Three action-packed RBS 6 Nations tournaments wrap up this weekend with the Ireland Under-20s and Women hosting their Scottish counterparts at Donnybrook, while Joe Schmidt’s men return to the Aviva Stadium looking to build on last week’s nine-try thrashing of Italy.
UNDER-20 RBS 6 NATIONS: Friday, March 18
IRELAND UNDER-20s (4th) v SCOTLAND UNDER-20s (3rd), Donnybrook, 7.35pm (live RTÉ Two/www.rte.ie/live (island of Ireland only))
– The Ireland Under-20s have won their last two matches but have not won three in-a-row since 2012
– The Ireland U-20s have played three previous matches at Donnybrook with their only previous victory being 19-13 over Italy last Friday
– The Scotland U-20s currently lie in third spot in the table, equalling their best ever finish in the tournament set last year
– Scotland won their most recent away game against Italy in Padova in round 3 and have never won more than one away game in a Six Nations campaign
– The two sides met twice during last season’s World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Italy with Ireland running out victors on both occasions. In the Six Nations, the Scotland U-20s have won two of their last three clashes with Ireland
Match Ticket Info: Click here to buy tickets for Ireland Under-20s v Scotland Under-20s. Tickets are priced at €;20 for unreserved seating, €;15 for terrace standing, €;10 for children and €;7.50 for a family (two adults and two children).
U-20 RBS 6 Nations Fixtures/Results
IRELAND U-20: Brett Connon (Newcastle Falcons); Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster), Shane Daly (Cork Constitution/Munster), Conor O’Brien (Clontarf/Leinster), Jacob Stockdale (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster); Johnny McPhillips (Queen’s University/Ulster), Stephen Kerins (Sligo/Connacht); James Bollard (Dublin University/Leinster), Adam McBurney (Ballymena/Ulster), Conan O’Donnell (Sligo/Connacht), Sean O’Connor (Cashel/Munster), James Ryan (Lansdowne/Leinster) (capt), Cillian Gallagher (Sligo/Connacht), Will Connors (UCD/Leinster), Greg Jones (UCD/Leinster).
Replacements: Hugo Kean (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster), Adam Coyle (Naas/Leinster), Peter Claffey (Galwegians/Connacht), Max Deegan (Lansdowne/Leinster), John Poland (Cork Constitution/Munster), Paul Kiernan (UCC/Munster), Matthew Byrne (Terenure College/Leinster).
SCOTLAND U-20: Tom Galbraith (Melrose) (capt); Darcy Graham (Hawick), Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints), George Taylor (Melrose), Ben Robbins (Currie); Adam Hastings (Bath), Hugh Fraser (Heriot’s); Murray McCallum (Heriot’s), Jake Kerr (Boroughmuir), Callum Sheldon (Leeds Beckett University), Callum Hunter-Hill (Stirling County), Stephen Ainslie (Currie), Scott Burnside (Boroughmuir), Matt Smith (Glasgow Hawks), Ally Miller (Melrose).
Replacements: Lewis Anderson (Ayr), George Thornton (Bishop Burton College), Adam Nicol (Stirling County), Hamish Bain (Currie), Lee Scott (Ayr), Ruaridh Dawson (Newcastle Falcons), Robbie Nairn (Harlequins), Ruairi Howarth (Gala).
Referee: Dan Jones (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Wayne Davies, Greg Morgan (both Wales)
Television Match Official: Derek Bevan (Wales)
WOMEN’S RBS 6 NATIONS: Sunday, March 20
IRELAND WOMEN (3rd) v SCOTLAND WOMEN (6th), Donnybrook, 1pm (live on Irish Rugby TV)
– All of the Ireland Women’s matches in the Six Nations this year have been won by the home side on the day
– Ireland’s only home defeat since 2011 was 10-5 to France in Ashbourne in round 2 last year
– The Scotland Women have not won a game in the Women’s Six Nations since beating France at Lasswade in 2010, while they have not won on the road in the tournament since beating Spain in Madrid in 2006
– The Ireland Women have won their last ten contests against Scotland since the Scots won 11-10 at Edmonton, Canada during the 2006 World Cup
Match Ticket Info: Click here to buy tickets for Ireland Women v Scotland Women. Tickets are priced at €;15 for unreserved seating, €;10 for terrace standing, €;5 for children and €;5 for a family (two adults and two children).
Women’s RBS 6 Nations Fixtures/Results
IRELAND WOMEN: Niamh Briggs (UL Bohemians/Munster) (capt); Liz Burke (UL Bohemians/Munster), Claire McLaughlin (Queen’s University/Ulster), Sene Naoupu (Galwegians/Connacht), Alison Miller (Portlaoise/Connacht); Nora Stapleton (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Larissa Muldoon (Skewen); Ruth O’Reilly (Galwegians/Connacht), Zoe Grattage (Tralee/Munster), Ailis Egan (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Elaine Anthony (Highfield/Munster), Ciara Cooney (Railway Union/Leinster), Ciara Griffin (Tralee/Munster), Claire Molloy (Bristol), Paula Fitzpatrick (Toulouse).
Replacements: Cliodhna Moloney (Railway Union/Leinster), Fiona Hayes (UL Bohemians/Munster), Fiona Reidy (UL Bohemians/Munster), Orla Fitzsimons (St. Mary’s/Leinster), Sophie Spence (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Mary Healy (Galwegians/Connacht), Aine Donnelly (Cill Dara/Leinster), Kim Flood (Railway Union/Leinster).
SCOTLAND WOMEN: Chloe Rollie (Murrayfield Wanderers); Megan Gaffney (Hillhead/Jordanhill), Lisa Thomson (Melrose RFC/Edinburgh University), Lisa Martin (Murrayfield Wanderers) (capt), Rhona Lloyd (Murrayfield Wanderers/Edinburgh University); Sarah Law (Murrayfield Wanderers/Edinburgh University), Jenny Maxwell (Leeds Beckett University/Lichfield RFC); Heather Lockhart (Hillhead/Jordanhill), Lana Skeldon (Hillhead/Jordanhill), Lindsey Smith (Hillhead/Jordanhill), Emma Wassell (Murrayfield Wanderers), Deborah McCormack (Richmond RFC), Jemma Forsyth (Hillhead/Jordanhill), Karen Dunbar (RHC Cougars/Edinburgh University), Jade Konkel (Hillhead/Jordanhill).
Replacements: Sarah Quick (Murrayfield Wanderers), Lisa Robertson (Murrayfield Wanderers), Tracy Balmer (Worcester RFC), Fiona Sim (Saracens RFC), Anna Stodter (Saracens RFC), Helen Nelson (Murrayfield Wanderers/Edinburgh University), Lauren Harris (Melrose RFC), Eilidh Sinclair (Murrayfield Wanderers).
Referee: Sherry Trumbull (Canada)
Assistant Referees: Helen O’Reilly, Gary Glennon (both Ireland)
RBS 6 NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, March 19
IRELAND (5th) v SCOTLAND (3rd), Aviva Stadium, 5pm (live RTÉ Two/ITV/RTÉ Radio 1/IRFU Live Blog)
STATS & FACTS
– Ireland’s four-match winless run in Test matches ended with their comfortable victory over Italy last Saturday
– Ireland are unbeaten in their last eight RBS 6 Nations encounters at the Aviva Stadium, their best ever home run in the history of the Championship
– Scotland are attempting to win a third game in a single RBS 6 Nations campaign for only the second time – the previous being in 2006 – and have not won three successive Championship games since 1996
– Scotland have not been victorious in their round 5 encounter since beating Italy at Murrayfield in 2011
– Scotland’s only win in their last five fixtures with Ireland in the RBS 6 Nations was 12-8 at BT Murrayfield in 2013
– Scotland’s only RBS 6 Nations victory in Dublin came at Croke Park in 2010, while they have not been victorious at Lansdowne Road/Aviva Stadium since a 17-16 win in 1998
ON THE PITCH
– Robbie Henshaw has carried the ball more than any other back in the 2016 RBS 6 Nations, making 258 metres from 55 carries so far
– Jonny Gray has made the most tackles in the first four rounds with 59. He is also the most accurate as he has yet to miss one
– Ireland are the best tackling team with a 92% efficiency in this season’s campaign. They also have the best scrum with a won 27, lost 1 record so far
– Scotland are the least penalised team, conceding just 35 penalties in their four matches
RBS 6 Nations Fixtures/Results
IRELAND: Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster); Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster), Jared Payne (Ulster), Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Connacht), Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster); Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster): Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (capt), Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster), Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), CJ Stander (Munster), Tommy O’Donnell (UL Bohemians/Munster), Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster).
Replacements: Richardt Strauss (Old Wesley/Leinster), Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Nathan White (Connacht), Ultan Dillane (Corinthians/Connacht), Rhys Ruddock (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Eoin Reddan (Old Crescent/Leinster), Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster), Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster).
SCOTLAND: Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors); Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), Duncan Taylor (Saracens), Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), Tim Visser (Harlequins); Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors), Greig Laidlaw (Gloucester) (capt); Alasdair Dickinson (Edinburgh), Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Willem Nel (Edinburgh), Richie Gray (Castres Olympique), Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors), John Barclay (Scarlets), John Hardie (Edinburgh), Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors).
Replacements: Stuart McInally (Edinburgh), Rory Sutherland (Edinburgh), Moray Low (Exeter Chiefs), Rob Harley (Glasgow Warriors), Josh Strauss (Glasgow Warriors), Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors), Pete Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Sean Lamont (Glasgow Warriors).
Referee: Pascal Gauzere (France)
Assistant Referees: Craig Joubert (South Africa), Alexandre Ruiz (France)
Television Match Official: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
– Compiled by SFMS Limited (Stuart Farmer Media Services)
This website uses cookies.
Read More