World Rugby Under-20 Men’s Championship: Ireland U-20s v Georgia U-20s

Coached by Neil Doak, the Ireland Under-20 Men’s team launch their World Rugby U-20 Championship campaign against Pool C opponents Georgia in Calvisano this evening (kick-off 6pm local time/5pm Irish time – live on RugbyPass TV).

WORLD RUGBY UNDER-20 MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP – POOL C:

Sunday, June 29 –

IRELAND UNDER-20s v GEORGIA UNDER-20s, Stadio San Michele, Calvisano, kick-off 6pm local time/5pm Irish time (live on RugbyPass TV)

Opta Facts – World Rugby U-20 Championship: Ireland v Georgia

World Rugby U-20 Championship – Did You Know?

Team News: Connacht’s Éanna McCarthy captains the Ireland Under-20s (sponsored by PwC) after leading them through the recent U-20 Six Nations, but switches to openside flanker with the fit-again Luke Murphy making his return at number 8.

The action in Calvisano gets underway at 6pm local time/5pm Irish time, and there will be live coverage on RugbyPass TV. Tickets can be purchased here, and cover all three games at a venue on a match day.

Limerick native Murphy, who missed this year’s U-20 Six Nations campaign as he recovered from a shoulder operation, played nine times for the Ireland U-20s last season.

He is one of four players in this weekend’s matchday squad with World U-20 Championship experience from 2024. The others are Alex Mullan, Billy Corrigan, and Mikey Yarr, while Henry Walker and Alex Usanov were sidelined for last summer’s tournament due to injury.

Charlie Molony starts at full-back, as he did against England in January’s U-20 Six Nations opener, while the wing spots are filled by debutant Paidi Farrell, who has impressed with nine tries in 13 games for Old Wesley, and Derry Moloney.

The centre pairing of Ciarán Mangan and Eoghan Smyth is retained from Ireland’s last competitive outing against Italy, and Garryowen youngster Tom Wood makes his third successive start at half-back, alongside Ulster Academy scrum half Clark Logan.

Hooker Walker, who has scored four tries in nine U-20 appearances, will pack down with Billy Bohan and Mullan in the front row. Directly behind them will be Corrigan, who led the way with 33 lineout takes during this year’s U-20 Six Nations, and Mahon Ronan.

Both ever-present across Ireland’s first five matches of the year, skipper McCarthy and Michael Foy feature again in the back row, but are joined for the first time in competitive action by Murphy, who was part of the squad that finished fourth in South Africa last July.

Emerging Ireland prop Usanov, Tom McAllister, Conor Kennelly, and Connacht Academy newcomers Yarr and Bobby Power are the forwards available to Doak and his coaching team on the bench.

Backs Will Wootton, Sam Wisniewski, and Daniel Green complete the squad for Sunday’s encounter. A last-gasp Finn Treacy try saw Ireland beat Georgia 22-16 during the pool stages in 2024, with Murphy, Yarr, and Mullan all involved.

Meanwhile, Lado Kilasonia’s Georgian selection includes six players who were involved in last summer’s clash with Ireland, including both hookers, Mikheil Khakhubia and Shota Kheladze.

Wingers Luka Keshelava and Tarieli Burtikashvili are also back for their second World U-20 Championship, while Giorgi Spanderashvili from EPCR Challenge Cup club Black Lion will start at scrum half.

Georgia U-20 captain Andro Davli made his Perpignan debut against Connacht back in December. He is one of five forwards in the Junior Lelos’ starting pack who are based in France. Like Davli, second row Temur Tsulukidze also started against Ireland last year.

Georgia, who finished eighth in 2023 for their best finish to date, have taken part in six U-20 Championships since earning promotion from the U-20 Trophy competition in 2015. They played South Africa this year in a two-match series, losing 38-29 and 27-12.

World Rugby U-20 Championship Fixtures

IRELAND U-20: Charlie Molony (UCD RFC/Leinster); Paidi Farrell (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster), Ciarán Mangan (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Eoghan Smyth (Cork Constitution FC/Munster), Derry Moloney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster); Tom Wood (Garryowen FC/Munster), Clark Logan (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster); Billy Bohan (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht), Henry Walker (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster), Alex Mullan (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Mahon Ronan (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster), Billy Corrigan (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster), Michael Foy (UCC RFC/Munster), Éanna McCarthy (Galwegians RFC/Connacht) (capt), Luke Murphy (Young Munster RFC/Munster)

Replacements: Mikey Yarr (UCD RFC/Leinster), Alex Usanov (Clontarf FC/Leinster), Tom McAllister (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster), Conor Kennelly (Highfield RFC/Munster), Bobby Power (Galwegians RFC/Connacht), Will Wootton (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby), Sam Wisniewski (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Daniel Green (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster).

GEORGIA U-20: Luka Takaishvili (Khvamli Tbilisi); Luka Keshelava (RC Army Tbilisi), Data Akhvlediani (Lelo Saracens), Nugzari Kevkhishvili (Lelo Saracens), Tarieli Burtikashvili (RC Vepkhvebi); Gigi Sirbiladze (Lelo Saracens), Giorgi Spanderashvili (Black Lion); Bachuki Baratashvili (RC Batumi), Mikheil Khakhubia (Lelo Saracens), Mate Gurtskaia (Castres Olympique Espoirs), Temur Tsulukidze (Oyonnax Rugby Espoirs), Gagui Margvelashvili (Racing 92 Espors), Luka Narsia (AIA Kutaisi), Andro Dvali (USA Perpignan Espoirs) (capt), Mikheili Shioshvili (RC Toulonnais Espoirs).

Replacements: Shota Kheladze (Lelo Saracens), Archil Nozadze (SU Agen), Giorgi Meskhidze (USA Perpignan Espoirs), Nikolozi Chkhortolia (Montpellier Espoirs), Davit Baramia (RC Toulonnais Espoirs), Temuri Dzodzuashvili (AIA Kutaisi), Sandro Meskhidze (RC Army Tbilisi), Nika Abesadze (Lelo Saracens).

Referee: Jérémy Rozier (FFR)
Assistant Referees: Ben Breakspear (WRU), Lex Weiner (USAR)
TMO: Graham Cooper (RA)
FPRO: Aled Griffiths (WRU)

Pre-Match Quotes – Éanna McCarthy (Ireland U-20s): “Georgia definitely is going to be a massive battle up front.

“I think the forward pack will have to step up big time because they have big men coming against us, so that’s our first hope to beat them and get a good start to the work.

“I think we had a lot of green entries during the Six Nations that we couldn’t convert, so when we did go back to the drawing board after it we kind of put our finger on that.

“We’ve been practising a good bit around breakdown habits and kind of banker balls with our pack. We’re feeling happy enough going into it now.”

Opta Facts –

– Ireland have won three of their four World Rugby U-20 Championship clashes with Georgia (L1). However, their last two wins over the Junior Lelos have both come by margins of just six points, while they lost the last time they faced them in Europe (24-20 in France in 2018)

– Ireland are on a six-match unbeaten run in the pool stages of the World Rugby U-20 Championship (W5, D1), their longest ever such streak

– Ireland reached the semi-finals in both of the last two U-20 Championship tournaments, as many times as in the first 12 editions of the competition combined

– Georgia have won three of their last five U-20 Championship pool fixtures (L2), more than in their previous 13 combined (W2, L11)

– Georgia finished ninth in last year’s U-20 Championship, winning their last three games in the competition

– Billy Corrigan claimed 33 of Ireland’s lineouts during the 2025 U-20 Six Nations. No player won as many as him on their own team’s throw, while his team-mate, Michael Foy, stole the most opposition lineouts this year (4)

– Foy won 10 turnovers during the recent U-20 Six Nations, the most of any player this year

Previous Meetings –

2016: World Rugby Under-20 Championship Pool A: Ireland U-20s 35 Georgia U-20s 7, Manchester City Academy Stadium, Manchester

2017: World Rugby Under-20 Championship 9th Place Play-Off: Georgia U-20s 18 Ireland U-20s 24, Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi

2018: World Rugby Under-20 Championship Pool C: Ireland U-20s 20 Georgia U-20s 24, Stade d’Honneur du Parc des Sports et de l’Amitié, Narbonne

2024: World Rugby Under-20 Championship Pool B: Ireland U-20s 22 Georgia U-20s 16, Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch

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