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Ireland Under-20 Team To Face Scotland In Summer Series Play-Off

Centre Fionn Gibbons was one of the Ireland Under-20s' try scorers against England in Verona last week ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Head coach Richie Murphy has announced the Ireland Under-20 team, sponsored by PwC, for Tuesday’s U-20 Six Nations Summer Series play-off match against Scotland at Stadio di Monigo (kick-off 11am Irish time, live on the U-20 Six Nations YouTube channel).

Following on from last week’s thrilling bonus point win over England, captain Reuben Crothers and his team-mates face their Scottish counterparts in Treviso in their final outing of the tournament.

Murphy has made four changes to his starting XV, with winger George Coomber, scrum half Andrew O’Mahony, hooker Josh Hanlon and second row Charlie Irvine coming into the side for their first starts at this level.

Coomber, a lively replacement last time out, joins Patrick Campbell and Aitzol King in the back-three, while Fionn Gibbons, who has scored two tries in the Summer Series, and Daniel Hawkshaw continue together in midfield.

Sam Prendergast, Ireland’s late goal-kicking hero in that final pool game against England, is joined by UCC clubman O’Mahony at half-back.

In the pack, Ballynahinch hooker Hanlon comes into the front row alongside George Hadden and Scott Wilson, with Irvine, one of this season’s Under-19 contingent, selected in the engine room beside Adam McNamee.

The back row of Diarmuid Mangan, Crothers and Lorcan McLoughlin, who turned in an impressive try-scoring performance against England, remains unchanged.

There are three potential debutants on an extended Ireland bench – front rowers Dominic Rhys Hey and Joseph Mawhinney as well as Ballina out-half Harry West, who was involved with the Ireland U-19s earlier this season.

IRELAND UNDER-20 Team & Replacements (v Scotland Under-20s, Under-20 Six Nations Summer Series – Play-Off, Stadio di Monigo, Treviso, Tuesday, July 12, kick-off 12pm local time/11am Irish time):

15. Patrick Campbell (Young Munster RFC/Munster)
14. Aitzol King (Clontarf FC/Leinster)
13. Fionn Gibbons (UCD RFC/Leinster)
12. Daniel Hawkshaw (Clontarf FC/Leinster)
11. George Coomber (UCC RFC/Munster)
10. Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne FC/Leinster)
9. Andrew O’Mahony (UCC RFC/Munster)
1. George Hadden (Gorey RFC/Clontarf FC/Leinster)
2. Josh Hanlon (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster)
3. Scott Wilson (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster)
4. Charlie Irvine (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster)
5. Adam McNamee (Malone RFC/Ulster)
6. Diarmuid Mangan (UCD RFC/Leinster)
7. Reuben Crothers (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster) (capt)
8. Lorcan McLoughlin (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster)

Replacements:

16. Dominic Rhys Hey (Gloucester Hartpury Rugby/IQ Rugby)
17. Kieran Ryan (Shannon RFC/Munster)
18. Joseph Mawhinney (Ballymena RFC/Ulster)
19. George Shaw (Cardiff University/IQ Rugby)
20. Ronan O’Sullivan (Highfield RFC/Munster)
21. Michael Moloney (UCD RFC/Leinster)
22. Harry West (Ballina RFC/Connacht)
23. Shay McCarthy (Young Munster RFC/Munster)
24. Reece Malone (Loughborough University/Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster)
25. Oisin Michel (Lansdowne FC/Leinster)
26. James McCormick (Ballymena RFC/Ulster)