IRFU Announces National Talent Squad Inductees For 2022/23 Season
Current Munster and Ireland scrum half Craig Casey won a Grand Slam and competed in the World Rugby Under-20 Championship with the Ireland Under-20s back in 2019 ©INPHO/Pablo Gasparini
The 85 players selected to the IRFU’s National Talent Squad (NTS) programme, supported by PwC, for the 2022/23 season have been confirmed.
There is a strong spread of talent across the four provinces from established and emerging rugby environments.
The NTS programme has been in existence since 2016 and its purpose is to identify, develop and support players who have the potential, ability, and drive to play professional rugby within Ireland.
The aim of the programme is to accelerate the development of young players of national interest between the ages of 16 and 21.
The services provided prepare players to perform within the provincial and national pathways and the transition to the senior professional game.
Recent NTS graduates who have been capped at senior international level for Ireland are Ryan Baird, Craig Casey, James Hume, Michael Lowry and Tom O’Toole.
While others like Thomas Ahern, Thomas Clarkson, Jack Crowley, Nathan Doak, Cathal Forde, Michael Milne, Stewart Moore, David McCann, Ethan McIlroy, Ben Murphy, Jamie Osborne, Scott Penny, Andrew Smith and Tom Stewart all featured for the Emerging Ireland squad that competed in the Toyota Challenge in Bloemfontein over the past couple of weeks.
National Talent Squad Level 1 (Players who have left Secondary School):
| Fiachna Barrett (Galway Corinthians RFC) Sam Berman (Dublin University FC) Jack Boal (Queen’s University Belfast RFC) Joe Charles (Ballynahinch RFC) David Colbert (Dublin University FC) Hugh Cooney (Clontarf FC) Josh Costello (Shannon RFC) Adam Deay (Lansdowne FC) Cameron Doak (Belfast Harlequins RFC) James Doyle (Lansdowne FC) Sean Edogbo (UCC RFC) Sean Fox (Galway Corinthians RFC) Brian Gleeson (Garryowen FC) Ethan Graham (Ballynahinch RFC) |
Fintan Gunne (Terenure College RFC) George Hadden (Clontarf FC) Charlie Irvine (Queen’s University Belfast RFC) Stephen Kiely (Old Crescent RFC) Mark Lee (Rainey Old Boys RFC) Gus McCarthy (UCD RFC) Patrick McCarthy (Dublin University FC) Henry McErlean (Terenure College RFC) Liam Molony (Dublin University FC) Ruben Moloney (UCD RFC) Ihechi Oji (UL Bohemian RFC) Andrew Osborne (Naas RFC) Conor O’Tighernaigh (UCD RFC) Danny Sheahan (UCC RFC) Jacob Sheahan (UCC RFC) |
National Talent Squad Level 2 (Players in final year of Secondary School):
| David Armstrong (Methodist College) Ambrose Bamber (Sligo RFC/Sligo Grammar School) Jacob Boyd (RBAI) Tadhg Brophy (Newbridge College) Emmett Calvey (Ardscoil Rís) Oliver Coffey (Blackrock College) Rory Ellerby (RBAI) Tom Farthing (Galway Corinthians RFC/Coláiste Chroí Mhuire) Paidi Farrell (Tullamore RFC/St. Mary’s Edenderry) Jules Fenelon (St. Michael’s College) Mark Fitzgerald (Crescent College Comprehensive) Max Flynn (Galway Corinthians RFC/CC Roscrea) Caden Grant (Galway Corinthians RFC/St. Joseph’s College) Dylan Hicks (Bantry Bay RFC/Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí) Lukas Kenny (Campbell College) Luke Kritzinger (Blackrock College) Tom Larke (Old Wesley RFC/St. Columba’s College) Flynn Longstaff (Campbell College) Ben McFarlane (Methodist College) |
James McKillop (Foyle College) Hugo McLaughlin (Gonzaga College) Blayze Molloy (Ballina RFC/Clongowes Wood College) Alex Mullan (Blackrock College) Jack Murphy (Presentation College Bray) Luke Murphy (Ardscoil Rís) Sean Naughton (Kilkenny College) Dawid Novak (CBC Cork) Kamil Novak (CBC Cork) Ben O’Connor (PBC Cork) Michael O’Donovan (Bantry Bay RFC/Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí) Jed O’Dwyer (Crescent College Comprehensive) Jake O’Riordan (St. Munchin’s College) Stephen Smyth (Kilkenny College) Andrew Sparrow (St. Mary’s College) Alan Spicer (Belvedere College) Josh Stevens (Methodist College) Alex Usanov (Belvedere College) Bryn Ward (RBAI) |
National Talent Squad Level 3 (Players with 2 or more years left in Secondary School):
| Cian Brady (Monivea RFC/Coláiste an Eachréidh) Connor Fahy (Wexford Wanderers RFC/Good Counsel College) Michael Foy (CBC Cork) Sean Hopkins (Ballina RFC/St. Muredach’s College) Jamie Jackson (Portadown College) Clarke Logan (Coleraine Grammar School) Charlie Molony (Blackrock College) Aaron O’Brien (St. Mary’s College) Diarmuid O’Connell (Sligo RFC/Sligo Grammar School) |
Gene O’Leary Kareem (PBC Cork) Mahon Ronan (Boyne RFC/St. Mary’s Drogheda) Eoghan Smyth (Midleton RFC/Midleton College) Tom Stewart (St. Michael’s College) Paddy Taylor (Newbridge College) Matt Te Pou (St. Munchin’s College) Bryan Walsh (Galway Corinthians RFC/Coláiste Éinde) Adam Watchorn (Kilkenny College) Tom Wood (St. Munchin’s College) |