U20 6 Nations & World Cup 2011

Former Coach

Looks like we could have a decent side:
Backs: Andrew Conway, Brendan Macken, Tiernan O'Halloran,Luke Marshall, Sam Coghlan-Murray, Paddy Jackson, James McKinney, Gareth Quinn-McDonagh, Craig Gilroy, Alex Kelly, Peter Du Toit
Forwards: Jordi Murphy, Niall Annett, Martin Moore, Michael Kearney, Daniel Qualter, Eoin McKeon, James Tracey
Better than this year's squad??

irishbucsfan

James Tracey in the squad? Considering he isn't even in the Leinster academy that would be quite an achievement for him.

Very exciting squad, a lot of players in there with a lot of hype surrounding them.

Very exciting backline of:

9. Du Toit
10. Jackson
11. Coughlan-Murray
12. Marshall
13. Macken/Kelly
14. Gilroy
15. Conway

Really looking forward to the 6 Nations.

Possibly a bit undersized to challenge for the World Cup

Former Coach

Agreed- we don't have the power of Ryan, Ruddock, Maguire up front this year, but if we can get ball to the backs!!

its_phil

irishbucsfan wrote: »

9. Du Toit
10. Jackson
11. Coughlan-Murray
12. Marshall
13. Macken/Kelly
14. Gilroy
15. Conway

ohalloran will probably slot in on one of those wings,but that other wing will be a good battle

profitius

It looks good again this year and thats the way it should be. With the tandard of coaching getting better and more people playing we should expect to see a steady rise of quality every year, in general.

[Jackass]

Those backs give me sexual feelings.

Especially Marshall & Macken in the centre.

Hoping Conway can really excell at this level, and would love to see DeToit come on a lot too, have high hopes for him.

Tim Robbins

Former Coach wrote: »

Looks like we could have a decent side:
Backs: Andrew Conway, Brendan Macken, Tiernan O'Halloran,Luke Marshall, Sam Coghlan-Murray, Paddy Jackson, James McKinney, Gareth Quinn-McDonagh, Craig Gilroy, Alex Kelly, Peter Du Toit
Forwards: Jordi Murphy, Niall Annett, Martin Moore, Michael Kearney, Daniel Qualter, Eoin McKeon, James Tracey
Better than this year's squad??

Fair play for having such knowledge of the next generation of Irish rugby. And welcome to boards.
It will be very interesting to get your coaching views.

cheers.

O'Halloran will definitely get gametime, crazy to think that the backline is overloaded with pace and guile to be honest. Some set of players from 9-15 (and bench cover!)

Last year's pack > This year's, but the backline is of a similar calibre.

Another exciting team, hopefully they are allowed to play the game that befits them though, unlike our 20s at the WC last year!

Former Coach

I have a feeling Mike Ruddock will give them their heads. If they can win enough ball, they'll be a match for the best.

chupacabra

No sign of JJ Hanrahan? Im dissapointed.

profitius

chupacabra wrote: »

No sign of JJ Hanrahan? Im dissapointed.

As a Munster fan I don't think he should be there. Not that I don't want to see him but I think theres enough quality around to give players only 1 season at that level. He's only 17/18 and will qualify in a year or two.

Former Coach

profitius wrote: »

As a Munster fan I don't think he should be there. Not that I don't want to see him but I think theres enough quality around to give players only 1 season at that level. He's only 17/18 and will qualify in a year or two.

Agreed that the more experienced the better as generally speaking we'll be coming up against 19 and even 20 year-olds. Having said that, Jackson & Coghlan-Murray are both eligible in 2012 but I'd be very confident that they are both up to the required level.

Diom

[Jackass] wrote: »

Those backs give me sexual feelings.

Especially Marshall & Macken in the centre.

Hoping Conway can really excell at this level, and would love to see DeToit come on a lot too, have high hopes for him.

Macken seems quite limited to me to be honest. I think he is excelling at this level due to his physicality, which is a great asset. During the last U20 6ns he seemed to constantly take too much out of the ball in the midfield, which strangled a lot of options out wide.
I also think that him having had Spence on his inside last year helped, as defenders needed to drift in and that gave him room on the outside. Will Luke Marshall offer the same kind of foil?

profitius

Diom wrote: »

Macken seems quite limited to me to be honest. I think he is excelling at this level due to his physicality, which is a great asset. During the last U20 6ns he seemed to constantly take too much out of the ball in the midfield, which strangled a lot of options out wide.
I also think that him having had Spence on his inside last year helped, as defenders needed to drift in and that gave him room on the outside. Will Luke Marshall offer the same kind of foil?

I might be wrong but Spence looked similar to Macken. They both need to develop their game because their physicality won't matter too much at professional level. Marshall looks to have the skills and intelligence to open up defenses. I've only seen him play 1 game though.

Spence and macken performed poorly. They don't suit each other a a centre partnership whatsoever!

Macken needs a 12 like Reid / P.Wallace inside him, to open up space in open play, not someone like Spence, who has excellent ability to tie up defenders when he take the ball into contact. He creates space, but at the expense of a ruck, taking an extra second or two out of the backline's hands that Macken thrives on.

Spence is v good at what he does, but it actually made Macken look poor as the chances were already missed for the role Macken plays.

V disappointed with his progress over last year though, should've been aiming to at least remain level with Conway at Leinster, and has gone backwards. Hopefully we see him with a new lease of life, cause the guy can be a star, just needs the right gameplan for him to shine!

its_phil

Deleted User wrote: »

Spence and macken performed poorly. They don't suit each other a a centre partnership whatsoever!

Agreed they just never seemed to gel with one another during the 6N and WC.IIRC macken was dropped all together wasn't he and Griffin came in?

Former Coach

Diom wrote: »

Macken seems quite limited to me to be honest. I think he is excelling at this level due to his physicality, which is a great asset. During the last U20 6ns he seemed to constantly take too much out of the ball in the midfield, which strangled a lot of options out wide.
I also think that him having had Spence on his inside last year helped, as defenders needed to drift in and that gave him room on the outside. Will Luke Marshall offer the same kind of foil?

Agreed. Macken appears a little greedy sometimes to me thereby cutting out space/opportunities for those outside him. Alex Kelly is very likely to be in the shake-up at inside centre- ferocious in the tackle and can provide a great offload. Jackson has all the skills at 10 to get the best out of this, potentially brilliant back line.

bamboozle

Michael Kearney started the U20 friendly at 6 for them, he's playing 2nd row for Clontarf in the AIL this season, very impressive, will need to bulk up though.

Diom

Former Coach wrote: »

Agreed. Macken appears a little greedy sometimes to me thereby cutting out space/opportunities for those outside him. Alex Kelly is very likely to be in the shake-up at inside centre- ferocious in the tackle and can provide a great offload. Jackson has all the skills at 10 to get the best out of this, potentially brilliant back line.

A pair of hands at 12 will probably get more out of Macken alright. Will be interesting to see how they line out.

Kelly is a fantastic defender with quick hands. I reckon he could overshadow Macken if he plays to his best.

Saw him playing for Leinster U20s last year vs Navan AIL, he cut a full grown man in two with a huge tackle, took the guy quite a while to get off the ground alright!

Cpt_Blackbeard

I wouldn't be too surprised to see Munster's Lukas Kunz involved on the wing; He has serious gas and is already the size of an international winger.

irishbucsfan

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

I wouldn't be too surprised to see Munster's Lukas Kunz involved on the wing; He has serious gas and is already the size of an international winger.

He would have to be very very good to get ahead of Gilroy or O'Halloran, who are both capped at interpro level, or Sam Coughlan-Murray, who is young but was the best player on the pitch against Italy u20s a few weeks ago. Huge talent on the wing in this team.

Cpt_Blackbeard

irishbucsfan wrote: »

He would have to be very very good to get ahead of Gilroy or O'Halloran, who are both capped at interpro level, or Sam Coughlan-Murray, who is young but was the best player on the pitch against Italy u20s a few weeks ago. Huge talent on the wing in this team.

I'm not saying that I expect him to be playing, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was involved is all.

Fight_Night

Does anyone know what happened to the big prop on the team last year, I think his name was Stuart McGuire. Is he still playing?

Teej

Fight_Night wrote: »

Does anyone know what happened to the big prop on the team last year, I think his name was Stuart McGuire. Is he still playing?

Playing for Leinster A tomorrow night in B&I Cup (Skerries RFC, KO 6.30 pm -Free Admission)

Former Coach

irishbucsfan wrote: »

He would have to be very very good to get ahead of Gilroy or O'Halloran, who are both capped at interpro level, or Sam Coughlan-Murray, who is young but was the best player on the pitch against Italy u20s a few weeks ago. Huge talent on the wing in this team.

Should be good competition in the pack also.
Tracey,Annett/Doyle/Moore,
O'Mahoney/Qualter/Hanbridge/Kearney
Murphy (Capt?)/McKeon/Leckey/Conneely
I'm sure there are lots of others?

Former Coach

Fight_Night wrote: »

Does anyone know what happened to the big prop on the team last year, I think his name was Stuart McGuire. Is he still playing?

Stuart Maguire is over-age this year.

Former Coach

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

I wouldn't be too surprised to see Munster's Lukas Kunz involved on the wing; He has serious gas and is already the size of an international winger.

Doyle could push Annett but Annett's all-round play should swing it. Both played back-row at school

jolley123

Is the U-20 squad for the 6nations announced around the same time as the Ireland squad is, when was the squad announced last year?

MidlandsMan69

really am looking forward to the 6 nations this year.
SO much quality in the backs!!dunno where to start
lots of TALENT in the forwards but my fear is our size......

in previous years ireland have had skillful forwards and 18s and 19s and by 20s they have them completely bulked up.not so sure they've done this this year....
quality backrow with some senior provincial experiences (mckeon,coneely)
but worried bout pack size overall....
no stewart maguires(6'5 22stone) this year.......

but if we can manage to secure ball,theres gonna be some great rugby played

maherro

Very very few Munster players there - you lads seem to finally have got your academy working properly - are there players being ignored or is it a bit of a barren spot?

profitius

maherro wrote: »

Very very few Munster players there - you lads seem to finally have got your academy working properly - are there players being ignored or is it a bit of a barren spot?

Theres a number of reasons. The Munster academy has been restructured from what I hear but we won't see the effects of that for another 2 - 3 years. Now theres more effort put in to spot talented young players from all over Munster. Better late than never I suppose.

At the moment the Munster players are also less developed physically. It seems they're slow to take up weights etc so they develop later. Munster have a very strong A team with players who might have missed out playing underage for Ireland so at least it indicates theres some talent coming through. Paddy Butler will start against Connacht tomorrow.

Theres a big lack of Limerick players coming through for some reason. With rugby never been as popular you'd think there'd be plenty of Limerick players coming. Cork is now the main supplier of players.

danthefan

profitius wrote: »

Theres a number of reasons. The Munster academy has been restructured from what I hear but we won't see the effects of that for another 2 - 3 years. Now theres more effort put in to spot talented young players from all over Munster. Better late than never I suppose.

At the moment the Munster players are also less developed physically. It seems they're slow to take up weights etc so they develop later. Munster have a very strong A team with players who might have missed out playing underage for Ireland so at least it indicates theres some talent coming through. Paddy Butler will start against Connacht tomorrow.

Theres a big lack of Limerick players coming through for some reason. With rugby never been as popular you'd think there'd be plenty of Limerick players coming. Cork is now the main supplier of players.

Agree with the bolded bit, you can't just click your fingers and expect academy guys to immediately improve. Leinster got that headstart, the academy was that bit more professional from early days, and we're really seeing the benefits now. Munster don't seem to have a lot coming through at the moment but give it a year or two.

Former Coach

Anyone know when 6 nations squad will be announced?

Former Coach

I hear that the u-20's beat Ulster A in Donnybrook today. Anybody see it??

Former Coach

Anyone got any idea when the 6-nations squad will be announced?

CIARAN_BOYLE

Former Coach wrote: »

Anyone got any idea when the 6-nations squad will be announced?

probably the same time as the senior squad (ie tuesday)

Former Coach

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

probably the same time as the senior squad (ie tuesday)

Thanks Ciaran

jolley123

Any idea on squad announcement?

profitius

jolley123 wrote: »

Any idea on squad announcement?

I thought it was being announced today but can't find anything.

whysomoody

[Jackass] wrote: »

Those backs give me sexual feelings.

Especially Marshall & Macken in the centre.

Hoping Conway can really excell at this level, and would love to see DeToit come on a lot too, have high hopes for him.

why du toit? have you seen him play much, Ive seen a bit but not been overly enthused.

Former Coach wrote: »

Doyle could push Annett but Annett's all-round play should swing it. Both played back-row at school

David Doyle? for a hooker its impressive he is top ty scorer in the AIL 2 with UCD. 7 tries!

Offside

Annett is captain so unlikely doyle will be starting unless they find a place for one of them in the back row.

CIARAN_BOYLE

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

probably the same time as the senior squad (ie tuesday)

sorry guys looks like I was all wrong here can't find anything on when its being announced

Former Coach

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

sorry guys looks like I was all wrong here can't find anything on when its being announced

Should be very soon- first match is two weeks from tomorrow!

jolley123

Last year the team was announced on the 25th so surely we can expect to see the team soon.

roycon

the backline is looking better and better every week.
at the moment rumours are conway will not be playing for the six nations but will be back for the world cup. if he does play he'll be playing only against england and france.

Andrew Boyle, Andrew Conway, Brendan Macken, Tiernan O'Halloran,Luke Marshall, Sam Coghlan-Murray, Paddy Jackson, James McKinney, Craig Gilroy, Alex Kelly, Peter Du Toit

supposedly mike ruddock isnt a big fan of macken but i think he'll still start with marshall in the centre unless ulster decide they need marshall

GerM

Really looking forward to the U20 championship. When you see the players for the backline written down like that, it's a fairly exciting prospect. I'm particularly looking forward to seeing the two Ulster lads, Marshall and Jackson pulling the strings at 10 and 12. Potential to become serious players at senior level. Having seen them a couple of times I was taken aback at their skill and composure. Saw them for the first time at the Aviva opener and they were 2 seconds ahead of anyone else on the pitch in terms of decision making and execution. Also looking forward to seeing Andrew Boyle again. That bloke knows where the try line is big time and has bags of pace.

I've been somewhat disappointed by Macken given his massive reputation and publicity when he first came on the scene. Hopefully he develops more as he's still so young but it strikes me as being a case of big lad at schools level who had a massive advantage with his power and pace. He was something like 94kg and 6ft at schools level. His handling needs significant work still though. No better man than Joe Schmidt to be working with in that capacity however. Depends on whether he wants it enough though. There have long been rumours of a poor attitude in relation to Macken from both the U20 set up and within Leinster.

jolley123

Niall Annet to captain the team in their first match against Itlay.

profitius

Still any squad announced?

Hype710

profitius wrote: »

Still any squad announced?

At this stage they'll most likely announce the match day 22 on Tuesday or so.

jolley123

Squad that's been put up on IRFU website, 22 players so I'm sure other players will either be added or given opportunities.

Niall Annett
Finlay Bealham
Conor Carey
Aaron Conneely
Andrew Conway
Sam Coghlan-Murray
David Doyle
Peter Du Toit
Craig Gilroy
William Henderson
Paddy Jackson
Michael Kearney
Alex Kelly
Brendan Macken
Cathal Marsh
Luke Marshall
Blane Mcilroy
Eoin McKeon
Martin Moore
Jordi Murphy
Daniel Qualter
James Tracy