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

Following the bitter disappointment of their last-minute defeat to Scotland, the Ireland Under-20 Men’s team (sponsored by PwC) are aiming to put that result behind when they end their World Rugby U-20 Championship campaign against Spain.

WORLD RUGBY UNDER-20 MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP – 11TH PLACE PLAY-OFF:

Saturday, July 19 –

SPAIN UNDER-20s v IRELAND UNDER-20s, Stadio San Michele, Calvisano, kick-off 3.30pm local time/2.30pm Irish time (live on RugbyPass TV)

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

Team News: Connacht Academy back rower Éanna McCarthy returns to captain the Ireland Under-20s (sponsored by PwC) for their concluding match of the 2025 tournament against their Spanish counterparts.

The 11th place play-off will take place at Calvisano’s Stadio San Michele, where Neil Doak’s side beat Georgia 35-28 at the start of the tournament, and will be streamed live on RugbyPass TV.

Tom McAllister, who replaces the injured Alex Mullan at tighthead prop, and David Walsh both feature in the tight five, coming in for their first U-20 Championship starts.

UCD’s Donnacha McGuire, who was involved with the Ireland U-19s this year, will make his U-20 international debut. He partners Walsh in a new second row combination.

McCarthy slots back in at openside flanker for the fourth and final change up front, while Tom Wood and Will Wootton will pair up at half-back for the fourth time this season.

Banbridge centre Jonny Scott is set for his second start in three matches, joining forces with Eoghan Smyth on this occasion.

Charlie Molony and Derry Moloney fill the wing berths, with Daniel Green, who has scored 11 points in the last two games, continuing at full-back.

Tipperary Town native Jack Ryan is poised to win his first Ireland U-20 cap off the bench. Called up earlier this week, the UL Bohemian prop joins fellow replacement forwards Luke McLaughlin, Paddy Moore, Billy Corrigan, and Bobby Power.

Walsh’s Terenure College club-mate, Chris O’Connor, comes in as the reserve scrum half, for his first involvement in an U-20 Championship matchday squad. Gene O’Leary Kareem and Paidi Farrell are the other back-line options.

Meanwhile, second row Liam McNamee is a familiar face in Spain’s starting XV, with the 19-year-old having won three Connacht Schools Senior Cups with Sligo Grammar School, and played for the Connacht Juniors this year.

Born in Valencia but living in Leitrim village, he has an Irish father and a Spanish mother. The 6ft 8in lock is a proud Carrick-on-Shannon clubman and also plays with Galwegians, given he studies at the University of Galway.

McNamee will come up against two of his Galwegians club-mates in Ireland captain McCarthy and replacement Power. Spain lost 43-12 to Georgia in last Monday’s first round of knockout matches, but were tough pool opponents for both Argentina and Wales.

Head coach Ricardo Martinena has made 11 personnel changes, with Pelayo Serrano, one of their try scorers against the Georgians, continuing on the left wing, and the influential Nicolas Infer making his fifth start of the campaign at scrum half.

Victor Ofojetu and Marcal Carreras Cuesta are also retained up front, the former reverting to lock where he packs down alongside McNamee. The Toulouse trio of Oriol Marsinyac Garcia, Hugo Pichardie, and Luciano Richardis feature in the back-line.

Highly-rated out-half Richardis has already played at senior level for both Toulouse and Spain, while replacement prop Hugo Gonzalez also has Test exsperience, having made his debut against the USA last November.

Brive-based hooker Pau Massoni captains the young Spanish outfit, as one of the returning players from their first ever U-20 Championship appearance last summer. They ended that tournament on a high with a 24-19 victory over 14-man Fiji in an eventful 11th place play-off.

World Rugby U-20 Championship Fixtures/Results

SPAIN U-20: Beltran Ortega (ASM Clermont Auvergne); Jorge Garreta (Pozuelo RU), Oriol Marsinyac Garcia (Stade Toulousain), Hugo Pichardie (Stade Toulousain), Pelayo Serrano (Blagnac SCR); Luciano Richardis (Stade Toulousain), Nicolas Infer (CR Cisneros); Alberto Gomez (VRAC), Pau Massoni (CA Brive) (capt), Guido Reyes Rendon (Section Paloise), Victor Ofojetu (ASM Clermont Auvergne), Liam McNamee (Carrick-on-Shannon RFC/Galwegians RFC), Unax Salvador Asama (Uribealdea RKE), Marcal Carreras Cuesta (UE Santboiana), Manex Pujana Lendinez (CR Cisneros).

Replacements: Marcos Perez Adrada (Alcobendas), Daniel Chico Ayo (CAR Sevilla), Hugo Gonzalez (CR Cisneros), Guardin Gonzalez Ciscar (CR Cisneros), Marcos Lopez Camano (Liceo Francés), Nicolas Gali (Brunel University), Gonzalo Otamendi (Wimbledon RFC), Unax Zuriarrain (Hernani CRE).

IRELAND U-20: Daniel Green (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster); Charlie Molony (UCD RFC/Leinster), Jonny Scott (Banbridge RFC/Ulster), 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), Tom McAllister (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster), David Walsh (Terenure College RFC/Leinster), Donnacha McGuire (UCD RFC/Leinster), Michael Foy (UCC RFC/Munster), Éanna McCarthy (Galwegians RFC/Connacht) (capt), Oisin Minogue (Shannon RFC/Munster).

Replacements: Luke McLaughlin (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Paddy Moore (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Jack Ryan (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster), Billy Corrigan (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster), Bobby Power (Galwegians RFC/Connacht), Chris O’Connor (Terenure College RFC/Leinster), Gene O’Leary Kareem (UCC RFC/Munster), Paidi Farrell (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster).

Referee: Tomas Bertazza (UAR)
Assistant Referees: Filippo Russo, Luca Bisetto (both FIR)
TMO: Graham Cooper (RA)
FPRO: Dan Jones (RFU)

Pre-Match Quotes – Henry Walker (Ireland U-20s): “I just think throughout the campaign we haven’t played for 80 minutes. It’s killed us in most games.

“You’ve seen it in the Italy game, and we didn’t dig deep enough the last day too, and Scotland got the turn on us (to get a late win).

“But we got together after that, regrouped and reviewed the Scottish game. We’re looking forward to playing Spain now. The campaign is not over, we’ve plenty to play for and hopefully we’ll put in a performance on Saturday, and finish it out with a win.”

Opta Facts –

– Spain and Ireland will face each other for the first time at this level. Ireland will become the eighth different team that Spain have faced in the World Rugby U-20 Championship, while Spain will become the 16th team that Ireland have played

– Spain have won just one of their previous nine U-20 Championship games (L8), but it was in the 11th place play-off in Cape Town last summer when they beat Fiji 24-19

– Spain have lost their previous six encounters with European sides in the U-20 Championship by an average margin of 25 points. They led at half-time in just one of those games, against Wales in this year’s pool stages (establishing an 18-14 lead at half-time before losing 35-25)

– Ireland will participate in just their second U-20 Championship 11th place play-off after defeating Japan 36-33 in 2018, which remains their most recent win in their final game of the global age-grade tournament

– Ireland have conceded fewer turnovers per game than any other team in the 2025 tournament (12.0). However, Spain have averaged the joint-most turnover-winning tackles of any side (4.0, also Scotland and Italy)

– Ireland (89%) and Spain (88%) have the second and third highest lineout success rates respectively of any team in this year’s U-20 Championship, while Doak’s youngsters are also the only side with a 100% rate on their own scrums (27/27)

– Only New Zealand (118) have made more carries per game than Spain (114) in the competition this summer, yet Spain have the lowest dominant carry (21%) and tackle evasion (18%) rates of any side

– Among the 43 players to have made 10+ kicks in play during this year’s U-20 Championship, Ireland’s Daniel Green has averaged the most metres per kick (45.6). Spain’s Nicolas Infer ranks third for total kicks (43)

Previous Meetings –

N/A

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