Ruddock missing key personnel

IRELAND COACH Mike Ruddock is still without a handful of front-line backs for tomorrow night’s under-20 Six Nations Championship game against Scotland at the Tulloch Stadium in Inverness (7.30pm). Craig Gilroy, Luke Marshall and Andrew Conway are on Magners League duty while Brendan Macken is out for six to eight weeks having suffered a broken collarbone while playing for Leinster against Aironi.

Lansdowne prop Martin Moore and Clontarf secondrow Michael Kearney return to the team having missed the heavy defeat to France through injury. Garryowen’s Shane Buckley has been promoted from the bench along with UL Bohemian centre JJ Hanrahan; they both make their first start of the series.

There are five new faces included in the replacements, Tadhg Furlong, Cathal O’Flaherty, Mark Dolan and Colm O’Shea. Gareth Quinn McDonogh makes a return to the under-20 set-up, having been involved last year. The tournament has given Ruddock an opportunity to look at a broad range of players ahead of the Junior World Cup in Italy this summer.

IRELAND UNDER-20(v Scotland, Tulloch stadium, Inverness, tomorrow, 7.30): M Sherlock (Leinster); T O'Halloran (Connacht), A Kelly (Leinster), JJ Hanrahan (Munster), A Boyle (Leinster); P Jackson (Ulster), B McIlroy (Ulster); J Tracy (Leinster), N Annett (Ulster, capt), M Moore (Leinster); M Kearney (Leinster), D Qualter (Connacht); S Buckley (Munster), A Conneely (Connacht), J Murphy (Leinster). Replacements: D Doyle (Leinster), T Furlong (Leinster), I Henderson (Ulster), C O'Flaherty (Munster), M Dolan (Connacht), G Quinn McDonogh (Munster), C O'Shea (Leinster).