World Rugby under-20 Championship,
Ireland under-20s v Italy under-20s,
DHL Stadium, Cape Town, 3.30pm kick-off,
(Live on RugbyPass TV)
It’s never dull when these two meet.
Case in point the narrow Six Nations victory for Ireland in Cork a handful of months ago. It took a spectacular solo score in the corner from barrelling backrow Sean Edogbo — the latest prospect off that family’s production line after his older bother, Munster lock Edwin — to hand Ireland a dramatic, one-point victory.
The ambitious attacking styles, no doubt influenced by youthful exuberance, of both teams generally guarantee entertainment aplenty. In the most recent Six Nations, Ireland averaged a hair over 34 points scored per match. Italy were lower down the pecking order with an average of 24 points, but their underage sides have developed a reputation for giocare — the Italian equivalent of France’s jouer mantra.
This is perhaps why Ireland have opted for the centre pairing they have, a more lightweight and nimble combination than what was seen during the Six Nations. Hugh Gavin, the Connacht battering ram and arguably Ireland’s best player during that campaign, drops to the bench. Sam Berman, the Ulster-bound Terenure man, starts at 12 for his first under-20s appearance since last year’s World Championship final. Finn Treacy brings his winger’s pace from the back three to outside centre.
Both Gavin and Berman featured in last year’s world final defeat to France. Captain Evan O’Connell is the other returning player who was in that 23 for the silver medal run.
Experience is a theme across the board for Ireland. Alongside the trio who played in last year’s final, 16 of Saturday’s matchday 23 featured in the final Six Nations clash with Scotland. Ben O’Connor, Hugo McLaughlin, Jack Murphy, and Oliver Coffey started all five championship matches in the backline and do so again here. Wing Davy Colbert makes his first under-20s start having previously featured exclusively on the bench.
One of Ireland’s few weaknesses in recent months has been the scrum — particularly late on in a dramatic draw with England. Chopping and changing personnel was the MO for finding a solution in the Six Nations. First crack at it this time around goes to Ulster’s Jacob Boyd — who has shifted from tighthead to loosehead — Munster’s Danny Sheahan and Sale’s Patreece Bell.
Replacing new Ulster boss Richie Murphy is Willie Faloon, a continuity appointment given he served as Ireland’s defence coach under Murphy. Stylistic changes will be limited, though Faloon has hinted at more defensive aggression, most likely with line speed and at the breakdown: “Because I’m head coach now and the roles have changed, I can lead a little bit more now around that defence where we want to go a little bit harder.”
Aggressive defence vs Marco Scalabrin, the 6ft 4in wing who was robbed of player of the match in Cork, will be fun to watch. As always, nothing boring with these two.
Ireland under-20: B O’Connor; D Colbert, F Treacy, S Berman, H McLaughlin; J Murphy, O Coffey; J Boyd, D Sheahan, P Bell; A Spicer, E O’Connell; S Edogbo, M Flynn, L Murphy. Replacements: S Smyth, E Calvey, A Sparrow, J McKillop, B Ward, J O’Riordan, S Naughton, H Gavin.
Italy under-20: M Belloni; M Scalabrin, F Zanandrea, N Bozzo, L Eletri; M Pucciarello, M Jimenez; S Pelliccioli, N Gasperini, D Ascari; M Midena, G Milano; C Zucconi, L Bellucci, J Botturi. Replacements: V Siciliano, F Gentile, F Pisani, T Redondi, N Casartelli, L Casilio, S Brisighella, P de Villiers.
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