Ireland U20 squad, match discussion thread for the U20 6N

chupacabra

Its that time of year again as the Six Nations looms on the horizon and while we will all be supporting the lads in green for the senior side don't forget that the next generation of players are on display also. I'll be heading to every U20 home fixture this year and so will be reporting here live on match days (unless the matches are shown live on tv or on the radio somewhere) so maybe a general thread that we can keep up to date on all the news, results etc. might be a good idea. Here's the confirmed squad for the Under 20 Six Nations..

Obviously this isnt the full squad, its just whats up on the IRFU site so far.

The first game of the tournament is against Italy in Dubarry park on the 5th of February, the day before the senior game. Some tickets might still be available outside at the ground on the night, but for now tickets can be bought at Music Store and Keenans sports in Athlone town.

Podge_irl

Over half Leinster players. You gotta assume (hope?) that those not listed there will be from other provinces.

The U20 have done damn well the last couple of years. Its a real sign that Ireland won't be slumping back anytime soon and is a damn encouraging sight.

Is the other Ruddock brother too old or too young for the U20s?

gavkm27

Great stuff,thanks for starting this,i feel the same and am hoping to get to 1 of the games and support the young lads,especially our Connacht boys!

chupacabra

Podge_irl wrote: »

Over half Leinster players. You gotta assume (hope?) that those not listed there will be from other provinces.

The U20 have done damn well the last couple of years. Its a real sign that Ireland won't be slumping back anytime soon and is a damn encouraging sight.

Is the other Ruddock brother too old or too young for the U20s?

Yeah Ciaran just missed the age limit by a few months.

Leinster 12
Munster 3
Ulster 2
Connacht 2

Thats a bloody disgrace.

chupacabra

Liam CoolS Finch wrote: »

Leinster 12
Munster 3
Ulster 2
Connacht 2

Thats a bloody disgrace.

Thats not the full squad, the final squad will have around 25/30 players. But i agree, Leinster own underage rugby at the moment.

As a side, the main players to watch this year are Brendan Macken, Andrew Conway, TOH in the backs and Ruddock, Ryan and O'Callaghan in the forwards.

Also Maguire is HUGE for his age. Only 19 and he is 6 5" and 21 st., same height as Buckley but a stone heavier! If he has any decent scrummaging technique he is going to be a beast.

Podge_irl

chupacabra wrote: »

Also Maguire is HUGE for his age. Only 19 and he is 6 5" and 21 st., same height as Buckley but a stone heavier! If he has any decent scrummaging technique he is going to be a beast.

Jesus ****ing Christ.

chupacabra

chupacabra wrote: »

Thats not the full squad, the final squad will have around 25/30 players. But i agree, Leinster own underage rugby at the moment.

As a side, the main players to watch this year are Brendan Macken, Andrew Conway, TOH in the backs and Ruddock, Ryan and O'Callaghan in the forwards.

Also Maguire is HUGE for his age. Only 19 and he is 6 5" and 21 st., same height as Buckley but a stone heavier! If he has any decent scrummaging technique he is going to be a beast.

I have seen Macken and Conway but that McGuire fella,wtf.
Thats just wrong,hopefully Tony can show him some offloading skills.

Pretty sure at that size regardless of age he is the biggest foward in world rugby.
Buckley is the biggest in 6 nations and there is no bigger in the SH?

(I dont know what we are feeding him but at the Dragons he is listed at 6'4 and 19st 12lbs.

liam12989

why is he playing for ireland? Is he not from wales? thats 3 players not welsh born?Ruddocks and maguire. Whats do people think will be starting team?

Stev_o

Liam CoolS Finch wrote: »

I have seen Macken and Conway but that McGuire fella,wtf.
Thats just wrong,hopefully Tony can show him some offloading skills.

Pretty sure at that size regardless of age he is the biggest foward in world rugby.
Buckley is the biggest in 6 nations and there is no bigger in the SH?

(I dont know what we are feeding him but at the Dragons he is listed at 6'4 and 19st 12lbs.

There was a Samoan prop who played in last years Junior RWC who was just as big if i remember correctly.

anonymous_joe

liam12989 wrote: »

why is he playing for ireland? Is he not from wales? thats 3 players not welsh born?Ruddocks and maguire. Whats do people think will be starting team?

Well the Ruddocks are half Irish. Literally. So that was a 50/50.

Maguire's an Irish name, and he presumably felt there was more chance of having a career as an Irish player.

Utopia Parkway

On paper it's a very talented Irish U20 squad this year. Some real future international prospects in the back division. If the forwards can produce for them they'll do some damage.

profitius

There was a piece in the Irish Examiner today about Paddy Butler of Shannon. By the sounds of it he could have a big future.

chupacabra

Great news for the U20s this year, RTE have announced that they are showing all of irelands home U20 games for the six nations. Fairplay to rte for providing this coverage.

TheGod

Dave O'Callaghan.....brother of Donnacha?

TheGod

Names to look out for on that list,

Conway
Macken
O'Hallaron
Ruddock
Ryan
Spence

PhatPiggins

chupacabra wrote: »

Thats not the full squad, the final squad will have around 25/30 players. But i agree, Leinster own underage rugby at the moment.

As a side, the main players to watch this year are Brendan Macken, Andrew Conway, TOH in the backs and Ruddock, Ryan and O'Callaghan in the forwards.

Also Maguire is HUGE for his age. Only 19 and he is 6 5" and 21 st., same height as Buckley but a stone heavier! If he has any decent scrummaging technique he is going to be a beast.

As long as he's not another fat second row trying to pass as a prop he'll be grand. Other then Hayman I cant think of any class props over 6 2".

Personally I think that height is a disadvantage for a prop unless you've got great technique.

profitius

TheGod wrote: »

Dave O'Callaghan.....brother of Donnacha?

Nope, Dave is from East Cork.

gavkm27

Irish U20 Squad for 6 Nations-

http://www.irishrugby.ie/283_19490.php

An Ireland U-20 squad of 26 players has been named for the forthcoming U-20 RBS 6 Nations Championship.

Coach Allen Clarke, has named 14 forwards and 12 backs in the squad with seven players having previously lined out for the U-20's including recent Leinster debutant, Rhys Ruddock.

Ireland open their campaign with a fixture against Italy on Friday February 5 and will again make Dubarry Park in Athlone their home for the tournament.

Speaking of his selection Clarke said: "Tthe attitude of the players has been excellent, both in their individual attention and motivation while developing with their provincial rugby and fitness coaches and while playing for their clubs.

"The warm up games against the Provincial Development sides have provided the opportunity to develop our game and identify the areas we need to improve.

'We all recognize the potential of the squad while respecting the challenges ahead, the first of which is to start the Six Nations campaign against Italy at home with a good performance. Being the first game of the championship means we have little knowledge of the opposition so our concentration is to be accurate with and without the ball."

Ireland U-20 RBS 6 nations squad (* denotes previously capped player at U-20 level):

Backs -

Andrew Conway (Blackrock/Leinster)
John Cooney (UCD/Leinster)*
Eoin Griffin (Corinthians/Connacht)
Michael Heaney (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
Darren Hudson (St. Mary's /Leinster)
Brian Kingston (Blackrock/Leinster)
Brendan Macken (Blackrock/Leinster)
James McKinney (Queens/Ulster)
David McSharry (UCD/Leinster)
Tiernan O'Halloran (Galwegians/Connacht)
Nevin Spence (Ballynahinch/Ulster)*
Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster)

Forwards-

Niall Annett (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
Denis Buckley (Corinthians/Connacht)
Patrick Butler (Shannon/Munster)
Bryan Cagney (UCC/Munster)
David Doyle (UCD/Leinster)
Brian Hayes (Cork Constitution/Munster)*
Stewart Maguire (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
Ben Marshall (UCD/Leinster)
Jordi Murphy (Blackrock/Leinster)
Robin O'Sullivan (Bective/Leinster)
David O'Callaghan (UCC/Munster)*
Jack O'Connell (Lansdowne/Leinster)*
Rhys Ruddock (UCD/Leinster)*
Dominic Ryan (Lansdowne/Leinster)*

Leinster 14
Munster 5
Ulster 4
Connacht 3

Where is Nevin Spence,that kid is class?

gavkm27

Liam CoolS Finch wrote: »

Where is Nevin Spence,that kid is class?

He sure is and he is in there,2nd from bottom in the backs:D

Hype710

Surprised that scrum half Du Toit from KH isnt there. Heard he had a good chance of being a future international.

PhatPiggins

Is Jack McGrath over age. I thought he was the great white hope

Crash

http://leinsterrugby.ie/academyprofiles.php?player=81950&includeref=dynamic

10th October 1989, assume the cut-off for the under 20's is under 20 on the 1st of January?

profitius

3 players from Connacht is good going. Munster and Ulster's schools are not as numerous as Leinsters so it's harder to pick out players for U20's.

profitius

profitius wrote: »

3 players from Connacht is good going. Munster and Ulster's schools are not as numerous as Leinsters so it's harder to pick out players for U20's.

Yes they are and this is an under 20 team not a schools team,if the AIL development program was working aswell as some would claim,then the players would be there.

Doctor Zaius

Jordi Murphy was pretty handy there last year for Blackrock,he should be interesting to watch. The other Blackrock lads Conway and Macken are handy as well and I remember that Kingston lad had a pretty good conversion rate.


Wish i wasnt in Canada for half the championship Would be very interested in watching these games.

Crash

Is it just me, or is Dave O'Callaghan trying to imitate his namesake, with that hair? Look out for red underwear.

chupacabra

Crash wrote: »

Is it just me, or is Dave O'Callaghan trying to imitate his namesake, with that hair? Look out for red underwear.

Yeah he looks a lot like him alright. Will probably stick to being a blindside tho which is a shame because we will be desperate for replacements for POC and DOC just around the time that Dave O'Callaghan will be pushing for province.

Doctor Zaius wrote: »

Jordi Murphy was pretty handy there last year for Blackrock,he should be interesting to watch. The other Blackrock lads Conway and Macken are handy as well and I remember that Kingston lad had a pretty good conversion rate.

He's not very big for a guy in his position, great in the loose and great ball carrying, but he could get smashed around the place unless he bulks up a bit.

profitius

chupacabra wrote: »

Yeah he looks a lot like him alright. Will probably stick to being a blindside tho which is a shame because we will be desperate for replacements for POC and DOC just around the time that Dave O'Callaghan will be pushing for province.

Theres loads of young locks coming through. Donnacha Ryan, Dave Foley, Ian Nagle are all highly rated.

chupacabra

profitius wrote: »

Theres loads of young locks coming through. Donnacha Ryan, Dave Foley, Ian Nagle are all highly rated.

Do you see any of them getting game time? Because i dont.

profitius

chupacabra wrote: »

Do you see any of them getting game time? Because i dont.

You were talking about replacements for POC and DOC. Donnacha Ryan is Kidneys third choice for Ireland and I reckon he's as good as DOC. The others are young but with 4 (POC, DOC, MOD, DR) ahead of them they won't be getting much gametime for a few years, naturally.


Either way when POC and DOC do retire they'll be ready to step up if they're good enough.

Amazotheamazing

chupacabra wrote: »

Do you see any of them getting game time? Because i dont.

Both Foley and Nagle are young enough to wait until DOC and POC hit 32 or 33. Ryan probably should move.

It's a pity Foley was injured in the preseason games because it denied him a chance to impress, Nagle was very, very, good in those games. Ideally one or both of them would go to Connacht for a season or two, imo, they are the most exciting forwards Munster have produced since Cronin.

TheGod

profitius wrote: »

You were talking about replacements for POC and DOC. Donnacha Ryan is Kidneys third choice for Ireland

No hes not. He's Kidney's 6th choice.

O'Connell - starting for Ireland
O'Callaghan - starting for Ireland
Cullen - subbing for Ireland
Mick O'Driscoll - starting for Ireland A
Toner - starting for Ireland A
Donnacha Ryan - subbing for Ireland A

danthefan

profitius wrote: »

You were talking about replacements for POC and DOC. Donnacha Ryan is Kidneys third choice for Ireland

Where are you getting this stuff from? Cullen was on the bench for the AIs and got a start against Fiji, Donnacha Ryan nowhere to be seen. He's nowhere near as good as DOC, hence he struggles to make the Munster 22 and only has a handful of starts this season.

Ryan isn't young anymore by the way. He's older than Heaslip for example.

profitius

I mean that Kidney rates him highly. If he was getting games regulary he'd be a certainty for the Irish 22.

danthefan

profitius wrote: »

I mean that Kidney rates him highly. If he was getting games regulary he'd be a certainty for the Irish 22.

If my aunt had balls :rolleyes:

He's not getting games regularly, for very good reason: he's nowhere near as good as you seem to think he is. Cullen is a much better lock.

profitius

danthefan wrote: »

If my aunt had balls :rolleyes:

He's not getting games regularly, for very good reason: he's nowhere near as good as you seem to think he is.

Yeah 2 Lions ahead of him. The point is if Kidney didn't rate him why would he be near the Ireland squad despite getting no game time.

TheGod

profitius wrote: »

Yeah 2 Lions ahead of him. The point is if Kidney didn't rate him why would he be near the Ireland squad despite getting no game time.

Hes not near the Ireland squad, hes 6th choice lock.

profitius

TheGod wrote: »

Hes not near the Ireland squad, hes 6th choice lock.

If thats the logic you're using then Best is 3rd choice hooker because hes only in the A team

TheGod

profitius wrote: »

If thats the logic you're using then Best is 3rd choice hooker because hes only in the A team

He is 3rd choice hooker currently after his injury.

profitius

TheGod wrote: »

He is 3rd choice hooker currently after his injury.

But I'm talking about how much Kidney rates them. So it looks like we're talking about different things. :P

danthefan

profitius wrote: »

Yeah 2 Lions ahead of him. The point is if Kidney didn't rate him why would he be near the Ireland squad despite getting no game time.

Who said Kidney didn't rate him?

TheGod

profitius wrote: »

But I'm talking about how much Kidney rates them. So it looks like we're talking about different things. :P

Well Best is 3rd choice because of an injury.

As Ryan is not injured and has no reason to be that far down in the pecking order I think its safe to say that Kidney rates him but as 6th choice lock.

profitius

TheGod wrote: »

Well Best is 3rd choice because of an injury.

As Ryan is not injured and has no reason to be that far down in the pecking order I think its safe to say that Kidney rates him but as 6th choice lock.

We'll agree to disagree so.

danthefan wrote:

Who said Kidney didn't rate him?

Not me.

thomond2006

http://www.irishrugby.ie/283_19526.php

Excerpts:

This season the Ireland Under-20s, sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers, will play three home matches at Dubarry Park, the home of Buccaneers RFC.

Allen Clarke's side kick off their campaign against Italy this day week - Friday, February 5 - with a 7.35pm kick-off in Athlone and the game will be broadcast live on RTE Two.

Ireland also have home fixtures against Wales on Friday, March 12 and Scotland on Friday, March 19, hoping to build on last year's run which saw them finish second in the final table and miss out on the title on points difference to France.

Commenting on the extraordinary success enjoyed by the Irish Under-20 squads at Dubarry Park in recent seasons, ESB Chief Executive Padraig McManus said: "Ireland has made Dubarry Park something of a fortress, having lost just once there in the past four seasons - and managed to precede the senior side with a Grand Slam triumph in 2007.

The Irish Under-20s will again be coached by Allen Clarke this year, assisted by Nigel Carolan and Colin McEntee. They have been joined by a new team manager in Michael Kearney.

Tickets for the Under-20s' home internationals are currently available from Buccaneers RFC (tel: 0861732711) and locally in Athlone from The Bounty, Musicworld Golden Island and Keenan's Sports Store.

Stand tickets are limited so early purchase is recommended, while family tickets are particularly good value, covering two adults and two accompanying children.

There is also a special 3-for-2 offer available, covering the three games against Italy, Wales and Scotland. For more details, contact Buccaneers RFC.

probb13

5 players from Blackrock including Denis Buckley is pretty impressive ! more than the whole of connaught