Ireland U20s 2023

Squad named. First game is away to Wales.

Forwards:

George Morris (Lansdowne/Leinster)
George Hadden (Clontarf/Leinster)
Gus McCarthy (UCD/Leinster)(captain)
Conall Henchy (DUFC/Munster)
Danny Sheahan (UCC/Munster)
Ronan Foxe (Leinster/Old Belvedere)
Fiachna Barrett (Corinthians/Connacht)
Paddy McCarthy (DUFC/Leinster)
Conor O’Tighearnaigh (DUFC/Leinster)
Charlie Irvine (Queen’s University/Ulster)
Evan O’Connell (UL Bohemians/Munster)
Joe Hopes (Queen’s University/Ulster)
Jacob Sheahan (UCC/Munster)
Diarmuid Mangan (UCD/Leinster)
Ruadhán Quinn (Old Crescent/Munster)
James McNabney (Ballymena/Ulster)
Brian Gleeson (Garryowen/Munster)

Backs:

Jack Oliver (Garryowen/Munster)
Oscar Cawley (Naas/Leinster)
Fintan Gunne (Terenure/Leinster)
Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Matthew Lynch (DUFC/Leinster)
Harry West (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Sam Berman (DUFC/Leinster)
Hugh Gavin (Galwegians/Connacht)
Hugh Cooney (Clontarf/Leinster)
John Devine (Corinthians/Connacht)
Ike Anagu (La Rochelle/IQ Rugby)
James Nicholson (UCD/Leinster)
Rory Telfer (Queen’s University/Ulster)
Henry McErlean (Terenure/Leinster)
Noah Sheridan (Clontarf/Leinster)

Thanks for posting this Profitius. Hope this bunch of young lads can repeat last years achievement, I believe there are 7 returning from that squad.

There's a worrying dependency on the Leinster production line. Munster get a nearly honourable mention but show a lack of backs, whereas Ulster (and Connacht) just need to do better.

Unclear wrote:Thanks for posting this Profitius.  Hope this bunch of young lads can repeat last years achievement, I believe there are 7 returning from that squad.

There's a worrying dependency on the Leinster production line.  Munster get a nearly honourable mention but show a lack of backs, whereas Ulster (and Connacht) just need to do better.

Yeah the other 3 should be providing over 50%. Having said that, the 3 have stepped up in recent years as a collective and that's why Ireland U20s have been successful. It used to be Leinster and one or two others of quality now it's Leinster and 10 others.

Ireland U20s:

15. James Nicholson (UCD/Leinster)
14. Ike Anagu (La Rochelle/IQ Rugby)
13. Hugh Cooney (Clontarf/Leinster)
12. John Devine (Corinthians/Connacht)
11. Hugh Gavin (Galwegians/Connacht) - u19
10. Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)
9. Fintan Gunne (Terenure/Leinster)

1. George Hadden (Clontarf/Leinster)
2. Gus McCarthy (UCD/Leinster)(captain)
3. Paddy McCarthy (DUFC/Leinster)
4. Diarmuid Mangan (UCD/Leinster)
5. Conor O’Tighearnaigh (UCD/Leinster)
6. James McNabney (Ballymena/Ulster)
7. Ruadhán Quinn (Old Crescent/Munster)
8. Brian Gleeson (Garryowen/Munster) - u19

Replacements:

16. Danny Sheahan (UCC/Munster) - u19
17. George Morris (Lansdowne/Leinster)
18. Fiachna Barrett (Corinthians/Connacht)
19. Evan O’Connell (UL Bohemians/Munster) - u19
20. Jacob Sheahan (UCC/Munster) - u19
21. Oscar Cawley (Naas/Leinster)
22. Harry West (Buccaneers/Connacht)
23. Henry McErlean (Terenure/Leinster).​

profitius wrote:

Unclear wrote:Thanks for posting this Profitius.  Hope this bunch of young lads can repeat last years achievement, I believe there are 7 returning from that squad.

There's a worrying dependency on the Leinster production line.  Munster get a nearly honourable mention but show a lack of backs, whereas Ulster (and Connacht) just need to do better.

Yeah the other 3 should be providing over 50%. Having said that, the 3 have stepped up in recent years as a collective and that's why Ireland U20s have been successful. It used to be Leinster and one or two others of quality now it's Leinster and 10 others.

Well it looks like the dependency on Leinster is back, looking at the team announced today. 9 Leinster players are starting, Only one Ulster player in the entire 23. Not ideal.

Conall Henchy (DUFC/Munster)

Marked up as being at Trinity in Dublin but also Munster. This looks a little unusual, or is it?

It's hard to tell the source of Leinster pipeline when so many get tagged to one of the university teams. I presume one being Naas is likely to be one of the few from outside of the classic Dublin schools rugby. I hope the lad does well. Leinster needs to be about the 12 counties and not just fancier schools in the southern suburbs of the capital city.

Leinster has always been about all of Leinster, there are endless examples of players outside of the traditional Dublin schools such as Tadgh Furlong, Sean OBrien, Shane Horgan, Robbie Henshaw, Robin Copeland are some that went to non traditional rugby schools around Leinster there are loads more.

Tadgh Beirne, Dan Sheehan, Jimmy OBrien, Cian Prendegast, Will Connors, the Kearney brothers, Heaslip and many more came from Kildare schools.

There have also been lots that have come from some of the lesser known Dublin rugby schools such as Jordan Larmour and Josh Van Der Flier.

Sure Blackrock, Michaels and Belvedere contribute their fair share but so have the smaller outfits like Newbridge, Clongowes, Wesley, St Andrews, Marys, Kilkenny college, Rosscrea, Terenure, Gonzaga and many more.

There have been two Irish world players of the year from Leinster and they came from Wesley and Marys and three Euro players of the year from Leinster from Tullow, Clongowes and Wesley. None from the bigger more famous “south Dublin schools” and only one of those awards to a Dub.

I have played rugby for clubs in Offaly, Westmeath, Kildare and Dublin and played games all over Leinster so I never understand the narrative that there is nothing outside south Dublin.

LeinsterFan4life wrote:

profitius wrote:

Unclear wrote:Thanks for posting this Profitius.  Hope this bunch of young lads can repeat last years achievement, I believe there are 7 returning from that squad.

There's a worrying dependency on the Leinster production line.  Munster get a nearly honourable mention but show a lack of backs, whereas Ulster (and Connacht) just need to do better.

Yeah the other 3 should be providing over 50%. Having said that, the 3 have stepped up in recent years as a collective and that's why Ireland U20s have been successful. It used to be Leinster and one or two others of quality now it's Leinster and 10 others.

Well it looks like the dependency on Leinster is back, looking at the team announced today. 9 Leinster players are starting, Only one Ulster player in the entire 23. Not ideal.

#

It's not ideal but it is what it is. Sure I'd love to have seen a larger Ulster contingent (and Munster and Connacht for that matter) but Leinster has become a behemoth of production line. Well done Leinster, the benchmark that we can only dream of replicating.

LeinsterFan4life wrote:

profitius wrote:

Unclear wrote:Thanks for posting this Profitius.  Hope this bunch of young lads can repeat last years achievement, I believe there are 7 returning from that squad.

There's a worrying dependency on the Leinster production line.  Munster get a nearly honourable mention but show a lack of backs, whereas Ulster (and Connacht) just need to do better.

Yeah the other 3 should be providing over 50%. Having said that, the 3 have stepped up in recent years as a collective and that's why Ireland U20s have been successful. It used to be Leinster and one or two others of quality now it's Leinster and 10 others.

Well it looks like the dependency on Leinster is back, looking at the team announced today. 9 Leinster players are starting, Only one Ulster player in the entire 23. Not ideal.

Shocking from Ulster and Munster not great either. Only 1 player born in 2003 for Munster.

Think Ulster has only produced 1 Ulster born forward to get an Ireland cap in the last ten years and that was Ian Henderson who got his first cap ten years ago. Before that is was Chris Henry in 2010.

Not watching the U20s yet. Heard Ireland are strong up front, and Wales have good backs.

Ireland a bit all over the place in this gane.

Brilliant try again from Wales

Quite an entertaining game by the end. Some of the offloads and keeping plays alive was phenomenal.
Thought the ref was a bit strange on the breakdowns, thought there were times both teams had jackaled the ball legally only to be told to take their hands away.
Decent crowd and came across on the TV as a good atmosphere.

Ireland were just too powerful and it told. Not much of an impact from our bench, either bar conceding silly penalties etc.

Some nice tries and a pretty good game to watch though. I couldn’t stop watching, even though I knew the game was going away from Wales.

Ireland were good at finding ways to score when it didn’t look like it was on. Sign of a good team. The locks, 6, and 10 were pretty good.

Goods news for Wales, the first time in a number of years they have a whole backline with excellent ball skills. Still, we aren’t great, and the U20s don’t show many signs of consistency and improvement. A culmination of WRU incompetence, lack of funding, and poor Welsh coaches. It’s been the same for years.

Good game to watch with some cracking tries from both sides.

Ireland were very disjointed in the first half and lucky to be only 1 point behind. Second half was a very good performance.

Paddy McCarthy and Prendergast are 2 who look destined for higher honours. I thought the pack were superb.

The match is live on RTÉ2. 8pm kick off.
Only change is Anagu dropped from the squad. He was poor against Wales. McErlean comes in and Telfer comes in as a replacement.

Ireland U20s:
15. Henry McErlean (Terenure/Leinster)
14. James Nicholson (UCD/Leinster)
13. Hugh Cooney (Clontarf/Leinster)
12. John Devine (Corinthians/Connacht)
11. Hugh Gavin (Galwegians/Connacht)
10. Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)
9. Fintan Gunne (Terenure/Leinster)

1. George Hadden (Clontarf/Leinster)
2. Gus McCarthy (UCD/Leinster)(captain)
3. Paddy McCarthy (DUFC/Leinster)
4. Diarmuid Mangan (UCD/Leinster)
5. Conor O’Tighearnaigh (UCD/Leinster)
6. James McNabney (Ballymena/Ulster)
7. Ruadhán Quinn (Old Crescent/Munster)
8. Brian Gleeson (Garryowen/Munster)

Replacements:

16. Danny Sheahan (UCC/Munster)
17. George Morris (Lansdowne/Leinster)
18. Fiachna Barrett (Corinthians/Connacht)
19. Evan O’Connell (UL Bohemians/Munster)
20. Jacob Sheahan (UCC/Munster)
21. Oscar Cawley (Naas/Leinster)
22. Harry West (Buccaneers/Connacht)
23. Rory Telfer (Queen’s University/Ulster).

I think Anagu was carrying an injury against Wales, which may explain his performance and being dropped for this game. I don't think ROG would sell us a dud.

He barely got the ball at all

20 -14 at half time. Ireland very good up until the line where they have some serious white line fever.

Good game to watch isn’t it, the Irish lads are much better drilled but the French have some strong players.

Collapse2005 wrote:Good game to watch isn’t it, the Irish lads are much better drilled but the French have some strong players.

Good game but they should be further ahead on the scoreboard. Scrum has been incredible.

Definitely

Phew, tight game, that was very close.

We got away with that one.

Great win. Could have gone either way in the end.

Word on the street is next years under 20s are an even stronger crop.