Ireland Under-20 2024 Team

😂😂

U18 Schools team and U19 training sides named over the weekend:

U18 Schools:

Props:

Blake McClean (RBAI / Ulster), Evann Shelley (Skerries RFC / Leinster), Rio McDonnagh (Wallace HS / Ulster), Max Doyle (Clongowes / Leinster), Jamie Conway (Castletroy / Munster), Tyrese Abolarin (Methody College / Ulster).

Hooker:

Rian Handley (Wesley College/ Leinster), Jonathan Byrne (Crescent College / Munster), Lee Fitzpatrick (Newbridge / Leinster), Luke McLoughlin (Gonzaga / Leinster), Conor Magee (Banbridge / Ulster)

Second Row:

Donnacha McGuire (Blackrock College / Leinster), Dylan McNeice (St Michael's College / Leinster), Fionn O'Meara (Nenagh Ormond RFC / Munster), Joe Finn (Cistercian College, Roscrea / Munster), Charlie Fenton (Crescent College / Munster), Diarmuid O'Connell (Carrick On Shannon RFC / Sligo Grammar / Connacht)

Back Row:

Bill Hayes (Cistercian College, Roscrea / Munster), Charlie Meagher (CBC Monkstown / Leinster), Joe Elliott (St Michael's College / Leinster), Callum McKinney (Campbell COllege / Ulster), Matthew Heasley (Dromore HS / Ulster), Thomas Dougan (Royal School Armagh / Ulster), Rory Lyons (Westport RFC / Connacht)

Scrum Half:

Elliott Mallon (Terenure College / Leinster), Chris Barrett (CBC / Munster)

Out Half:

Conor O'Shaughnessy (Blackrock College / Leinster), Tom Wood (St Munchin's College / Munster), Charlie O'Shea (CBC / Munster)

Outside Backs:

Cal Traynor Russell (CBC Monkstown / Leinster), Fraser Cunningham (RBAI / Ulster), Jack Deegan (Cistercian College, Roscrea / Leinster), James O'Leary (PBC / Munster), Ethan Black (St Michael's College / Leinster), Charlie Molony (Blackrock College / Leinster), Johnny O'Sullivan (Blackrock College / Leinster), Noah Byrne (Gonzaga College / Leinster), Paddy Curry (Terenure College / Leinster), Josh Gibson (RBAI / Ulster), Sean Walsh (Corinthians RFC / Connacht), Stephen O'Donovan (Bantry RFC / Munster)

Breakdown:

Leinster: 18

Munster: 11

Ulster: 9

Connacht: 3

This would be a pretty sizeable number, considering Leinster were champions at U19 level in 2022, and will also figure on having the lions share of this squad.

From that Leinster team you’d probably expect all of:

Hugo McLaughlin

Sam Berman

Wilhelm de Klerk

Jules Fenelon

Tom Larke

Jack Murphy

Oliver Coffey

Stephen Smyth

Andrew Sparrow

Adam Deay

Michael Colreavy

Mikey O’Reilly

to make the team, with another few possibles too (plus a few guys who were with Leinster then but have left like Tom Brigg and maybe Finn Treacy).

Munster will expect, at a minimum:

Ben O’Connor

Evan O’Connell

Danny Sheahan

Jacob Sheahan

Brian Gleeson

with guys like Sean Edogbo also strong possibilities.

Harder to see as many nailed on guys from Connacht, who were pretty abject at U19 level last year and shipped big beatings from Leinster and Ulster.

I assume the 20s warm up games wont be televised?

I believe both of them are only recently back from ACL injuries. I could be wrong with my timing but I do recall hearing that both of them had done ACLs

It might be no harm. We know what he can do at that level. I'd love to see us go down the route of the French approach when it comes to U20's. Leave your stronger players with their clubs during the 6N to get gametime and then go all out for the U20 World Cup that summer.