Noel McNamara’s Ireland Under-20s (sponsored by PwC) are aiming to negate France’s home advantage when the teams meet in an eagerly-awaited World Rugby U-20 Championship opener in Perpignan tonight (kick-off 9pm local time/8pm Irish time).
2018 WORLD RUGBY UNDER-20 CHAMPIONSHIP – POOL C: Wednesday, May 30
FRANCE UNDER-20s v IRELAND UNDER-20s, Stade Aimé-Giral, Perpignan, 9pm local time/8pm Irish time (live eir Sport 2/France 4/World Rugby live streaming in certain countries)
Team News: Props James French and Jack Aungier pack down in the Ireland Under-20 front row with Garryowen hooker Diarmuid Barron, who is one of the six players included who are appearing at the World Rugby U-20 Championship for a second season.
Matthew Dalton and Jack Dunne start together in the second row, with the back row consisting of Joe Dunleavy, Matthew Agnew and fit-again number 8 and newly-appointed captain Caelan Doris, another player who is starting his second U-20 Championship campaign.
There are three uncapped players in the selected back-line, with Young Munster’s Dan Hurley and Tom Roche from Lansdowne filling the wing berths, with UCC’s promising centre Peter Sylvester also picked to win his first Ireland U-20 cap.
Sylvester joins Leinster ‘A’ regular Tommy O’Brien in a potent midfield combination, while there is an all-Leinster half-back pairing in Harry Byrne and Hugh O’Sullivan. Dublin University’s Michael Silvester, who was also involved last summer in Georgia, features in the full-back position.
There are nine personnel changes to the Ireland side that lost 34-24 to France in Bordeaux in February’s U-20 Six Nations opener, with injuries notably impacting on the selection. Silvester, O’Brien, Byrne, Aungier, Dalton and Dunne are the six starters who are backing up from the spring clash.
Ireland’s bench contains two uncapped players in Trinity hooker Dan Sheehan and prop Joe Byrne, while Aaron Hall, Sean O’Brien and Charlie Ryan were involved in this season’s U-20 Six Nations. Jordan Duggan, Jonny Stewart and Conor Dean will all provide experience as replacements, having all played in last year’s U-20 Championship.
Speaking ahead of the opening Pool C fixture, Noel McNamara said: “There has been a great build-up to this game, with positive work done both at home and since we arrived here in France, and everyone is looking forward to getting the tournament underway.
“We know from the Six Nations how vocal and passionate the French fans are and there’s no doubt that there will be a fantastic atmosphere in Perpignan on Wednesday night. The players have worked hard and they know the task ahead, so for them it’s about focusing on their roles and going out there and playing with conviction.”
Tonight’s match will be broadcast live on eir Sport 2 in the Republic of Ireland and online in non-geo blocked locations via World Rugby’s Facebook page and www.worldrugby.org. For more information on the tournament, click here.
Meanwhile, the selected France U-20 team has a familiar look to the side that beat Ireland by 10 points en route to winning the U-20 Six Nations title in March. Head coach Sebastien Piqueronies has made four personnel changes.
Centre Adrien Seguret from Lyon and Toulouse winger Lucas Tauzin come into the French back-line for the much-anticipated first round encounter, while flanker Sacha Zegueur and number 8 Charlie Francoz pack down alongside Bordeaux-Bègles’ Cameron Woki in the back row.
Stade Francais scrum half Arthur Coville continues as captain alongside Toulouse talent Romain Ntamack, who topped the scoring charts during the U-20 Six Nations with 52 points – including three tries and an 80% kicking return from the tee. He is the son of former France senior star Emile Ntamack.
Tickets for the World Rugby Under-20 Championship, which showcases the future stars of world rugby, are on sale via www.ffr.fr, www.ticketmaster.fr and www.francebillet.com with prices reflecting the FFR’s ambition to attract new fans to the sport. Tickets for the pool stages and the first positional play-off round range from €;5 to €;25, while tickets for the finals day range from €;15 to €;35.
World Rugby U-20 Championship Fixtures
World Rugby U-20 Championship Broadcast Information
FRANCE U-20: Clement Laporte (SU Agen); Lucas Tauzin (Stade Toulousain), Pierre-Louis Barassi (Lyon OU), Adrien Seguret (Lyon OU), 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), Sacha Zegueur (US Oyonnax), Cameron Woki (Union Bordeaux-Bègles), Charlie Francoz (Stade Francais).
Replacements: Guillaume Marchand (Stade Toulousain), Jean-Baptiste Gros (RC Toulon), Demba Bamba (CA Brive Corrèze), Pierre-Henri Azagoh (RC Massy Essonne), Jordan Joseph (RC Massy Essonne), Jules Gimbert (Union Bordeaux-Bègles), Louis Carbonel (RC Toulon), Matthis Lebel (Stade Toulousain).
IRELAND U-20: Michael Silvester (Dublin University/Leinster); Tom Roche (Lansdowne/Leinster), Tommy O’Brien (UCD/Leinster), Peter Sylvester (UCC/Munster), Dan Hurley (Young Munster/Munster); Harry Byrne (UCD/Leinster), Hugh O’Sullivan (Clontarf/Leinster); James French (UCC/Munster), Diarmuid Barron (Garryowen/Munster), Jack Aungier (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Matthew Dalton (Malone/Ulster), Jack Dunne (Dublin University/Leinster), Joe Dunleavy (Malone/Ulster), Matthew Agnew (Ballymena/Ulster), Caelan Doris (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) (capt).
Replacements: Dan Sheehan (Dublin University/Leinster), Jordan Duggan (Naas/Leinster), Joe Byrne (Dublin University/Leinster), Charlie Ryan (UCD/Leinster), Aaron Hall (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Jonny Stewart (Queen’s University/Ulster), Conor Dean (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Sean O’Brien (Clontarf/Leinster).
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant Referees: Dan Jones (Wales), Jonathan Gasnier (France)
Television Match Official: Graham Hughes (England)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): France U-20s to win: 1/10; Draw: 30/1; Ireland U-20s to win: 6/1
Pre-Match Quotes – Caelan Doris (Ireland U-20s): “France at home is going to be huge. That kinda sets up the tournament for us. That’s the one we are looking at now at the minute. I’m really looking forward to it. Playing France, one of the first games of the World Cup in France. Big crowd. It’s going to be unbelievable.
“South Africa played England Under-20s a few weeks back. They beat them by about 10 or 15 points. That will be a big challenge as well. Two big packs. France, South Africa, and Georgia as well. Physically, it’s going to be pretty big.
“We’ve talked about the first game a lot over the last couple of weeks. We’re aware France are coming off the back of winning the Six Nations, and in front of a home crowd, so we’re definitely going to need to be on point.
“We’ve trained well over the last couple of weeks and we’re building well into it, so it’s going to be a big one. This competition is definitely a big stepping stone to professional rugby. We’re all aware of that and we know what it means, so (we’re) obviously delighted to be here representing our country.”
Arthur Coville (France U-20s): “We are very excited to start the Under-20 World Championship, notably because it’s in France and we know our rugby community will give us a good welcome. Of course, we’ve got extra pressure on our shoulders, but I think we will convert it into good pressure. We hope we will do well, starting with our first match against Ireland.”
Pre-Match Links –
World Rugby U-20 Championship: Pool C Preview
Knee Injuries Force O’Sullivan And O’Toole Out Of Ireland U-20 Squad
Doris Joins Fellow Captains To Launch World Rugby U-20 Championship
Agnew Relishing Start Of Ireland U-20s’ French Adventure
Barron Determined To Bring Club Form Onto International Stage
Recent Meetings –
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
2018: U-20 Six Nations: France U-20s 34 Ireland U-20s 24, Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux
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