Ireland head coach Richie Murphy has made four changes and a positional switch from the starting team that beat Wales for Friday night’s Under-20 Six Nations Championship match against England at the Rec in Bath (7.15pm, live on RTE 2 and BBC iPlayer).
It’s a game that pits the two unbeaten sides in the tournament against one another, with the winner going into the final round of fixtures – Ireland play Scotland at Musgrave Park while England travel to France – chasing Grand Slam success. Ireland are looking for a hat-trick in that capacity having won all 10 matches for the past two tournaments.
Murphy has changed the entire frontrow with Alex Usanov, Danny Sheahan and Jacob Boyd, who were on the bench against Wales promoted to the starting team with hooker Henry Walker and props Ben Howard and Patreece Bell dropping to the replacements.
Alan Spicer, who was left out the last day returns to partner captain Evan O’Connell in the secondrow, while Joe Hopes returns to blindside flanker where he played the first two matches of the campaign. Sean Edogbo reverts to the bench – Tom Brigg drops out of the matchday 23 – having started the last day.
The Irish coaching team had been hopeful that outstanding number eight Brian Gleeson might recover in time from the ankle injury he sustained in the victory over France in Aix-en-Provence on the opening weekend of the campaign but unfortunately that hasn’t materialised.
The backline is retained en masse for the third match in succession and a player who has caught the eye is 19-year-old Finn Treacy, one of three players, alongside outhalf Jack Murphy and replacement secondrow Billy Corrigan, who were educated at the same school, Pres Bray.
Treacy is a bit an all-rounder in a sporting capacity having played hurling and football with Bray Emmets, soccer with Cabinteely Boys – Murphy and he were teammates – before narrowing that focus. He started playing rugby with Greystones Under-8s and when faced with a choice in his later teenage years had no hesitation.
The history of Ireland U20s
He’s certainly vindicated the decision having played for Leinster and Ireland at Schools and Under-19 levels. He also received a visit from a former Ireland outhalf in his final year at school that determined his immediate rugby plans. Connacht’s academy director Eric Elwood persuaded Treacy to head west, offering the talented centre-cum-wing a place amongst the first-year intake.
Treacy explained: “So that would have been after our [Leinster Schools Senior] Cup exit in March he [Elwood] would have come down to Bray and had a chat about it. Ever since I moved [to Galway] I haven’t looked back, it has been great. The staff in Connacht have been great and I have settled really well. I think it has been the best decision for me.”
Hugh Gavin’s experience has been hugely beneficial to his Ireland teammates, a point that Treacy acknowledged when talking about the backline. “Hugh being there from last year, he has really taken a big leadership role in this team. [That] familiarity has really helped in just bonding this backline.
“I think this backline, unchanged in all three games, has come together really nicely. We’re looking to build every week and get better and better.”
Three of the backs, fullback Ben O’Connor, Treacy and replacement scrumhalf Tadhg Brophy played Sevens for Ireland at Under-18 level in Prague last summer. Treacy has played on the right wing in all three matches, and while a centre by inclination, he is happy to play wherever he’s needed.
“[My favourite position] would probably be 13 just due to the amount of ball but I am very happy in the role that I am playing with this team. They are giving me plenty of chances to work in off the wing.”
Treacy is looking forward to playing at The Rec in Bath, an iconic rugby ground, where they’ll face an England team that boasts plenty of power and a scrum that’s contributed handsomely to their three wins. “We’ve seen in the last few games how strong England have been in that area [scrum],” he said.
“We’re confident enough in our own skills and really put an emphasis on imposing ourselves on them more so than worrying about what they can bring.”
England who lead the table by a point have recalled Ben Waghorn, Jacob Oliver, Olamide Sodeke and Junior Kpoku to the side that beat Scotland in Edinburgh.
England: B Redshaw (Newcastle Falcons); T Cousins (Northampton Saints), B Waghorn (Harlequins), S Kerr (Harlequins), A Willis (Sale Sharks); J Bellamy (Harlequins), A McParland (Northampton Saints); A Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks), J Oliver (Newcastle Falcons), B Sela (Bath); O Sodeke (Saracens), J Kpoku (Racing 92); F Carnduff (Leicester Tigers, capt), H Pollock (Northampton Saints), N Michelow (Saracens).
Replacements: J Isaacs (Saracens), S Kirk (Bath), James Halliwell (Bristol), Z Carr (Harlequins), K James (Exeter Chiefs), B Douglas (Newcastle Falcons), G Makepeace-Cubitt (Rams), O Spencer (Newcastle Falcons).
Ireland: B O’Connor (UCC); F Treacy (Galwegians), W de Klerk (UCD), H Gavin (Galwegians), H McLaughlin (Lansdowne); J Murphy (Clontarf), O Coffey (Blackrock College); A Usanov (Clontarf), D Sheahan (Cork Constitution), J Boyd (QUB); A Spicer (UCD), E O’Connell (UL Bohemian, capt); J Hopes (QUB), B Ward (Ballynahinch), L Murphy (Shannon).
Replacements: H Walker (QUB), B Howard (Terenure College), P Bell (Sale Sharks), B Corrigan (Old Wesley), S Edogbo (UCC), T Brophy (Naas), S Naughton (Galway Corinthians), D Colbert (Dublin University).
