel Brennan, the son of former Ireland international Trevor Brennan.
The 19-year-old Brennan, who is reportedly moving to Montpellier, captained the France Under-19s to two wins over their Irish counterparts in Bordeaux last April, with a number of those players stepping up to U-20 level this term – and out-half Matthieu Jalibert even bypassing it to the senior grade tomorrow.
Centre Pierre-Louis Barassi and out-half Romain Ntamack, the son of former French star Emile Ntamack, both played in last year’s 27-22 U-20 Six Nations defeat to Ireland at Donnybrook, as did lock Geraci and flanker Cameron Woki off the bench.
Coached by Sébastien Piqueronies, the France U-20 squad’s Six Nations preparations have included a training camp in Doha, and they are determined to uphold a proud record which has seen les Bleuets win six of their last seven first round matches in the U-20 Six Nations.
FRANCE U-20: Clément Laporte (SU Agen); Iban Etcheverry (Union Bordeaux-Bègles), Pierre-Louis Barassi (Lyon OU), Arthur Vincent (Montpellier HR), Maxime Marty (Stade Toulousain); Romain Ntamack (Stade Toulousain), Arthur Coville (Stade Francais) (capt); Hassane Kolingar (Racing 92), Maxime Lamothe (Union Bordeaux-Bègles), Daniel Brennan (Stade Toulousain), Thomas Lavault (Stade Rochelais), Killian Geraci (FC Grenoble), Cameron Woki (Union Bordeaux-Bègles), Ibrahim Diallo (Racing 92), Maxence Lemardelet (AS Clermont Auvergne).
Replacements: Lucas Peyresblanques (Biarritz Olympique), Ugo Boniface (Aviron Bayonnais), Demba Bamba (CA Brive), Alban Roussel (USA Perpignan), Baptiste Heguy (Aviron Bayonnais), Jules Gimbert (Union Bordeaux-Bègles), Louis Carbonel (RC Toulon), Pierre Boudehent (Stade Rochelais).
IRELAND U-20: Michael Silvester (Dublin University/Leinster); Peter Sullivan (Lansdowne/Leinster), David McCarthy (Garryowen/Munster), Tommy O’Brien (UCD/Leinster) (capt), James McCarthy (UL Bohemians/Munster); Harry Byrne (UCD/Leinster), Jonny Stewart (Queen’s University/Ulster); Jordan Duggan (Naas/Leinster), Ronan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster), Jack Aungier (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Cormac Daly (Clontarf/Leinster), Jack Dunne (Dublin University/Leinster), Matthew Dalton (Malone/Ulster), Aaron Hall (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Jack O’Sullivan (UCC/Munster).
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron (Garryowen/Munster), James French (UCC/Munster), Tom O’Toole (Banbridge/Ulster), Ronan Coffey (Shannon/Munster), Sean Masterson (Corinthians/Connacht), Hugh O’Sullivan (Clontarf/Leinster), Angus Curtis (Queen’s University/Ulster), Angus Kernohan (Ballymena/Ulster).
Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)
Assistant Referees: Anthony Woodthorpe, Adam Leal (both England)
Television Match Official: Stuart Terheege (England)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): France U-20s to win: 1/5; Draw: 22/1; Ireland U-20s to win: 7/2
Pre-Match Quotes – Noel McNamara (Ireland U-20s): “It is an exciting time for the players, but also for us as a coaching group too. We’re greatly looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead in the Six Nations and the U-20 World Championship later on in the year.
“Ultimately the 20s is a culmination of the player pathway in Ireland. The squad selection, with these guys, has been coming about over the course of the Under-18s into the Under-19s and on into the 20s. This season we had our first camp in September, leading into a couple of development games at Christmas.
“There is experience coming back (from last year), that adds value to us. The lads understand the challenges that are going to lie ahead, and that’s certainly something we’ll be looking to take advantage of over the coming weeks. France away, first up, is a huge challenge but it’s one we’re looking forward to.
“Over the course of the last few years, you see the provinces, you see the Irish senior team, you see the Under-20s even, more and more, going over to France and being competitive and putting in really strong performances. So. that’s something we’ll take a lot of encouragement from and we’re really looking forward to this opening game.”
Sébastien Piqueronies (France U-20s): “We’ve divided this tournament into three blocks with the first one consisting of Ireland and Scotland, the second with Italy and the last with England and Wales. We’ve decided to work by block rather than week-by-week.
“We have, in mind, the World Rugby U-20 Championship which takes place in France this summer. The objective of the Six Nations is to give game-time to the players and test them to find the 28 who are best equipped to play in the World Championship.”
Recent Meetings –
2015: U-20 Six Nations: Ireland U-20s 37 France U-20s 20, Dubarry Park
2016: U-20 Six Nations: France U-20s 34 Ireland U-20s 13, Stade d’Honneur du Parc des Sports et de l’Amitié, Narbonne
2017: U-20 Six Nations: Ireland U-20s 27 France U-20s 22, Donnybrook
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