Ireland U20s 2018

by **profitius** Mon 22 Jan 2018, 9:00 pm

Squad named today. New coaching staff this season and there are 11 players who featured in last seasons squad. Last season was disappointing so they'll be hoping for better this season.

IRELAND UNDER-20 Squad (2018 Under-20 Six Nations Championship):

Backs (14):

Harry Byrne (UCD/Leinster)
Angus Curtis (Queen's University/Ulster)
Conor Dean (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
Conor Hayes (Young Munster/Munster)
Mark Keane (Queen's University)
Angus Kernohan (Ballymena/Ulster)
David McCarthy (Garryowen/Munster)
James McCarthy (UL Bohemians/Munster)
Sean O'Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)
Tommy O'Brien (UCD/Leinster) (capt)
Hugh O'Sullivan (Clontarf/Leinster)
Jonny Stewart (Queen's University/Ulster)
Michael Silvester (Dublin University/Leinster)
Peter Sullivan (Lansdowne/Leinster)

Forwards (18):

Jack Aungier (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
Matthew Agnew (Ballymenia/Ulster)
Diarmuid Barron (Garryowen/Munster)
Joe Byrne (Dublin University/Leinster)
Ronan Coffey (Shannon/Munster)
Matthew Dalton (Malone/Ulster)
Cormac Daly (Clontarf/Leinster)
Jordan Duggan (Naas/Leinster)
Jack Dunne (Dublin University/Leinster)
Joe Dunleavy (Malone/Ulster)
James French (UCC/Munster)
Aaron Hall (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
Max Kearney (Dublin University/Leinster)
Ronan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Sean Masterson (Corinthians/Connacht)
Jack O'Sullivan (UCC/Munster)
Tom O'Toole (Banbridge/Ulster)
Charlie Ryan (UCD/Leinster)

IRELAND UNDER-20 SIX NATIONS FIXTURES:
France Under-20s v Ireland Under-20s, Stade Amédée Domenech, Brive, Friday, February 2, 9pm/8pm Irish time

Ireland Under-20s v Italy Under-20s, Donnybrook, Friday, February 9, 7.15pm

Ireland Under-20s v Wales Under-20s, Donnybrook, Friday, February 23, 7.15pm

Ireland Under-20s v Scotland Under-20s, Donnybrook, Friday, March 9, 7.15pm

England Under-20s v Ireland Under-20s, Ricoh Arena, Coventry, Friday, March 16, 8pm

by Golden Tue 23 Jan 2018, 10:57 am

Anyone in particular we should be keeping on eye on? Tommy O'Brien looked very good last year

by SecretFly Tue 23 Jan 2018, 11:11 am

I see a Ronan Kelleher there. Related to Cian?

It just made me think about what Golden has just said in relation to players to look out for. And I think of Cian.... to me he looked the most likely to have an early put-in to a senior Irish squad when he was playing in this competition. He was explosive, always eye catching, he had a dart and an evasiveness about him that was electric in the context of the competitions he played in.

Now, as a senior player, he seems to have gone off the radar. Maybe he'll bounce back into a more eye catching presence but it just goes to show the disparity that can exist between the kind of player that excels in this contest and the qualities they might need to be more useful in the senior ranks.

by Sin é Tue 23 Jan 2018, 12:41 pm

Golden wrote:Anyone in particular we should be keeping on eye on? Tommy O'Brien looked very good last year

Coaching ticket. Paul O'Connell as assistant coach. Also, head coach Noel McNamara who comes from a GAA background as far as I know (but is a PE/Maths teacher and started coaching when doing PE in UL). Very successful coach with Clongowes and Leinster underage teams.

I wonder now that POC has had a few years off, is he going to start coaching?

by SecretFly Tue 23 Jan 2018, 12:53 pm

Sin é wrote:
Golden wrote:Anyone in particular we should be keeping on eye on? Tommy O'Brien looked very good last year

Coaching ticket. Paul O'Connell as assistant coach. Also, head coach Noel McNamara who comes from a GAA background as far as I know (but is a PE/Maths teacher and started coaching when doing PE in UL). Very successful coach with Clongowes and Leinster underage teams.

I wonder now that POC has had a few years off, is he going to start coaching?

? I think he might do, Sin Cool

by marty2086 Tue 23 Jan 2018, 3:56 pm

Dalton, Hall and Stewart have already made their Ulster debuts and are real prospects, Curtis is highly rated too. I like the look of Mark Keane but he's not in the Ulster Academy this year

by **rodders** Tue 23 Jan 2018, 4:00 pm

Sin é wrote:
Golden wrote:Anyone in particular we should be keeping on eye on? Tommy O'Brien looked very good last year

Coaching ticket. Paul O'Connell as assistant coach. Also, head coach Noel McNamara who comes from a GAA background as far as I know (but is a PE/Maths teacher and started coaching when doing PE in UL). Very successful coach with Clongowes and Leinster underage teams.

I wonder now that POC has had a few years off, is he going to start coaching?

No but he said he would carry the water bottles on if he could watch the matches for free.

by **profitius** Tue 23 Jan 2018, 6:56 pm

Great players don't always translate into great coaches. That's not to say POC will be a failure, he was a smart player and has that experience and will certainly be respected by the players.

I'll be interested to see how the new head coach does. Unlike POC, he didn't play pro rugby at all but he is well rated. I'd hope it'll be more like the Carolan era than last seasons mess.

Golden wrote:Anyone in particular we should be keeping on eye on? Tommy O'Brien looked very good last year

O'Brien, Kelleher (yes, Cians brother), Silvester are 3 good ones. Plenty of hype around others but I have not seen enough to judge.

by marty2086 Wed 24 Jan 2018, 9:49 am

Irish stars of the future.

The Ireland U20 Six Nations squad was announced on Monday - and it's packed full of exciting talent. Head coach Noel McNamara unveiled his 32-man panel which features 11 players who have already been capped at this level.

Such is the swell of emerging Irish talent, McNamara admitted that he was forced to make some tough decisions regarding his selection, with a number of promising players narrowly missing out on a call-up.

However, for those who made the cut, it's certainly an important chapter in their young careers and, ahead of Ireland's opening game away to France next Friday night, we thought it prudent to highlight some of the players worth keeping an eye out for throughout the tournament.

Jack Aungier

The hugely impressive St. Fintan’s prop has caught the eye ever since he made his Ireland U18s debut at 16. Bearing a physical resemblance to Cian Healy, Aungier will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow Leinster man Jordan Larmour, who shone for Nigel Carolan’s side at this tournament last year.

Jack Dunne

Almost a nailed-on second row starter, Dunne is looking to become the latest St. Michael’s alum lock to feature for the U20s in the Six Nations after Ross Molony, James Ryan, Oisin Dowling.

Jonny Stewart

Stewart made a real impression in the scrum-half berth during the U20 tournament last year, starting all five games, and has since made his debut for the Ulster senior side. The Queen's University man, noted for his aggressive, athletic style of play, will be one to keep close tabs on this time around.

Tom O'Toole

The 19-year-old starred for Campbell College in the 2016 and 2017 Schools Cup. As a highly-rated prop with great mobility, he's gunning to be one of the breakouts in McNamara's squad after catching the eye for the Ulster A team in the British & Irish Cup.

Tommy O'Brien

He's captain for a reason. The Blackrock College prospect has been involved with the Leinster seniors and has impressed over the course of the past year with his timing of tackles and intelligent positional play. Expected to be the heartbeat of this young Irish crop, we're tipping O'Brien for a big tournament.

by thebandwagonsociety Wed 24 Jan 2018, 5:47 pm

So few from Connacht making the underage cut this year. That's surprising given recent years there were chipping in a decent number (from memory anyway). Fallout from post-Lam?

by **profitius** Wed 24 Jan 2018, 7:31 pm

Heres a good intro to the squad
https://u20rugby.wordpress.com/2018/01/22/ireland-u20-six-nations-squad-2018/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

thebandwagonsociety wrote:So few from Connacht making the underage cut this year. That's surprising given recent years there were chipping in a decent number (from memory anyway). Fallout from post-Lam?

Out of a squad of 32 you'd expect about 2 on average, given the numbers. I think though that the good Connacht players might be a bit disadvantaged from playing in lower quality teams and they might not have the strength and conditioning coaches and/or facilities that the Leinster lads have.

by thebandwagonsociety Wed 24 Jan 2018, 8:49 pm

I stand corrected prof.

2016 squad had 3, 2015 there were 5 from Connacht, 2014 had 3, 2013 had 4 (might be mixing rwc squads with 6n squads a bit).

In my head I was thinking that the Connacht academy was producing similar numbers to the underage side as Ulster for the last few seasons.

by **profitius** Fri 02 Feb 2018, 12:38 pm

Ireland team v France: Michael Silvester; Peter Sullivan, David McCarthy, Tommy O’Brien, James McCarthy; Harry Byrne, Jonny Stewart; Jordan Duggan, Ronan Kelleher, Jack Aungier; Cormac Daly, Jack Dunne; Matthew Dalton, Aaron Hall, Jack O’Sullivan.

Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, James French, Tom O’Toole, Ronan Coffey, Sean Masterson, Hugh O’Sullivan, Angus Curtis, Angus Kernohan.

The match is on RTE tonight.

by **profitius** Fri 02 Feb 2018, 8:55 pm

Half time and we're not at the races. 22-3 to France. Lets hope for a better second half or it could get ugly.

by whocares Fri 02 Feb 2018, 9:02 pm

A certain Daniel Brennan (son of Trevor) is playing TH tonight

by SecretFly Fri 02 Feb 2018, 11:03 pm

whocares wrote:A certain Daniel Brennan (son of Trevor) is playing TH tonight

Big kid!

A lot of big kids. Back in the Irish studio they were saying that thankfully the Irish young players are getting bigger whereas a few years back they were looking like children against these other sides. And true enough they look big................. but still France grow them bigger still! Always catch up.

Anyway, good enough fight-back but the decision making at times, when we might have swung the result around, was dreadful. We tried cheeky kicks too much when we'd have been better off trying to keep possession and phase play ourselves into more dangerous areas.

France looked good and always had a firm grip on the game. They stepped off the throttle for a bit in the second half and allowed Ireland to creep up a bit - but then they quite easily shifted gear back into 'menace' and got their result.

by **profitius** Sat 03 Feb 2018, 1:49 pm

Much better second half from the Irish lads. They got it down to 3 points but just lacked a little composure. Though France were deserved winners.

Best of the Irish were the 3 (Aungier), 8 (O'Sullivan), 9 (Stewart), 10 (Byrne). Harry Byrne (Ross's Brother) has a great kicking game but his passing wasn't great.

by The Great Aukster Tue 06 Feb 2018, 1:01 pm

Usual story - the RTE coverage not available in NI. Anyone a link for the game or even highlights?

by marty2086 Tue 06 Feb 2018, 1:04 pm

The Great Aukster wrote:Usual story - the RTE coverage not available in NI. Anyone a link for the game or even highlights?

Irish Rugby TV Highlights

by The Great Aukster Tue 06 Feb 2018, 1:15 pm

Thanks Marty

by The Great Aukster Thu 08 Feb 2018, 5:20 pm

Team for Italy:

15. Michael Silvester (Dublin University/Leinster) 5
14. Peter Sullivan (Lansdowne/Leinster) 1
13. Tommy O'Brien (UCD/Leinster) (capt) 6
12. Angus Curtis (Queen's University/Ulster) 1
11. James McCarthy (UL Bohemians/Munster) 1
10. Harry Byrne (UCD/Leinster) 1
9. Hugh O'Sullivan (Clontarf/Leinster) 1
1. Jordan Duggan (Naas/Leinster) 5
2. Ronan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster) 9
3. Jack Aungier (St. Mary's College/Leinster) 1
4. Cormac Daly (Clontarf/Leinster) 1
5. Jack Dunne (Dublin University/Leinster) 1
6. Sean Masterson (Corinthians/Connacht) 5
7. Matthew Agnew (Ballymena/Ulster) *
8. Jack O'Sullivan (UCC/Munster) 1

Replacements:

16. Eoghan Clarke (Wanderers/Leinster) *
17. James French (UCC/Munster) 1
18. Tom O'Toole (Banbridge/Ulster) 1
19. Charlie Ryan (UCD/Leinster) *
20. Ronan Foley (UCD/Leinster) *
21. Patrick Patterson (UCD/Leinster) *
22. Conor Dean (St. Mary's College/Leinster) 5
23. Angus Kernohan (Ballymena/Ulster) 1

15 Leinster, 4 Ulster, 3 Munster, 1 Connacht

Interesting that Curtis is starting centre.

by **profitius** Fri 09 Feb 2018, 8:18 pm

31-15 up at half time.

The Italians got a man red carded after 9 min for a crazy tackle.

by SecretFly Fri 09 Feb 2018, 8:25 pm

I know the Italians have the red card and it does inform how much Ireland are let play...but this 15 Michael Silvester! Larmour Mark 2? Some serious stretch legged ambition.

by SecretFly Fri 09 Feb 2018, 8:40 pm

No way a side down to 14 should be scoring this many tries. Ireland too interested in the loose stuff here and won't go far in this contest against sides with 15 men and sides better than Italy.

Some Joe Schmidt pragmatism would be advisable

by SecretFly Fri 09 Feb 2018, 8:48 pm

38 - 27

The Italians deserve great respect for this....putting it up to Ireland in every department now...one man down

by SecretFly Fri 09 Feb 2018, 9:02 pm

This is messy from Ireland... over-stretching themselves needlessly in attack...confusion and a degree of panic.

They need to calm down and see the game out.

by **profitius** Fri 09 Feb 2018, 9:11 pm

Poor second half from Ireland.

by SecretFly Fri 09 Feb 2018, 9:23 pm

38-34 in the end.

Congratulations to Italy for that performance. They never lost heart or the ability to keep trying to play the aggressive and attacking game with no little skill to keep Ireland under pressure right to the end with 14 players for most of the game.

Exciting game with lots of tries but that was a very disappointing second half from Ireland though.... they had no ideas on how to stop a side with so much passion not to be beaten. Ireland need a lot of work to get through the rest of their games with more composure when in front.

by The Great Aukster Fri 09 Feb 2018, 9:55 pm

Thanks for the updates. The Irish rugby site isn't even covering this - they sure know how to build the game in Ireland... not!

by **profitius** Sat 10 Feb 2018, 12:21 am

From the 2 games so far and last season viewing, the stand out talents on the Irish team are Kelleher, Aungier, Dunne, Jack O'Sullivan, Doris, Byrne, Tommy O'Brien, Stewart. Haven't seen enough of others to judge.

Leinster fans will be glad to know that Harry Byrne is a bigger talent than his brother. It wouldn't be a surprise if Connacht or Ulster offered him a pro contract next season.

by **profitius** Fri 02 Mar 2018, 2:53 pm

Ireland 38 - 41 Wales

Good game to watch. Ireland good going forward but weak defending. Stand out players were Jack O'Sullivan, Stewart, Kelleher, Aungier and Curtis.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I updated the U20 thread to see how many players from that year made the provinces or Ireland squads. Its not an exact science but shows a few trends. https://www.606v2.com/t8079-4-years-of-ireland-at-under-20-rugby-at-jrwc#3681854

Players who have played regularly for a province or who looks certain to IMO ie Frawley.
Bolded players are those with more than 10 cap or those who are certain to get there ie Stockdale, James Ryan etc.

Players in the current wider squad who either were too old, not qualified for the Ireland U20s, injured or just not selected. Aki, Best, Sean Cronin, James Cronin, Earls, Healy, Henshaw, Herring, Keatley, Kilcoyne, McCloskey, McFadden, SOB, TOD, Quinn Roux, John Ryan, Sexton, Stander, Toner, Payne.

(I only include players once - their final year of playing U20.)

2017
Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster)
Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster)
Cillian Gallagher (Sligo/Connacht)
Fineen Wycherley (Young Munster/Munster)
Jordan Larmour (/Leinster)

2016
Johnny McPhillips (Queen's University/Ulster)
Jacob Stockdale (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster)
Adam McBurney (Ballymena/Ulster)
James Ryan (Lansdowne/Leinster) (capt)
Sean O'Connor (Cashel/Munster)
Will Connors (UCD/Leinster)
Max Deegan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Rob Lyttle (/Ulster)

2015
Sam Arnold (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
Ross Byrne (UCD/Leinster)
Joey Carbery (UCD/Leinster)
Nick McCarthy (UCD/Leinster)
Josh Murphy (UCD/Leinster)
Conor Oliver (St.Mary's/Leinster
Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster)
Nick Timoney (St. Mary's/Leinster)
Liam O'Connor (Dolphin/Munster)

2014
Adam Byrne (UCD/Leinster)
Denis Coulson (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Peter Dooley (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Dan Goggin (Young Munster/Munster)
Cian Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Nick McCarthy (UCD/Leinster)
Ross Molony (UCD/Leinster)
Sean O'Brien (Galwegians/Connacht) (capt)
Jack O'Donoghue (UL Bohemians/Munster)
Peter Robb (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
Peadar Timmins (UCD/Leinster)
Alex Wootton (Garryowen/Munster)
Shane Delahunt (/Leinster)

2013
Edward Byrne (UCD/Leinster)
Bryan Byrne (UCD/Leinster)
Steve Crosbie (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
Peter Dooley (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Thomas Farrell (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Darragh Leader (Galwegians/Connacht)
Daniel Leavy (UCD/Leinster)
Luke McGrath (UCD/Leinster) (capt)
Rory Scannell (Dolphin/Munster)
Rory Scholes (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
David Shanahan (Clontarf/Leinster)
Darren Sweetnam (UCC/Munster)
Gavin Thornbury (UCD/Leinster)
Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster)
Sturat Olding (/Ulster)

2012
Tadhg Beirne (Leinster),
Jack Conan (Leinster),
Barry Daly (Leinster),
Chris Farrell (Ulster),
Tadhg Furlong (Leinster),
JJ Hanrahan (Munster),
Iain Henderson (Ulster),
Paddy Jackson (Ulster),
Kieran Marmion (Connacht),
Cathal Marsh (Leinster),
Luke McGrath (Leinster),
Peter Nelson (Ulster),
Alan O’Connor (Leinster),
Niall Scannell (Munster),
Josh van der Flier (Leinster).

2011
Finlay Bealham (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
Conor Carey (Ballymena/Ulster)
Andrew Conway (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Craig Gilroy (Dungannon/Ulster)
Michael Kearney (Clontarf/Leinster)
Kieran Marmion (UWIC/Exile)
Luke Marshall (Ballymena/Ulster)
Eoin McKeon (Galwegians/Connacht)
Jordi Murphy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Tiernan O'Halloran (Galwegians/Connacht)
James Tracy (UCD/Leinster)
Marty Moore (/Leinster)

2010
Denis Buckley (Corinthians/Connacht),
Andrew Conway (Blackrock/Leinster),
John Cooney (UCD/Leinster),
Eoin Griffin (Corinthians/Connacht),
David O'Callaghan (UCC/Munster),
Tiernan O'Halloran (Galwegians/Connacht),
Noel Reid (UCD/Leinster),
Rhys Ruddock (UCD/Leinster),
Dominic Ryan (Lansdowne/Leinster),
Nevin Spence (Ballynahinch/Ulster),
Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster),
Dave McSharry (/Leinster)

2009
Matthew Healy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
David Kearney (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)
Ronan O'Mahony (Garryowen/Munster)
Jack McGrath (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
David O'Callaghan (UCC/Munster)
Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster) (capt)

2008
Stephen Archer (UCC/Munster),
Jason Harris-Wright (Greystones/Leinster),
Ian Nagle (UCC/Munster),
Eoin O'Malley (Old Belvedere/Leinster),
David Kearney (Lansdowne/Leinster),
Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster),
Niall Morris (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Dave Foley (/Munster)
Mike Sherry (/Munster)

Years: 10
Total: 116
Ireland: 34

So about 3.4 regular internationals come from the U20s per year at least. I say "at least" because it takes time to transition from U20 to full international. For instance Tadhg Beirne and Niall Scannell are from the 2012 group but they could go on to be regular internationals yet. Same gores for players reaching provincial level.

-The majority of players listed are still in the Irish system.
-The weakest group looks like 2008 and 2014.
-Strongest looks like 2012 and 2016.

by marty2086 Fri 02 Mar 2018, 3:06 pm

profitius wrote:
2017
Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster)
Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster)
Cillian Gallagher (Sligo/Connacht)
Fineen Wycherley (Young Munster/Munster)
Jordan Larmour (/Leinster)

Jonny Stewart was in the squad last season and this has made his Ulster debut and has Bill Johnston made his Munster debut?

by SecretFly Fri 02 Mar 2018, 3:51 pm

Just trying to look for rough trends there.

It's maybe not always based on pure talent but potentially also based on just being from a lucky year when the trends of the Senior side might give you a better chance of getting that International career up and running.

We all realise that some players get in and perform good enough in their positions to ensure other players of perhaps similar individual quality aren't given enough time in the shirt to really give themselves a shot at removing the more familiar face. We all know International coaches would prefer keep systems going rather than always seeking out 'best form' players of the moment.
So - very good players might miss their window completely if the regular guy is doing okay enough in a winning side that the coach doesn't want to unbalance by introducing new blood to!

So in that regard I was looking at 2009. It seemed a productive enough year for players who eventually went on to be central International players (whether we all share a positive view of them or not, the player in highlight had/have good runs).
2011 looks the next best productive year. But these players seem to have been notable as being much more peripheral. They got moments but it seems couldn't remove those regulars I talked about.
2012 looks to be a good wine growing year! It looks like many of the players that might be the foundation of an Irish International team of the near future might come from this batch.

So if I go from 2009 to 2012. One might argue that the three year gap seems somewhat noteworthy when it comes to being able to bed down into International.
Rush ahead to the next three year gap then - 2015. Slim enough pickings that seems to kill the theory. But still two classy players there that seem to be destined to be mainstays of a future International side (Carbury and Ringrose)

2018 is another three years. So maybe this year's U20 candidates are destined to have an impact on International 5 to 7 years down the line.
Jordan Larmour might find that his 'Flash' isn't enough to clear a path for himself to become an International regular. And the only thing that might be against him is a defined trend in senior International itself for introducing these U20 prospects.
Like I say, vague trending by me (for example 2016 doesn't exactly fit the model so far - though none of us really know if the highlighted guys there are going to stick around)
Anyway, just trying to look for some patterns in there but I think the 2018 crew might be a little more enthusiastic about their chances than other recent years.

by **profitius** Fri 02 Mar 2018, 4:31 pm

Interesting observation there, Fly and indeed it is true that once coaches put in the time and effort in getting a player up to international level they would be reluctant to drop that player for another player even if that other player is slightly better.

The 2018 group look good alright. On average about 12 players go on to play for a province or Ireland. I'd say the 2018 group will have 15 or more.

marty2086 wrote:
profitius wrote:
2017
Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster)
Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster)
Cillian Gallagher (Sligo/Connacht)
Fineen Wycherley (Young Munster/Munster)
Jordan Larmour (/Leinster)

Jonny Stewart was in the squad last season and this has made his Ulster debut and has Bill Johnston made his Munster debut?

I'll leave Stewart for the 2018 group later. Himself and Dalton seem to be getting a few games with Ulster.

by marty2086 Fri 02 Mar 2018, 4:47 pm

profitius wrote:
I'll leave Stewart for the 2018 group later. Himself and Dalton seem to be getting a few games with Ulster.

Both are highly rated, think Dalton is seen as a 6 long term but can play in the second row too. Hall made his debut for Ulster earlier this year too but needs some more work. Dunleavy too is a prospect and Curtis is expected to kick on as is O'Toole. So you could be looking at 6 Ulster players alone from that squad making it into the senior setup, Keane played against the BaaBaas at the end of last season and looked decent but not in the academy

by geoff999rugby Fri 02 Mar 2018, 9:58 pm

I did not rate Keane against the BaaBaas but we do seem to have some decent players in the Academy

by **profitius** Sat 03 Mar 2018, 1:48 pm

The funny thing is Keane was with the Ireland squad last season as an U19. He isn't in the Ireland U20 squad this season which suggests he has fallen out of favour. Another Ulster winger, Angus Kernohan, has been Irelands sub back. He is still U19.

marty2086 wrote:
profitius wrote:
I'll leave Stewart for the 2018 group later. Himself and Dalton seem to be getting a few games with Ulster.

Both are highly rated, think Dalton is seen as a 6 long term but can play in the second row too. Hall made his debut for Ulster earlier this year too but needs some more work. Dunleavy too is a prospect and Curtis is expected to kick on as is O'Toole. So you could be looking at 6 Ulster players alone from that squad making it into the senior setup, Keane played against the BaaBaas at the end of last season and looked decent but not in the academy

Hopefully its a sign that Ulster are improving their player pathways, or should I say they have improved their player pathways as it takes a few years to see the results.

by **profitius** Wed 07 Mar 2018, 7:26 pm

Much changed squad for the match against the Scots.

15. Michael Silvester (Dublin University/Leinster) 7
14. Angus Kernohan (Ballymena/Ulster) 3
13. Tommy O'Brien (UCD/Leinster) (capt) 8
12. Angus Curtis (Queen's University/Ulster) 3
11. Mark Keane (Queen's University/Ulster) 2
10. Harry Byrne (UCD/Leinster) 3
9. Hugh O'Sullivan (Clontarf/Leinster) 3
1. James French (UCC RFC/Munster) 3
2. Ronan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster) 10
3. Tom O'Toole (Banbridge/Ulster) 3
4. Matthew Dalton (Malone/Ulster) 1
5. Jack Dunne (Dublin University/Leinster) 3
6. Joe Dunleavy (Malone/Ulster) *
7. Matthew Agnew (Ballymena/Ulster) 2
8. Jack O'Sullivan (UCC/Munster) 3

Replacements:

16. AN Other
17. Jordan Duggan (Naas/Leinster) 7
18. Jack Aungier (St. Mary's College/Leinster) 3
19. Charlie Ryan (UCD/Leinster) 2
20. Ronan Foley (UCD/Leinster) 2
21. Jonny Stewart (Queen's University/Ulster) 12
22. Conor Dean (St. Mary's College/Leinster) 7
23. James Hume (Banbridge/Ulster) 1

* Denotes uncapped player at Under-20 level

by geoff999rugby Thu 08 Mar 2018, 1:17 pm

Excellent Ulster representative reflecting the improving Academy

Is there a problem at Munster - poor representation this year

by **profitius** Thu 08 Mar 2018, 2:48 pm

geoff999rugby wrote:Excellent Ulster representative reflecting the improving Academy

Is there a problem at Munster - poor representation this year

Yeah its not great from a Munster point of view but it goes in a cycles. I said last year that Ulster would have a good representation this year because they won the U19 interpros. Munster will have a good representation next year because I think they won this seasons U19 interpros. Connacht will have a few more there next year too.

by SecretFly Thu 08 Mar 2018, 3:07 pm

All Munster U20 qualified players are unfortunately over 21 now because of the success of their 'development' pathways. Wink

by carpet baboon Fri 09 Mar 2018, 7:31 pm

10 - 0 up after 6 minutes.

by SecretFly Fri 09 Mar 2018, 8:46 pm

Dumb, dumb, dumb play from Ireland. Christ, they need tighter coaching. Dumb kicking - both in play and for the posts. Byrne kept kicking far too high...wind catching it and he kept doing it. Then we keep kicking back possession to a Scotland that has the ability to run it back...

Just dumb coaching and thinking on the field.

by **profitius** Fri 09 Mar 2018, 11:29 pm

Good going forward, error prone in defence. Scrum good, lineout very bad. The sub hooker had a mare. Kickoffs still a problem.

Jack O'Sullivan motm for the second week in a row. Great prospect and it will be interesting to see him link up with Doris in the summer.

by The Great Aukster Sat 10 Mar 2018, 10:49 am

profitius wrote:Good going forward, error prone in defence. Scrum good, lineout very bad. The sub hooker had a mare. Kickoffs still a problem.

Jack O'Sullivan motm for the second week in a row. Great prospect and it will be interesting to see him link up with Doris in the summer.

Succinct summary. thumbsup

by **profitius** Sat 10 Mar 2018, 12:48 pm

The Great Aukster wrote:
profitius wrote:Good going forward, error prone in defence. Scrum good, lineout very bad. The sub hooker had a mare. Kickoffs still a problem.

Jack O'Sullivan motm for the second week in a row. Great prospect and it will be interesting to see him link up with Doris in the summer.

Succinct summary.

Efficency. Very Happy

On the players.

1. French. Was good.He has only been scrummaging for 18 months and got well on top of his opponent.
2. Kelleher. Started well. He went off injured after about 20 min. That turned out to be a blow for the team.
3. O'Toole. Was good. The scrum was on top and he looks mobile around the pitch.
4. Dalton. Mixed game. He would have been one of the better players if it wasn't for his handling errors. He also made a few handling errors against France. A good athlete and should get a lot of games with Ulster in the future.
5. Dunne. He had a quiet game last night.
6. Dunleavy. Worked hard. I didn't see a lot of him but it was only his first game.
7. Agnew. He had a few impressive turnovers. He looks a good player. Size might be an issue going forward but he looks good in attack and defence.
8. J O'Sullivan. Had another great game. Carrying, turning over the ball, tackling.
9. H O'Sullivan. He managed the game well in tough conditions. Looks a good one for Leinster.
10. Byrne. Had a bad game missing easy kicks in front of goal. In the last 3 matches he was knocking them over from the sideline at ease. He also messed up for the first Scottish try.
11. Keane. Was alright. He didn't do anything bad or anything great. He does look very small though.
12. Curtis. He was excellent again and looks a quality playmaker at 12. He has a good brain for that position.
13. O'Brien. He was solid. He didn't get much ball but he done well when he did.
14. Kernohan. He was poor. Messed up for the try, beaten under the high ball and brushed aside when trying to tackle.
15. Silvester. Excellent game. He is one of the top prospects from this group. Lovely balanced runner.
16. Clarke. Doh

by The Great Aukster Fri 16 Mar 2018, 10:01 pm

Not too many players from either side were impressive. Both sides' half backs were atrocious including subs. Ibitoye is an impressive specimen and looked like a man amongst boys.
Earl looked a class act for England and O'Toole showed why he should have started.

by SecretFly Fri 16 Mar 2018, 10:23 pm

Ouch! England's U20s getting the first shots of anger in against the Irish. Overkilling us coz they is mad?

Ireland U20 out of their depth really in this contest this year. Too much headless chicken stuff going on with only some nice bits thrown in now and again and a few really exciting individual players on display.

But overall very disappointing.

by **profitius** Fri 25 May 2018, 1:40 pm

Squad named. Its an updated squad. Our player of the 6 nations, Jack O'Sullivan, is out with a knee injury as is Tom O'Toole. Rotten luck there. Also the hookers Kelleher and Clarke are out as is Angus Curtis and Masterson.

IRELAND UNDER-20 Squad (2018 World Rugby Under-20 Championship, Perpignan, Narbonne & Béziers, France, May 30-June 17):

Backs (12) -

Harry Byrne (UCD/Leinster)
Conor Dean (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
Dan Hurley (Young Munster/Munster) *
James Hume (Banbridge/Ulster)
Sean O'Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)
Hugh O'Sullivan (Clontarf/Leinster)
Tom Roche (Lansdowne/Leinster) *
Michael Silvester (Dublin University/Leinster)
Jonny Stewart (Queen's University/Ulster)
Peter Sylvester (UCC/Munster) *
Tommy O'Brien (UCD/Leinster)
James McCarthy (UL Bohemians/Munster)

Forwards (16) -

Matthew Agnew (Ballymena/Ulster)
Jack Aungier (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
Diarmuid Barron (Garryowen/Munster)
Joe Byrne (Dublin University/Leinster) *
Matthew Dalton (Malone/Ulster)
Cormac Daly (Clontarf/Leinster)
Jack Daly (Garryowen/Munster) *
Caelan Doris (St. Mary's College/Leinster) (capt)
Jordan Duggan (Naas/Leinster)
Jack Dunne (Dublin University/Leinster)
Joe Dunleavy (Malone/Ulster)
James French (UCC/Munster)
Aaron Hall (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
Bryan O'Connor (UCC/Munster) *
Charlie Ryan (UCD/Leinster)
Dan Sheehan (Dublin University/Leinster) *

* Denotes uncapped player at this level

Unavailable due to injury:
Eoghan Clarke, Angus Curtis, Ronan Kelleher, Sean Masterson, Jack O'Sullivan, Tom O'Toole, Peter Sullivan

IRELAND U-20s' World Rugby Championship Fixtures:

Pool C -

France v Ireland (live eir Sport 2)
Stade Aime-Giral, Perpignan, Wednesday, May 30, 9pm local time/8pm Irish time

South Africa v Ireland (live eir Sport 2)
Stade d'Honneur du Parc des Sports et de l'Amitie, Narbonne, Sunday, June 3, 4.30pm local time/3.30pm Irish time

Ireland v Georgia (live eir Sport 2)
Stade d'Honneur du Parc des Sports et de l'Amitie, Narbonne, Thursday, June 7, 6.30pm local time/5.30pm Irish time

Semi-Finals -
Stade d'Honneur du Parc des Sports et de l'Amitie, Narbonne or Stade Aime-Giral, Perpignan, Tuesday, June 12

Finals -
Stade de la Mediterranee, Béziers, Sunday, June 17

by toml Tue 29 May 2018, 1:49 pm

IRELAND: 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)

Interesting Agnew is selected in front of Hall who seems to be higher rated at Ulster.

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