Four Connacht players have been named to the Ireland Squad for the upcoming World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa.
Fiachna Barrett, who plays with the Corinthians, will take his place among the forwards in the Ireland side.
In the backs for Ireland are John Devine (Corinthians), Hugh Gavin (Galwegians), and Harry West (Buccaneers).
The tournament, taking place in the Cape Town region, returns for the first time since 2019, running over five Match Days from June 24 to July 14.
Ireland will start their campaign against Six Nations rivals England on the first day of the tournament, with kick-off at 12:30pm Irish time on Saturday, June 24.
Speaking ahead of the squad’s departure for South Africa, Head Coach Richie Murphy said, “It is an exciting time for the squad as we prepare to depart for South Africa for the World Rugby U20 Championship.”
“It has been four years since the last edition of the tournament and we’re looking forward to getting to Cape Town to test ourselves against the world’s best teams.”
“It has been a competitive couple of weeks as the squad have pushed each other in preparation for the tournament and we know we’ll need to grow and evolve as a team from the Six Nations for what will be a challenging couple of weeks against quality opposition in South Africa.”
Ireland have been paired in Pool B alongside England, Australia and Fiji, with Murphy’s side playing all three of their Pool matches at Paarl Gymnasium in the Western Cape.
Murphy also confirmed his coaching staff for the tournament, with Mark Sexton (Backs and Attack) and Aaron Dundon (Scrum and Contact) continuing in their roles, while Andrew Browne joins as Defence and Lineout Coach as Willie Faloon is unable to travel due to personal reasons.
Feargal O’Rourke, PwC Ireland Managing Partner, commented, “Developing young talent is a strategic imperative for PwC, we are determined to nurture the aspirations of future leaders, in business and in sport.”
“The dedication and team-work that the U20s show is always exceptional and mirrors our own values at PwC.”
“We wish them the best of luck for the upcoming World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa and we have no doubt they can continue the success from the Six Nations”.
World Rugby will confirm broadcast details for the World Rugby U20 Championship shortly, while there will be coverage of Ireland’s progress throughout the tournament on IrishRugby.ie and Irish Rugby social media platforms.
Ireland U20s Squad:
Forwards (17):
George Hadden (Clontarf/Leinster)
George Morris (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Gus McCarthy (UCD/Leinster)
Max Clein (Garryowen/Munster)*
Danny Sheahan (UCC/Munster)
Paddy McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster)
Fiachna Barrett (Corinthians/Connacht)
Ronan Foxe (Old Belvedere/Leinster)*
Conor O’Tighearnaigh (UCD/Leinster)
Charlie Irvine (Queen’s University/Ulster)
Joe Hopes (Queen’s University/Ulster)
Diarmuid Mangan (UCD/Leinster)
Evan O’Connell (UL Bohemians/Munster)
James McNabney (Ballymena/Ulster)
Ruadhan Quinn (Old Crescent/Munster)
Brian Gleeson (Garryowen/Munster)
Dan Barron (Dublin University/Leinster)*
Backs (13):
Fintan Gunne (Terenure/Leinster)
Jack Oliver (Garryowen/Munster)*
Oscar Cawley (Naas/Leinster)
Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Matthew Lynch (Dublin University/Leinster)
John Devine (Corinthians/Connacht)
Hugh Cooney (Clontarf/Leinster)
Hugh Gavin (Galwegians/Connacht)
Andrew Osborne (Naas/Leinster)
Rory Telfer (Queen’s University/Ulster)
James Nicholson (UCD/Leinster)
Henry McErlean (Terenure/Leinster)
Harry West (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Ireland U20s Fixtures:
- Saturday, June 24: Ireland U20s v England U20s, Paarl Gymnasium, Paarl – 1.30pm local time/12.30pm Irish time
- Thursday, June 29: Ireland U20s v Australia U20s, Paarl Gymnasium, Paarl – 11am local time/10am Irish time
- Tuesday, July 4: Ireland U20s v Fiji U20s, Paarl Gymnasium, Paarl – 1.30pm local time/12.30pm Irish time
- Sunday, July 9: Play-off match
- Friday, July 14: Play-off match.
