RUGBY NEWS ROUND-UP:MUNSTER MAY not like the look of this Ireland Under-20 side that faces Italy in Parma in their opening Six Nations Championship match tomorrow.
Coach Mike Ruddock’s 22-man squad does not include a single player from the province, while Connacht have three in the starting 15. Five players make a return to the side that won the 2010 title last season. Leinster winger Andrew Conway returns on the wing along with forwards Jordi Murphy and Ulster’s Niall Annett, who captains the team from the frontrow. David Doyle and Brendan Macken, who are in the replacements, also return.
“After winning the championship last year the stakes are set high for us this year,” said Ruddock. “While it is great to have a core of experienced players, we will be looking for the entire squad to show what they can do.”
In all there are 11 players from Leinster, seven players from Ulster, three from Connacht and one Exile.
The Irish A, or Wolfhounds, side to face the England Saxons tomorrow at Ravenhill has also been finalised. There are two changes to the backline from the team that lost to Scotland A last Friday in their opening match.
Leinster’s David Kearney comes into the side at fullback in place of Gavin Duffy and scrumhalf Isaac Boss moves up from the bench to start in place of Tomás O’Leary, who is with the senior team in Rome.
Tighthead prop Declan Fitzpatrick comes into the frontrow for the injured Tony Buckley, while both locks are changed, with Donncha Ryan and Mick O’Driscoll starting in place of Devin Toner and Ian Nagle. At blindside flanker Mike McCarthy comes in for Kevin McLaughlin. Once again former Ireland outhalf and Connacht coach Eric Elwood takes the team.
“I think there are some good things we can take out of last week’s game,” said Elwood. “But this week sees another step up for the players in terms of opposition and while some of the guys have moved into the senior team, we have some quality experience coming into the team with Micko (O’Driscoll) and Donncha (Ryan) giving us some great grunt in the forwards, which will be really important this Friday.”
IRISH WOLFHOUNDS:D Kearney (Leinster); J Murphy (Munster), E O'Malley (Leinster), N Spence (Ulster), D Hurley (Munster); I Humphreys (Ulster), I Boss (Leinster); B Wilkinson (Connacht), D Varley (Munster), D Fitzpatrick (Ulster), D Ryan (Munster), M O'Driscoll (Munster), M McCarthy (Connacht), W Faloon (Ulster), C Henry (Ulster) (capt). Replacements: N Brady (Ulster), J Hagan (Connacht), I Nagle (Munster), D Ryan (Leinster), P Marshall (Ulster), I Keatley (Connacht), F Carr (Connacht).
IRELAND UNDER-20: C Gilroy (Dungannon/Ulster); A Conway (Blackrock/Leinster), A Kelly (UCD/Leinster), L Marshall (Ballymena/Ulster), A Boyle (UCD/Leinster); P Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster), B McIlroy (Ballymena/Ulster); J Tracy (UCD/Leinster), N Annett (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) (capt), M Moore (Lansdowne/Leinster), M Kearney (Clontarf/Leinster), D Qualter (Buccaneers/Connacht), J Murphy (Lansdowne/Leinster), A Conneely (Corinthians/Connacht), E McKeon (Galwegians/Connacht). Replacements: D Doyle (UCD/Leinster), C Carey (Ballymena/Ulster), F Bealham (Exile), W Iain Henderson (Queen's/Ulster), P Du Toit (UCD/Leinster), C Marsh (Dublin University/Leinster), B Macken (Blackrock/Leinster)
