History will be made no matter who comes out on top in Manchester this evening as the Ireland and Argentina Under-20s both bid to reach their first World Championship final at this age-grade.
2016 WORLD RUGBY UNDER-20 CHAMPIONSHIP – SEMI-FINAL: Monday, June 20
IRELAND UNDER-20s (1st, Pool A) v ARGENTINA UNDER-20s (1st, Pool C), Manchester City Academy Stadium, 5.30pm (live TG4/TG4 Player/Sky Sports 3 HD)
Team News: Ireland Under-20 head coach Nigel Carolan has made 11 personnel changes to the side that defeated Georgia 35-7 to top Pool A last Wednesday.
Front rowers Andrew Porter, Adam McBurney and Ben Betts all return to the starting line-up, as does captain James Ryan, who has recovered from the thigh injury that kept him out of the Georgia match. He will be joined in the second row by Cashel clubman Sean O’Connor.
The back row is comprised of Max Deegan at number 8 and flankers David Aspil and Greg Jones. UCD talent Jones will be making his fourth start of the Championship.
Sligo’s Stephen Kerins will wear the number 9 jersey and will be partnered at half-back by Ulster Academy member Johnny McPhillips, who scored 18 points against the Georgians.
Conor O’Brien and Shane Daly resume their centre partnership, and the back-three is made up of full-back Jacob Stockdale (pictured below) and Matthew Byrne and Hugo Keenan on the wings. Stockdale (2) and Keenan scored three of Ireland’s 10 tries during the pool stages.
Meanwhile, Argentina boss Nicolas Fernandez Lobbe has made five changes to the team that saw off Japan on a 39-20 scoreline last time out.
Mariano Romanini and Vincente Boronat come into the back row to join impressive blindside flanker Marcos Kremer. Patricio Baronio gets the nod again at scrum half with Santiago Mare partnering captain Juan Cruz Mallia in the centre and Tomas Malanos slotting in on the right wing.
Los Pumitas beat France (24-15), South Africa (19-13) and the Japanese for a 100% return in Pool C, scoring eight tries and conceding six. At last summer’s tournament in Italy, they lost 18-16 to Ireland in their pool opener, with Cork Constitution starlet Tomas Quinlan nailing a tremendous last-minute penalty.
World Rugby U-20 Championship – Ticket Information
World Rugby U-20 Championship Fixtures/Results
IRELAND U-20: Jacob Stockdale (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster); Matthew Byrne (Terenure College/Leinster), Shane Daly (Cork Constitution/Munster), Conor O’Brien (Clontarf/Leinster), Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster); Johnny McPhillips (Queen’s University/Ulster), Stephen Kerins (Sligo/Connacht); Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster), Adam McBurney (Ballymena/Ulster), Ben Betts (Young Munster/Munster), Sean O’Connor (Cashel/Munster), James Ryan (Lansdowne/Leinster) (capt), Greg Jones (UCD/Leinster), David Aspil (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Max Deegan (Lansdowne/Leinster).
Replacements: Vincent O’Brien (Cork Constitution/Munster), James Bollard (Dublin University/Leinster), Adam Coyle (Naas/Leinster), Evan Mintern (Cork Constitution/Munster), Kelvin Brown (Shannon/Munster), Niall Saunders (Harlequins/Exiles), Brett Connon (Newcastle Falcons/Exiles), Jimmy O’Brien (UCD/Leinster).
ARGENTINA U-20: Bautista Delguy (Pucara/URBA); Tomas Malanos (Atletico del Rosario/URBA), Juan Cruz Mallia (Jockey Club Cordoba/UCR) (capt), Santiago Mare (Regatas de Bella Vista/URBA), Julian Dominguez (Pucara/URBA); Domingo Miotti (Tucuman Lawn Tennis/URT), Patricio Baronio (Jockey Club Rosario/URR); Ruben Ricco (Universitario/URT), Gaspar Baldunciel (Alumni/URBA), Santiago Medrano (Regatas de Bella Vista/URBA), Franco Molina (Jockey Club Cordoba/UCR), Ignacio Calas (La Tablada/UCR), Marcos Kremer (Atletico del Rosario/URBA), Mariano Romanini (Alumni/URBA), Vicente Boronat (CASI/URBA).
Replacements: Roman Pretz (Duendes RC/URR), Santiago Pulella (Jockey Club Cordoba/UCR), Gonzalo del Pazo (Santa Fe Rugby Club/USR), Conrado Roura (Palermo Bajo/UCR), Bautista Stavile (Mendoza RC/URC), Lautaro Bazan (Cordoba Athletic/UCR), Martin Elias (Atletico del Rosario/URBA), Nicolas Osadczuk (SITAS/URBA).
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys (England)
Assistant Referees: Elia Rizzo (Italy), Andrew Jackson (England)
Television Match Official: Paul Adams (England)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Ireland U-20s to win: 6/5; Draw: 16/1; Argentina U-20s to win: 8/11
Pre-Match Quotes – Nigel Carolan (Ireland U-20s): “The players have done really well to get themselves into a World Championship semi-final. There’s a great belief amongst this group and they’ve shown what they can do as a team over the course of the last number of games.
“Argentina are going to present another big test for us. They have a lot of physicality up front as well as pace out wide so we are going to need to be at the top of our game on Monday.”
Nicolas Fernandez Lobbe (Argentina U-20s): “When we started preparing for this tournament in January we said to the players that we’d be coming for one thing and that was to be champions. We knew that it would be difficult but we went in with the attitude of taking it game by game. Now our mind-set is focused on Ireland.
“They have beaten New Zealand, the pre-tournament favourites, Six Nations champions Wales and Georgia so we are expecting a really tough game on Monday.
“They have a good game-plan and they stick to it and I know from playing against Ireland lots of times during my career that they are really proud to wear that green shirt, so it is going to be a massive game for both teams and hopefully it will be a good game.”
Pre-Match Links –
Ireland Under-20s Stun Wales With Stirring Comeback Win
Ireland Under-20s Down New Zealand For Historic Victory
Ireland U-20s Go Through To Semi-Finals As Unbeaten Pool Winners
Where To Watch The 2016 World Rugby U-20 Championship
The Numbers Game – World Rugby U-20 Championship Semi-Finals
Recent Meetings –
2009: IRB Junior World Championship – Pool A: Argentina-20s 9 Ireland Under-20s 16, Mizuho Sports Park, Nagoya
2010: IRB Junior World Championship – Pool B: Argentina U-20s 24 Ireland U-20s 21, Estadio El Coloso del Parque, Rosario
2015: World Rugby Under-20 Championship – Pool C: Ireland U-20s 18 Argentina U-20s 16, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma
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