Ireland Under-20 head coach Neil Doak has made three changes and three positional switches to the run-on team that lost 22-12 to France for Friday night’s game against Italy at the Stadio Monigo di Comunale (7.45pm Irish time).
Ciaran Mangan moves from the left wing to outside centre with UCC student Gene O’Leary Kareem heading in the opposite direction.
The first of the changes is at scrumhalf where Queen’s University’s Clark Logan is once again back in the team, replacing Will Wootton.
Chris O’Connor, who played for St Michael’s in the Leinster Schools Cup last year and is currently with the Terenure club, will win a first cap off the bench in backing up Logan.
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Up front, Henry Walker and Mikey Yarr swap roles once again with the former starting and the latter dropping to the bench.
David Walsh, another ex-Michael’s pupil playing with Terenure, gets his first start of the campaign as he is named in the backrow in place of Bobby Power, who is named among the replacements.
Michael Foy, outstanding in the defeat to France, will wear the number seven jersey for the first time having previously played blindside flanker in the other matches.
Éanna McCarthy continues to captain the team from number eight.
Paddy Moore, Tom McAllister, Conor Kennelly, Sam Wisniewski and Conor Fahey are once again named on the bench as Ireland look to avoid a fourth defeat in five matches.
Italy are in the same boat as Ireland with just one win in the campaign to date, both having beaten Scotland.
The home side lost 20-18 to Wales, 58-5 to France, both in Italy, while they went down 33-24 to England at the Rec last time out.
Italy are currently one point ahead of Ireland (fifth place) in the table.
IRELAND UNDER-20: D Green (QUB); C Molony (UCD), C Mangan (Blackrock), E Smyth (Cork Constitution), G O’Leary Kareem (UCC); T Wood (Garryowen), C Logan (QUB); B Bohan (Corinthians), H Walker (QUB), A Mullan (Blackrock College); M Ronan (Old Wesley), B Corrigan (Old Wesley); D Walsh (Terenure), M Foy (UCC), É McCarthy (Galwegians, capt).
Replacements: P Moore (Blackrock College), M Yarr (Lansdowne), T McAllister (Ballynahinch), C Kennelly (Highfield), B Power (Galwegians), C O’Connor (Terenure), S Wisniewski (Old Belvedere), C Fahy (Clontarf).
