After coming good in the second half against Scotland, the Ireland Under-20s will aim to maintain their winning start to the Six Nations when they play Italy in the first ever U-20 international to take place in Prato.
2017 UNDER-20 SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Friday, February 10
ITALY UNDER-20s (5th) v IRELAND UNDER-20s (3rd), Stadio Enrico Chersoni, Prato, kick-off 7pm local time/6pm Irish time (Live stream on www.therugbychannel.it/www.facebook.com/federugby)
Team News: Head coach Nigel Carolan has announced the Ireland Under-20 team, sponsored by PwC, to take on Italy tonight at Stadio Enrico Chersoni in Prato.
The matchday squad shows four changes to the one that claimed late win over their Scottish counterparts last Friday night. Charlie Connolly will start in the front row, with Calvin Nash coming into the back-three and Matthew Burke and Gavin Coombes coming on the bench.
The front row sees hooker Tadgh McElroy joined by props Joey Conway and Connolly, who replaces the injured Peter Cooper at tighthead.
The second row pairing of Fineen Wycherley and Oisin Dowling remains the same from last week’s Championship opener, while flanker Cillian Gallagher will captain the side in the absence of injured full-back Jack Kelly. Gallagher is joined in the back row by Paul Boyle and number 8 Caelan Doris.
The Ulster duo of Jonny Stewart and Johnny McPhillips – the man-of-the-match against Scotland – continue as Ireland’s starting half-backs, with UCD club-mates Ciaran Frawley and Gavin Mullin retained in the centre.
Colm Hogan shifts from the wing to full-back, with Jordan Larmour (pictured below) and Nash, who made his senior debut for Munster last weekend, taking their places on the wings.
Ahead of the squad’s departure for Prato, Carolan said: “It was tough going last Friday night in Glasgow. The conditions made it challenging and with 21 of the 23 players involved gaining their first experience of international rugby at this level, the fact that we came away with the result against a very good Scottish side is a big positive.
“The Italians are ever improving, so we are expecting another tough encounter, particularly up front, where they made life difficult for Wales last week.
“We have made a couple of changes for this week, so for the players selected, we’re looking for them to build on their experience from last week and continue to develop as a team.”
Tickets are available for Ireland Under-20s’ home Six Nations games against France and England at Donnybrook via www.ticketmaster.ie.
Meanwhile, following their side’s 27-5 loss to Wales, Italy Under-20 coaches Carlo Orlandi and Alessandro Troncon have made two personnel changes for this historic clash in Prato.
Dario Schiabel comes in on the left wing, taking over from Giovanni d’Onofrio, and Lazio’s Gabriele Venditti is promoted from the bench to join Giordano Baldino in the second row. Baldino was Italy’s lone try scorer in Milan last Friday.
Orlandi said: “We know Ireland well from crossing paths with them at Under-18 level. They have great individual skills and are perhaps less physical than the Welsh team we played last Friday. We’ll have to increase our focus on defence and try to impose our game.”
Under-20 Six Nations Results/Fixtures
ITALY U-20: Massimo Cioffi (S.S. Lazio Rugby 1927); Andrea Bronzini (Rugby Viadana 1970), Ludovico Vaccari (UR Capitolina), Marco Zanon (Mogliano Rugby), Dario Schiabel (Lafert San Donà); Antonio Rizzi (Mogliano Rugby), Charly Vincenzo Ernst Trussardi (Clermont Auvergne); Daniele Rimpelli (Patarò Calvisano), Massimo Ceciliani (Delebio Rugby), Marco Riccioni (Patarò Calvisano) (capt), Giordano Baldino (Mogliano Rugby), Gabriele Venditti (S.S. Lazio Rugby 1927), Jacopo Bianchi (Vasari Arezzo), Lorenzo Masselli (Sitav Rugby Lyons), Giovanni Licata (Miraglia Rugby).
Replacements: Alberto Rollero (Sitav Rugby Lyons), Danilo Fischetti (Unione Rugby Capitolina), Giosuè Zilocchi (Sitav Rugby Lyons), Edoardo Iachizzi (Perpignan), Nardo Casolari (S.S. Lazio Rugby 1927), Emilio Fusco (Stade Aurillacois), Michelangelo Biondelli (FEMI-CZ Rovigo), Roberto dal Zilio (Patarò Calvisano).
IRELAND U-20: Colm Hogan (Dublin University/Munster); Jordan Larmour (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Gavin Mullin (UCD/Leinster), Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster), Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster); Johnny McPhillips (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Jonny Stewart (Queen’s University/Ulster); Joey Conway (UL Bohemians/Munster), Tadgh McElroy (Lansdowne/Leinster), Charlie Connolly (Dublin University/Leinster), Fineen Wycherley (Young Munster/Munster), Oisin Dowling (Lansdowne/Leinster), Cillian Gallagher (Corinthians/Connacht) (capt), Paul Boyle (Lansdowne/Leinster), Caelan Doris (St. Mary’s College/Leinster).
Replacements: Adam Moloney (Shannon/Munster), Rory Mulvihill (UCD/Leinster), Matthew Burke (Corinthians/Connacht), Jack Regan (UCD/Leinster), Gavin Coombes (Young Munster/Munster), Jack Lyons (Young Munster/Munster), Conor Fitzgerald (Shannon/Munster), Tommy O’Brien (UCD/Leinster).
Referee: Adam Jones (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Simon Rees, Jonathan Hardy (both Wales)
Television Match Official: Neil Hennessy (Wales)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Italy U-20s to win: 11/2; Draw: 30/1; Ireland U-20s to win: 1/9
Pre-Match Quotes – Peter Malone (Ireland U-20s): “We said we’d do a lot of things (against Scotland) which we didn’t do. We targeted the Scottish breakdown for example and we didn’t contest it as much as we felt we should have. We spoke about a few things around the lineout about targeting certain areas.
“When you put your plan down and these are the key areas to address and focus on and you don’t do it, that’s not good enough. They’ve got to learn that. We’ve looked at Italy. They will be tough and physical. They’ll maul and they’ll kick early. We’ve got to match their physicality.
“We’d be disappointed with both aspects of the set piece, scrum and lineout. Our lineout stats were very poor for what we felt was a strong lineout. For me, that was the most disappointing.
“The normality for an Irish pack is that you’ve got to be lower and more cohesive and better organised because we’re never, or rarely ever, going to be bigger than them. Even last year we weren’t much bigger than our opposition.
“Hopefully through the Six Nations we learn that. We’ll know a lot more (tonight) because the Italians didn’t take a ball out of their scrum against Wales last Friday. Not one. We’ll definitely know a lot more. I’d be hoping we’ll be a lot more cohesive.”
Pre-Match Links –
Tickets On Sale Now For Ireland Women And U-20 Home Fixtures
Boyle Try Drives Ireland U-20s To Gutsy Comeback Win
Inside Pass: Scotland Week In Review
Match Facts –
– The Italy Under-20s have not won in the Six Nations since overcoming Scotland in February 2014, a total of 13 successive losses in the Championship
– Italy’s most recent victory in a home U-20 game was 20-19 against Samoa to take 11th place at the 2015 World Rugby U-20 Championship in Cremona
– The Ireland U-20s’ only defeat at this level in their last nine games was in the final of the World Rugby U-20 Championship last summer when they lost out to England
– Ireland’s victory by a single point against Scotland in round 1 was their fourth in succession in the U-20 Six Nations, their only longer streak in this Championship was when winning their first six matches at this age group between 2007 and 2008
– The two sides have met on 11 occasions at Under-20 level, with Italy’s best result being a 25-all draw at L’Aquila in round 5 of the 2013 U-20 Six Nations
– This is the first Under-20 international match to be staged in Prato
Recent Meetings –
2014: U-20 Six Nations: Ireland U-20s 18 Italy U-20s 0, Dubarry Park
2015: U-20 Six Nations: Italy U-20s 15 Ireland U-20s 47, Stadio Pozzi Lamarmora, Biella
2016: U-20 Six Nations: Ireland U-20s 19 Italy U-20s 13, Donnybrook
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