Ireland Under-20s look to crown productive campaign with win over Scotland

Ireland Under-20s v Scotland Under-20s

Musgave Park, Sunday 3.15pm (RTE2)

Ireland’s Under-20 side have followed a very similar path to Andy Farrell’s squad in this season’s Six Nations and they too head into the final game with Scotland with a Triple Crown on the line and a mathematical, albeit very slim, chance of actually claiming the championship.

Andrew Browne’s charges, similar to the seniors, returned from France on the opening weekend nursing a drubbing, but they too have managed to turn it all round and, regardless of what happens against Scotland in Cork on Sunday (3.15pm), it has been a good campaign.

It remains to be seen if Browne stays at the helm for the World Championship in Georgia in the summer or whether his Connacht coaching colleague Cullie Tucker, who has been appointed head coach of the Under-20s for three years, takes charge before the summer tournament. Browne will return to his job as an elite player-development officer in the Connacht academy when his stint ends and Tucker, currently scrum and contact coach in Stuart Lancaster’s management team, will go in the opposite direction.

Either way, Browne, the former Connacht lock, has had his coaching CV considerably enhanced by the displays of this side since their 50-21 loss to France in Perpignan last month.

They had to dig deep to see off Italy 30-27 in their second game before producing an outstanding display to beat England 31-21 in Bath. They backed that up with a 48-33 success in Cork last weekend against Wales.

That has brought their match points to 15, five adrift of France, who have won all four games and who have a superior points difference of 72 heading into this final round.

Ireland have won all nine home games in this grade against Scotland and it would be a shock and a big disappointment if they were to slip up at this stage. Scottish age-grade rugby has suffered in recent years and they have won just three of their last 29 games in the Under-20 Six Nations.

They were 36-10 winners in Treviso on the opening weekend, but have lost all three games since then, going down to England (33-17) and France (45-26) at home and 31-21 away to Wales.

Ireland should have far too much firepower, not least as there are several players who look set to push on from this grade into professional rugby.

Only outhalf Tom Wood, son of former Ireland hooker Keith, and winger Daniel Ryan, the former St Michael’s player who joined the Connacht academy last summer, have played in the URC for their provinces but quite a few others have really developed as this campaign has progressed.

Those include versatile fullback Noah Byrne, a former Gonzaga College player who won a Leinster minor football championship with Dublin in 2023; the UCC and Munster pair of centre James O’Leary and scrumhalf Christopher Barrett; tighthead and skipper Sami Bishti; South African-born but Irish-qualified flanker Josh Neill; and number eight Diarmaid O’Connell from Carrick-on-Shannon. Several more are on their coat tails after what has transpired to be a very productive Under-20 Six Nations despite the poor start.

IRELAND: N Byrne; D Moloney, R Carney, J O’Leary, D Ryan; T Wood, C Barrett; M Doyle, D Maguire, S Bishti (c); J Finn, D McGuire; J Neill, B Blaney, D O’Connell. Replacements: L Fitzpatrick, C Foley, L Murtagh, D McNeice, B Hayes, J O’Dwyer, C O’Shea, J O’Sullivan.

Click here to read article