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

The stage is set for another intriguing encounter between the Ireland Under-20 Men’s team (sponsored by PwC) and their Italian counterparts in Viadana, as Neil Doak’s side strive for back-to-back pool wins at the World Rugby U-20 Championship.

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

Friday, July 4 –

IRELAND UNDER-20s (1st) v ITALY UNDER-20s (4th), Stadio Luigi Zaffanella, Viadana, kick-off 8.30pm local time/7.30pm Irish time (live on RugbyPass TV)

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

Team News: Will Wootton and Alex Usanov come in as the two changes to the Ireland Under-20 Men’s team to play tournament hosts Italy, who kicked off their campaign last weekend with a 14-5 defeat to New Zealand.

Following their bonus point-winning start against Georgia, Doak’s youngsters face a crucial Pool C match against the Azzurrini, whom they lost to during the recent U-20 Six Nations Championship (15-12 in Treviso).

IQ Rugby recruit Wootton gets the nod at scrum half, making his second start alongside Tom Wood after the pair combined against France in March. Usanov, who signed his first professional contract with Leinster earlier this year, will pack at loosehead prop.

Charlie Molony, Paidi Farrell, and Derry Moloney continue together in the back-three, with Molony and Farrell on the hunt for more tries after scoring three between them against Georgia. Tullamore native Farrell marked his Ireland U-20 debut with a brace.

Centres Ciarán Mangan and Eoghan Smyth are retained, and following his return to international action at number 8, Luke Murphy will pack down again at the base of the scrum, with captain Éanna McCarthy at openside flanker, and Michael Foy on the blindside.

Usanov slots in alongside Henry Walker and Alex Mullan in the front row, and locks Mahon Ronan and Billy Corrigan will be aiming for more of the same, having contributed a try, 15 carries, 10 tackles, and six lineout takes between them against the Junior Lelos.

Mikey Yarr, Billy Bohan, Tom McAllister, Conor Kennelly, and Bobby Power are the forwards available to Doak and his coaching team on the bench, with backs Clark Logan, Sam Wisniewski, and Daniel Green completing the matchday 23.

Meanwhile, Italy U-20 head coach Roberto Santamaria has made three changes for this rematch with Ireland, keeping the same back-line but altering his pack slightly as they try to bounce back from that nine-point loss to New Zealand.

Tighthead Bruno Vallesi’s early injury-enforced withdrawal during the first round fixture meant Nicola Bolognini played virtually all of the game. The Rugby Badia prop continues where he left off, but this time in the number 3 jersey.

Clermont Auvergne’s Piero Gritti comes into the second row, taking over from the Bath-based Enoch Opoku‑Gyamfi, while Carlo Antonio Bianchi gets the nod at openside flanker, over Antony Italo Miranda.

The Italian starting line-up contains eight players who also started against Ireland back in March, including Biarritz Olympique scrum half Niccolò Beni, their try scorer against the Baby Blacks, and captain Giacomo Milano.

Ireland will want to keep a close eye on centre Federico Zanandrea, the player-of-the-match in that historic win for Santamaria’s outfit. Full-back Edoardo Todaro is also highly rated, having signed his first professional contract with Northampton Saints ahead of the 2025/26 season.

World Rugby U-20 Championship Fixtures/Results

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), Will Wootton (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby); Alex Usanov (Clontarf FC/Leinster), 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), Billy Bohan (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht), Tom McAllister (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster), Conor Kennelly (Highfield RFC/Munster), Bobby Power (Galwegians RFC/Connacht), Clark Logan (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster), Sam Wisniewski (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Daniel Green (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster).

ITALY U-20: Edoardo Todaro (Northampton Saints Academy); Alessandro Drago (Mogliano Veneto Rugby), Federico Zanandrea (Mogliano Veneto Rugby), Riccardo Casarin (Amatori & Union Rugby Milano), Jules Ducros (Montpellier Hérault Rugby); Roberto Fasti (Rugby Casale), Niccolò Beni (Biarritz Olympique); Sergio Pelliccioli (Rugby Petrarca Padova), Nicolò Michele Corvasce (S.S. Lazio Rugby 1927), Nicola Bolognini (Rugby Badia 1981), Mattia Midena (Rugby Paese), Piero Gritti (ASM Clermont Auvergne), Giacomo Milano (Rugby Noceto) (capt), Carlo Antonio Bianchi (Unione Rugby Firenze), Nelson Casartelli (Rugby Paese).

Replacements: Alessio Caiolo Serra (Stade Olympique Chambérien Rugby), Sascha Mistrulli (FC Grenoble), Luca Trevisan (Golden Lions), Enoch Opoku‑Gyamfi (Bath Rugby Academy), Antony Italo Miranda (Rugby Paese), Matteo Bellotto (Mogliano Veneto Rugby), Riccardo Ioannucci (Rugby Petrarca Padova), Gianmarco Pietramala (Unione Rugby Firenze).

Referee: Ben Breakspear (WRU)
Assistant Referees: Jérémy Rozier (FFR), Alberto Favaro (FIR)
TMO: Dan Jones (RFU)
FPRO: Aled Griffiths (WRU)

Pre-Match Quotes – Éanna McCarthy (Ireland U-20s): “Our launch, our green zone entries in the Six Nations didn’t really go our way, but we converted a good bit more against Georgia, so we were happy with that.

“I think we stepped up and made a good performance out of it, and finished well in key moments. Definitely as a forward pack, we can work on our lineout defence (for Italy).

“As a team, it’s just about building on the first game. Italy are going to bring a big challenge, maybe a few faster backs, more rugby (than Georgia). It will be massive battle.

“The Georgians did bring a massive physical battle to us. It’s just about up-front tackles, we kind of leaked a few yards before a few of their tries, so I just think it’s those up-front tackles and backing pressure after that.

“Coming up against Italy, we’ll have to look at the defensive side of it a bit more, and defend the team that’s playing in front of us rather than the big ball carriers.”

Roberto Santamaria (Italy U-20s): “The focus of the week was mainly on recovery. You play every five days in this competition and with this heat, we had to focus mainly on physical recovery, but also mental.

“Ireland are a team we know, that offer some key challenges and they know how to play excellent rugby. That Six Nations game left them bitter because for the first time we managed to beat them. It showed us that things can happen, even if they are far from a given.

“We want to build a quality performance against Ireland, by maintaining defensive intensity and improving our attacking phases, being a little more pragmatic in attack where we didn’t exploit all the opportunities we created against New Zealand.”

Opta Facts –

– Italy defeated Ireland in the final round of the Under-20 Six Nations earlier this year (15-12), just their second ever win against them in either the U-20 Six Nations or World Rugby U-20 Championship, after a one-point victory in the pool stages of the 2017 edition in Georgia (22-21)

– Ireland have won two of their last eight games across the World U-20 Championship and U-20 Six Nations (L6) after losing just one in 22 previously (W20, D1). They overcame Georgia 35-28 in their Pool C opener last Sunday

– Ireland are unbeaten across their last seven World U-20 Championship pool matches (W6, D1), but both of their last two wins have come by margins of just seven points or fewer after their previous four had all seen 20+ point gaps

– Ireland made the joint-fewest attacking 22-metre entries of any team in round 1 of the 2025 World U-20 Championship (6, also Scotland) but averaged the most points scored per entry (4.8). Italy made eight attacking entries but had the lowest average return (0.6)

– Italy conceded just four penalties against New Zealand last time out, the fewest of any team in round 1, while Ireland conceded 17 against Georgia, the most of any team, and saw tighthead prop Alex Mullan sent to the sin bin during the first half

– Italy were the only team to retain possession from all their attacking rucks in the opening round of this year’s World U-20 Championship (50/50) but also completed a lesser share of them in under three seconds than any other team (33%)

– Italy’s Riccardo Casarin and Ireland’s Mahon Ronan were the only two players to win three turnovers in round 1 of this year’s World U-20 Championship, while Ronan’s team-mate, Michael Foy, won the most turnovers of anyone in this year’s U-20 Six Nations (10)

– Italy’s Roberto Fasti put in the joint-most kicks in play of any player in the opening round of this year’s World U-20 Championship (14, also Nicolas Infer), while Ireland’s Daniel Green racked up the most kicking metres of any player in the 2025 U-20 Six Nations (1357)

Recent Meetings –

2023: Under-20 Men’s Six Nations: Italy U-20s 27 Ireland U-20s 44, Stadio di Monigo, Treviso

2024: Under-20 Men’s Six Nations: Ireland U-20s 23 Italy Under-20s 22, Virgin Media Park; World Rugby Under-20 Men’s Championship Pool B: Ireland U-20s 55 Italy U-20s 15, DHL Stadium, Cape Town

2025: Under-20 Men’s Six Nations: Italy U-20s 15 Ireland U-20s 12, Stadio di Monigo, Treviso

Support the Ireland U-20s on www.facebook.com/irishrugby or search #FutureIsGreen, #IREvITA, and #WorldRugbyU20s on www.twitter.com/irishrugby.