Ulster winger Ben Moxham is set for his first appearance at this age-grade, replacing Ethan McIlroy who is unavailable due to injury, while the other change to the starting XV sees Marcus Hanan come into the front row.
Otherwise McNamara has rewarded the players who performed so impressively in the 38-26 opening round victory over Scotland in Cork last week, with Ulster’s David McCann once again captaining the team from the back row.
Munster out-half Jack Crowley, who was named the PwC man-of-the-match in the six-try win over Scotland, will hope to pull the strings from half-back alongside Lewis Finlay, while Moxham joins Oran McNulty and Andrew Smith in an exciting back-three.
Dan Kelly and Hayden Hyde continue their midfield partnership, with Ben Murphy, Tim Corkery and Dublin University regular Luis Faria providing back-line cover from the replacements bench.
Clane RFC product Hanan is named at loosehead and joins Ulster hooker Tom Stewart and vice-captain Thomas Clarkson, who has now started each of Ireland’s last seven Under-20 Six Nations fixtures, in the front row.
Thomas Ahern, who touched down against Scotland with a great burst of pace, and Brian Deeny form the second row pairing, and the tough-tackling back row of Sean O’Brien, Mark Hernan and McCann is also unchanged.
There is plenty of front row experience among the options available to McNamara from the bench, including John McKee, Harry Noonan and Charlie Ward, with fellow forwards Joe McCarthy and Cian Prendergast completing the matchday 23.
“We got things started on a positive note last Friday in Cork and now that we are up and running in the Championship, we are looking forward to improving upon that performance,” said McNamara.
“This Friday night presents a new challenge against Wales. The players have worked hard during the week with the emphasis very much on ourselves and building towards this week’s game.
“We are excited about getting out and performing in front of our supportive and enthusiastic home crowd at Irish Independent Park.”
Meanwhile, Welsh head coach Gareth Williams has made three changes to his starting XV, including a first taste of Wales U-20 action for Bristol Bears’ Ioan Lloyd at full-back.
Theo Bevacqua and Will Griffiths replace Callum Williams and Dom Booth at loosehead prop and hooker respectively. It will be a first start for Dragons front rower Griffiths after winning all twelve of his previous caps as a replacement.
The Wales U-20s, who are captained by Scarlets flanker Jac Morgan, are aiming to bounce back after a disappointing 17-7 defeat to Italy in the opening round in Colwyn Bay last Friday night.
Under-20 Six Nations Fixtures/Results
IRELAND U-20: Oran McNulty (Millfield School/Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht); Ben Moxham (Larne High School/Ballymena RFC/Ulster), Dan Kelly (Kirkham Grammar/Loughborough University/IQ Rugby), Hayden Hyde (Cranleigh School/Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster), Andrew Smith (St. Michael’s College/Clontarf FC/Leinster); Jack Crowley (Bandon RFC/Cork Constitution FC/Munster), Lewis Finlay (Down High School/Malone RFC/Ulster); Marcus Hanan (Clane RFC/Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Tom Stewart (Belfast Royal Academy/Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster), Thomas Clarkson (Blackrock College/Dublin University FC/Leinster), Thomas Ahern (Waterpark RFC/Shannon RFC/Munster), Brian Deeny (Wexford Wanderers RFC/Clontarf FC/Leinster), Sean O’Brien (Blackrock College/UCD RFC/Leinster), Mark Hernan (St. Michael’s College/Lansdowne FC/Leinster), David McCann (RBAI/Banbridge RFC/Ulster) (capt).
Replacements: John McKee (Campbell College/Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Harry Noonan (Greystones RFC/Old Wesley RFC/Leinster), Charlie Ward (Tullow RFC/Clontarf FC/Leinster), Joe McCarthy (Blackrock College/Dublin University FC/Leinster), Cian Prendergast (Newbridge College/UCD RFC/Leinster), Ben Murphy (Presentation College Bray/Clontarf FC/Leinster), Tim Corkery (Kilkenny RFC/Lansdowne FC/Leinster), Luis Faria (Newpark Comprehensive/Dublin University FC/Leinster).
WALES U-20: Ioan Lloyd (Bristol Bears); Daniel John (Millfield School), Osian Knott (Scarlets), Aneurin Owen (Dragons), Ewan Rosser (Dragons); Sam Costelow (Leicester Tigers), Dafydd Buckland (Dragons); Theo Bevacqua (Cardiff Blues), Will Griffiths (Dragons), Ben Warren (Cardiff Blues), Jac Price (Scarlets), Ben Carter (Dragons), Ioan Davies (Cardiff Blues), Jac Morgan (Scarlets) (capt), Morgan Strong (Ospreys).
Replacements: Dom Booth (Scarlets), Callum Williams (Scarlets), Archie Griffin (Bath), James Fender (Ospreys), Gwilym Bradley (Cardiff Blues), Ellis Bevan (Cardiff Met), Bradley Roderick (Ospreys), Josh Thomas (Ospreys).
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees: Saba Abulashvili, Irakli Tchanukvadze (both Georgia)
Television Match Official: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Ireland U-20s to win: 1/8; Draw: 25/1; Wales U-20s to win: 11/2
Pre-Match Quotes – David McCann (Ireland U-20s): “Great start, exactly what we wanted, the five points. But it was scrappy and we have a few things to work on, so we’re hoping to bring that in against Wales. They’re definitely going to be sore after their first game.
“With their defeat to Italy, we’re expecting a reaction and we’re ready for it. We didn’t really get into our flow (last week) so that’s something we’re looking to get into this week. Hopefully we can really kick on and score more points in front of another big crowd.
“The crowds in Cork are amazing. You can just tell when there’s line-breaks, or any sort of interesting plays, there’s a lot of noise coming and it just drives the boys on. For some of them it was their first experience playing in front of such a big crowd. It shocked them, just the noise and how much it adds to their game.”
Gareth Williams (Wales U-20s): “Naturally we are disappointed with the result and elements of our performance against Italy, but this week is about dealing with that and moving forward. We still have four internationals left that act as great opportunities to move players forward in their development.
“Ireland will be a big challenge, and the atmosphere will be electric. These are the type of environments we want to expose our young players to. There are some areas we have worked hard to tighten up on this week.
“We’ve challenged ourselves to execute better to keep Ireland under pressure which was something we didn’t do to Italy, although I thought Italy were excellent in their performance.
“We have a clear understanding of our responsibility for development, and defeats like last week can act as effective learning experiences. But we’re a competitive and proud group, and want to get back to success against opposition we have the utmost respect for.”
Pre-Match Links –
In Pics: Maximum Points For Ireland Under-20s In Six Nations Opener
Ireland Under-20s Preparing For ‘Seismic Physical Battle’ Against Wales
Practice Makes Perfect For Ireland Under-20 Scrum Half Finlay
McCann Hopes Cork Support Helps Ireland Under-20s Kick On
Opta Match Facts:
– Ireland won their last Under-20 Six Nations meeting with Wales, a round 5 victory last year which saw them claim the Grand Slam and end a run of six straight defeats against Wales in the tournament
– Ireland have won each of their last six Under-20 Six Nations games, their best run in the tournament since winning six on the bounce from 2016 to 2017. They have never recorded seven straight victories in the tournament
– Ireland have won their last four home games in the Under-20 Six Nations, their best run since 2012-2014 (W6). However, their last defeat on home soil in the tournament came against Wales in 2018
– Wales have beaten Ireland away from home on four occasions in the Under-20 Six Nations. No other side has recorded as many victories away to Ireland in the tournament (England W3, France W1)
– Wales have lost their last three Under-20 Six Nations matches, never before have they lost four in a row in the tournament
– Ireland conceded just 11 turnovers in the opening round of this year’s Under-20 Six Nations, fewer than any other side, while Wales conceded the most (19). Wales did win the joint most turnovers, however (6, level with Italy)
– Ireland were the only team to achieve a 100% success rate in the lineout in the opening round of this year’s Under-20 Six Nations, winning each of their seven throws. Ireland and Wales recorded perfect rates at the scrum too (both 7/7)
– Wales made the most tackles (261) of any side in round 1 of this year’s Under-20 Six Nations and boasted the best tackle success rate in the process (94%)
– Eight players made 20+ tackles in the opening round of this year’s Under-20 Six Nations, each of those players representing Wales (Ben Carter, Morgan Strong, Jac Morgan, Jac Price and Ben Warren) or Ireland (Sean O’Brien, David McCann and Mark Hernan)
– Ireland’s Jack Crowley was the top points scorer in the opening round of this year’s Under-20 Six Nations, scoring 18 points, including a round-high two tries. He also gained the third most metres (80) and beat the joint-second most defenders (6) despite making just three carries
Recent Meetings –
2017: Under-20 Six Nations: Wales U-20s 41 Ireland U-20s 27, Parc Eirias, Colwyn Bay
2018: Under-20 Six Nations: Ireland U-20s 38 Wales U-20s 41, Donnybrook
2019: Under-20 Six Nations: Wales U-20s 17 Ireland U-20s 26, Zip World Stadium, Parc Eirias, Colwyn Bay
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