Santa Fe’s Club de Rugby Ateneo Inmaculada is the venue for this mouth-watering rematch between the Ireland Under-20s, sponsored by PwC, and England, as Noel McNamara’s youngsters look to take their Grand Slam-winning form onto the global stage.
2019 WORLD RUGBY UNDER-20 CHAMPIONSHIP – POOL B: Tuesday, June 4
ENGLAND UNDER-20s v IRELAND UNDER-20s, Club de Rugby Ateneo Inmaculada, Santa Fe, 3.30pm local time/7.30pm local time (live eir Sport 1/World Rugby website stream (in certain regions))
Team News: Ulster Academy trio Iwan Hughes, Stewart Moore and Azur Allison will make their Ireland Under-20 debuts as part of the team to play England in the first round of the World Rugby U-20 Championship. Sponsored by PwC, the Ireland U-20s are targeting their second win of the season over England whom they defeated 35-27 during their Grand Slam-winning run.
Josh Wycherley, top-scoring hooker Dylan Tierney-Martin and Thomas Clarkson form a familiar front row, supported by captain Charlie Ryan and fellow lock Ryan Baird who makes his first Ireland U-20 start. Banbridge clubman David McCann does likewise in a new-look back row which includes openside John Hodnett and debutant Allison at number 8.
With Harry Byrne on the list of injury-enforced absentees, head coach Noel McNamara has opted to move Jake Flannery from full-back to out-half. He partners his Shannon and Munster team-mate Craig Casey at half-back, with Moore and Leinster talent Liam Turner combining in the centre.
Fresh from his first year in the Ulster Academy, Hughes wins his first Ireland U-20 cap at full-back with his provincial colleague Angus Kernohan and Munster’s Jonathan Wren on the wings. Tierney-Martin and Ryan are the two players who have experience of last summer’s tournament in France.
World Rugby have introduced a change to how replacements can be used for this year’s U-20 Championship, with the remaining squad members outside of the starting XV all allowed to be named on the bench. Declan Adamson, Charlie Ward, Thomas Ahern and IQ Rugby’s Ciaran Booth are standing by to make their debuts.
The 2019 installment of the World Rugby U-20 Championship will run from June 4 to 22, and Santa Fe’s Club de Rugby Atheneo Immaculada is the venue for Ireland’s pool games against England, Australia and Italy. The play-off fixtures will take place in Rosario between the Racecourse Stadium and Club Old Resian.
Ireland’s matches will be shown live on eir Sport, while there will be live streaming via the World Rugby website in certain regions, and ITV hold the UK television rights. Tickets for the tournament are available via www.ticketek.com.ar.
Meanwhile, Northampton Saints’ Fraser Dingwall will captain the England Under-20s from outside centre. The side selected by head coach Steve Bates contains six players who appeared in last year’s World Rugby U-20 Championship final defeat to France.
They include Leicester Tigers tighthead Joe Heyes, who is joined in the front row by Olly Adkins and hooker Nic Dolly. Saracens’ Joel Kpoku is partnered at lock by Alex Coles, while Ted Hill, who made his England senior debut against Japan last November, Aaron Hinkley and number 8 Tom Willis form an experienced back row.
Dingwall is joined in midfield by Cameron Redpath, the son of former Scotland scrum half Bryan Redpath, with Manu Vunipola, Billy and Mako’s teenage cousin, and Ollie Fox forming England’s half-back pairing. Tom de Glanville and Ollie Sleightholme, both offspring of former senior internationals, are joined by Tom Seabrook in the back-three.
Prop Heyes is the only change to the England pack that started in Cork back in February. Their bench for the opening Pool B clash includes two potential debutants in front rowers Will Capon (Bristol Bears) and prop James Kenny (Exeter Chiefs).
World Rugby U-20 Championship Fixtures
World Rugby U-20 Championship Pools
ENGLAND U-20: Tom de Glanville (Bath); Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints) (capt), Cameron Redpath (Sale Sharks), Tom Seabrook (Gloucester); Manu Vunipola (Saracens), Ollie Fox (Bath); Olly Adkins (Gloucester), Nic Dolly (Sale Sharks), Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers), Joel Kpoku (Saracens), Alex Coles (Northampton Saints), Ted Hill (Worcester Warriors), Aaron Hinkley (Gloucester), Tom Willis (Wasps).
Replacements: Alfie Barbeary (Wasps/Bloxham School), Kai Owen (Worcester Warriors), Alfie Petch (Exeter Chiefs), Will Capon (Bristol Bears), James Kenny (Exeter Chiefs), Richard Capstick (Exeter Chiefs), Rusiate Tuima (Exeter Chiefs), Josh Basham (Newcastle Falcons), Sam Maunder (Exeter Chiefs), Luke James (Sale Sharks), Connor Doherty (Sale Sharks), Arron Reed (Sale Sharks), Josh Hodge (Newcastle Falcons).
IRELAND U-20: Iwan Hughes (Ballynahinch/Ulster); Angus Kernohan (Queen’s University/Ulster), Liam Turner (Dublin University/Leinster), Stewart Moore (Malone/Ulster), Jonathan Wren (Cork Constitution/Munster); Jake Flannery (Shannon/Munster), Craig Casey (Shannon/Munster); Josh Wycherley (Young Munster/Munster), Dylan Tierney-Martin (Corinthians/Connacht), Thomas Clarkson (Dublin University/Leinster), Charlie Ryan (UCD/Leinster) (capt), Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster), David McCann (Banbridge/Ulster), John Hodnett (UCC/Munster), Azur Allison (Ballymena/Ulster).
Replacements: Declan Adamson (Clontarf/Leinster), Michael Milne (UCD/Leinster), Charlie Ward (Clontarf/Leinster), John McKee (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Ronan Watters (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Niall Murray (Buccaneers/Connacht), Thomas Ahern (Shannon/Munster), Ciaran Booth (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby), Colm Reilly (Buccaneers/Connacht), Cormac Foley (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Ben Healy (Garryowen/Munster), Sean French (Cork Constitution/Munster), Rob Russell (Dublin University/Leinster).
Referee: Damon Murphy (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa), Emilio Traverso (Argentina)
Television Match Official: Santiago Borsani (Argentina)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): England U-20s to win: 2/5; Draw: 18/1; Ireland U-20s to win: 21/10
Pre-Match Quotes – Noel McNamara (Ireland U-20s):
We arrived into Santa Fe on Thursday and the players have settled in really well. They’ve focused on their recovery after the travel and are now looking forward to taking the field and getting things underway.
“We know from the Six Nations that England are a good side, and they have a lot of tradition in this tournament, but the primary focus is ourselves and what we control on the day.”
Steve Bates (England U-20s):
The key element is that we are playing the side that won the U-20 Six Nations so we know it is going to be a big challenge and we have got to be right at the top of our game. We have to be accurate, we have to be patient and understand that if we don’t play to the best of our ability then this will be a very tough game and even if we do, we realise it will still be tight.
“The players are in really good shape, having now spent a fair amount of time with each other they have gelled extremely well and look to be a tight group and we hope that will translate to a good performance.”
Pre-Match Links –
Recent Meetings –
2017: Under-20 Six Nations: Ireland U-20s 10 England U-20s 14, Donnybrook
2018: Under-20 Six Nations: England U-20s 48 Ireland U-20s 15, Ricoh Arena, Coventry
2019: Under-20 Six Nations: Ireland U-20s 35 England U-20s 27, Irish Independent Park
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