Ireland national under-20 rugby union team
| Union | Irish Rugby Football Union | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Emblem(s) | Shamrock | ||
| Ground(s) | Musgrave Park (Capacity: 8,008) | ||
| Coach(es) | Neil Doak | ||
| Captain(s) | Éanna McCarthy | ||
| Most caps | Dominic Ryan (20) Iain Henderson (20) | ||
| Top scorer | Sam Prendergast (142) | ||
| Most tries | Andrew Conway (14) | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
| Ireland 17–15 Wales (2 February 2007) | |||
| Largest win | |||
| Scotland 7–82 Ireland (10 March 2023)[1] | |||
| Largest defeat | |||
| New Zealand 69–3 Ireland (8 June 2017) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 13 (First in 2008) | ||
| Best result | 2nd, 2016, 2023 | ||
The Ireland national under-20 rugby team was formed in 2006, having previously been known as the under-21 team.
History
Ireland have won the Grand Slam four times and the Six Nations Championship five times: 2007, 2010, 2019, 2022 and 2023. In the pandemic-truncated competition in 2020, Ireland won the Triple Crown. At the time the competition was halted, Ireland were undefeated and led the table. However, this was not considered a championship nor a grand slam.[2][3][4] Ireland won two consecutive Grand Slams in the 2022 and 2023 Six Nations championships, but were denied a third consecutive Grand Slam and championship title following a draw away to England.[5] Despite Ireland and England having both recorded four wins and a draw, England were crowned champions as they had earned one more try bonus point than Ireland.[5]
Players
Current squad
Head coach Neil Doak named his 31–man squad for the 2025 U20 Six Nations on 14 January.[6]
| Name | Date of Birth | Position | Club | Province |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billy Bohan | 22 November 2005 | Prop | Corinthians | Connacht |
| Alex Usanov | 10 July 2005 | Prop | Clontarf | Leinster |
| Alex Mullan | 13 February 2005 | Prop | Blackrock College | Leinster |
| Tom McAllister | Prop | Ballynahinch | Ulster | |
| Aaron O’Brien | 24 August 2005 | Prop | St. Mary's | Leinster |
| Adam Watchorn | 5 August 2005 | Prop | Old Wesley | Leinster |
| Mikey Yarr | 17 June 2005 | Hooker | UCD | Leinster |
| Connor Magee | 11 June 2006 | Hooker | Banbridge | Ulster |
| Henry Walker | 24 June 2005 | Hooker | Queen's University | Ulster |
| Billy Corrigan | 25 June 2005 | Lock | Old Wesley | Leinster |
| Alan Spicer | 4 May 2005 | Lock | UCD | Leinster |
| Mahon Ronan | 4 October 2005 | Lock | Old Wesley | Leinster |
| Michael Foy | 23 November 2005 | Lock | UCC | Munster |
| Conor Kennelly | Lock | Highfield | Munster | |
| David Walsh | 23 June 2005 | Lock | Terenure College | Leinster |
| Éanna McCarthy (c) | 22 February 2005 | Back-row | Galwegians | Connacht |
| Bobby Power | 3 March 2005 | Back-row | Galwegians | Connacht |
| Will Wootton | 18 June 2005 | Scrum-half | Sale Sharks | IQ Rugby |
| Clark Logan | 11 August 2005 | Scrum-half | Queen's University | Ulster |
| Andrew Doyle | 6 November 2005 | Scrum-half | Old Wesley | Leinster |
| Daniel Green | 6 February 2006 | Fly-half | Queen's University | Ulster |
| Dylan Hicks | 25 January 2005 | Fly-half | Garryowen | Munster |
| Sam Wisniewski | 18 March 2005 | Fly-half | Old Belvedere | Leinster |
| Connor Fahy | 22 January 2005 | Centre | Clontarf | Leinster |
| Andre Ryan | 10 May 2005 | Centre | Old Belvedere | Leinster |
| Eoghan Smyth | 6 July 2005 | Centre | Cork Constitution | Munster |
| Ciarán Mangan | 17 May 2005 | Wing | Blackrock College | Leinster |
| Derry Moloney | 1 February 2006 | Wing | Blackrock College | Leinster |
| Gene O'Leary Kareem | 6 June 2005 | Wing | UCC | Munster |
| Paidi Farrell | 3 March 2005 | Fullback | Old Wesley | Leinster |
| Charlie Molony | 16 March 2006 | Fullback | UCD | Leinster |
Award winners
The following Ireland U20s players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2008:[7]
| Year | Nominees | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | JJ Hanrahan | — |
| 2014 | Garry Ringrose | |
| 2016 | Max Deegan | Max Deegan |
Overall record
| Opposition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | % Won | For | Aga | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 60% | 101 | 73 | +28 |
| Australia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 50% | 83 | 98 | –15 |
| England | 28 | 10 | 2 | 16 | 35.71% | 612 | 766 | –154 |
| Fiji | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 131 | 30 | +101 |
| France | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 45.83% | 484 | 573 | –89 |
| Georgia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75% | 101 | 65 | +36 |
| Japan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 39 | 33 | +6 |
| Italy | 23 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 91.3% | 702 | 355 | +347 |
| New Zealand | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 11.11% | 139 | 354 | –215 |
| Samoa | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.67% | 92 | 45 | +47 |
| Scotland | 27 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 81.48% | 864 | 520 | +344 |
| South Africa | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 33.33% | 136 | 193 | –57 |
| Tonga | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 45 | 27 | +18 |
| Uruguay | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 45 | 0 | +45 |
| Wales | 25 | 13 | 1 | 11 | 52% | 620 | 494 | +126 |
| Total | 164 | 96 | 4 | 64 | 58.54% | 4,194 | 3,626 | +568 |
Correct as of 21 February 2025[8]
Six Nations Under 20s Championship
| Year | Pos | Played | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TD | LBP | TBP | Triple Crown | Grand Slam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 4th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 56 | 90 | –34 | 3 | 13 | –10 | N/A | N/A | No | No |
| 2009 | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 86 | 88 | –2 | 5 | 9 | –4 | N/A | N/A | No | No |
| 2010 | 1st | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 147 | 62 | 85 | 17 | 5 | 12 | N/A | N/A | Yes | No |
| 2011 | 4th | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 147 | 99 | 48 | 11 | 14 | –3 | N/A | N/A | No | No |
| 2012 | 3rd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 86 | 46 | 40 | 7 | 4 | 3 | N/A | N/A | No | No |
| 2013 | 3rd | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 98 | 83 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 4 | N/A | N/A | No | No |
| 2014 | 4th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 74 | 79 | –5 | 7 | 8 | –1 | N/A | N/A | No | No |
| 2015 | 5th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 120 | 90 | 30 | 13 | 10 | 3 | N/A | N/A | No | No |
| 2016 | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 108 | 120 | –18 | 10 | 12 | –2 | N/A | N/A | No | No |
| 2017 | 4th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 111 | 122 | –11 | 12 | 13 | –1 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 2018 | 3rd | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 145 | 182 | –37 | 21 | 26 | –5 | 1 | 3 | No | No |
| 2019 | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 150 | 92 | 58 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 3 | Yes | Yes |
| 2020 | Cancelled | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 113 | 69 | 44 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | Yes | Cancelled |
| 2021 | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 151 | 100 | 51 | 20 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 3 | No | No |
| 2022 | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 210 | 65 | 145 | 29 | 9 | 20 | 0 | 4 | Yes | Yes |
| 2023 | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 239 | 116 | 123 | 32 | 17 | 15 | 0 | 4 | Yes | Yes |
| 2024 | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 171 | 93 | 78 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 4 | No | No |
| 2025 | 6th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 72 | 91 | -19 | 11 | 12 | -1 | 1 | 1 | No | No |
World Rugby U20 Championship
| Year | Place | Pool | Played | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TD | LBP | TBP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 9th | A | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 112 | 127 | –15 | 11 | 13 | –2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2009 | 8th | A | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 81 | 54 | 27 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 | 9th | B | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 154 | 118 | 36 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| 2011 | 8th | C | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 120 | 183 | –63 | 11 | 24 | –13 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 5th | B | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 124 | 70 | 54 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 2013 | 8th | B | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 121 | 86 | 35 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 2014 | 4th | B | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 124 | 127 | –3 | 14 | 16 | –2 | 1 | 2 |
| 2015 | 7th | C | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 74 | 92 | –18 | 6 | 9 | –3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 2nd | A | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 173 | 153 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2017 | 9th | B | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 128 | 167 | –39 | 16 | 25 | –9 | 2 | 0 |
| 2018 | 11th | C | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 129 | 158 | –29 | 16 | 23 | –7 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | 8th | B | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 137 | 155 | –18 | 18 | 20 | –2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2020–2022 | Not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | |||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2nd | B | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 156 | 133 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 2024 | 4th* | B | 4* | 2 | 0 | 2 | 121 | 100 | 21 | 17 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| *The 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship Pool B match between Ireland and Australia was cancelled due to weather conditions, rendering the pitch unplayable and unsafe. Both teams were awarded two points.[9][10] | ||||||||||||||
Honours
See also
- Ireland national rugby union team
- Ireland Wolfhounds
- Emerging Ireland
- Ireland national schoolboy rugby union team
- Six Nations Under 20s Championship
- World Rugby Under 20 Championship
References
- ^ "U20 Six Nations: Ireland thrash Scotland to move one step closer to Grand Slam". Irish Times. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ "Ireland Under-20s Complete Grand Slam Mission With Bonus Point Flourish". Irish Rugby. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ "Nine-try Ireland U20s crush Scotland to claim Grand Slam success". The42. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ "Six-try Ireland U20s make history with back-to-back Grand Slam titles". The42. 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- ^ a b "Six Nations U20s Championship: Ireland 36 Scotland 0". Irish Times. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ "Doak Names Ireland Men's U20s Squad For 2025 Six Nations". Irish Rugby. 14 January 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "Awards Roll of Honour - World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ "Fixtures & Results". Irish Rugby. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- ^ "Ireland v Australia in World U20 Championship cancelled". BBC Sport. BBC. 9 July 2024.
- ^ Williamson, Nathan (9 July 2024). "Australia U20s coach Grey blasts call to cancel Ireland game, ending World Championship semi-final hopes". rugby.com.au. Rugby Australia.
External links
- Ireland U-20 Squad from official IRFU site