Confident Ireland U-20s aim to make it two wins from two against Georgia at Junior World Cup
Ireland U-20 head coach Willie Faloon. Photo: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Ireland U-20 Hugh Gavin is tackled by Scotland's Finlay Doyle during the U-20 Six Nations Championship at Virgin Media Park, Cork last March. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
The Ireland U-20s couldn’t have asked for a better start to their Junior World Cup campaign, after they easily dismantled an Italian outfit that caused them plenty of problems in the Six Nations earlier this year.
Having managed a potential banana skin with the minimum of fuss, Ireland face another tricky test against a Georgian side that beat England on the eve of the tournament, which is being held in South Africa, before falling well short in their opener against Australia.
Head coach Willie Faloon will not be underestimating Georgia even if Ireland are strong favourites to make it two wins from two ahead of their third and final pool meeting with Australia next Tuesday.
Mindful of the short turnaround between games, Faloon has freshened up his team, with Ruben Moloney getting his first chance to impress on the left wing.
Sam Berman was the undoubted star of the show in the win over Italy, with the centre’s hat-trick further marking out his exciting potential. Berman will join the Ulster academy next season, with Leinster hoping the former St Michael’s College student does not prove to be one that got away in years to come.
Connacht’s Hugh Gavin was outstanding in the Six Nations, and given that he will hope to make his professional breakthrough next season, his midfield partnership with Berman has the potential to rip Georgia to shreds.
Seán Naughton has had to stay patient behind first-choice out-half Jack Murphy, but the Connacht man will hope to make the most of his starting berth in Stellenbosch, with his provincial team-mate Gavin sure to help him on his outside.
The pack laid down a marker against Italy, with Evan O’Connell leading from the front in a captain’s performance.
Even allowing for the welcome return to fitness of Brian Gleeson, Faloon has stuck with the same back-row who were named to start last weekend. Openside Max Flynn comes in for his debut having been a late withdrawal from the Italy victory.
Getting Gleeson game-time ahead of the tougher tests that lie ahead will be important this afternoon (1.0), with the hope being that by the time the talented Munster back-row is rolled off the bench, the starting team will have worn down the Georgians.
It is likely that Faloon will use Georgia’s impressive recent win over England as more of a reference point in the sense that if Ireland are not 100pc tuned in to the task at hand, they will find themselves in trouble. But they look primed for another five-pointer.
Verdict: Ireland U-20s
IRELAND U-20S: B O’Connor; D Colbert, S Berman, H Gavin, R Moloney; S Naughton, O Coffey; J Boyd, S Smyth, A Sparrow; J McKillop, E O’Connell (capt); S Edogbo, M Flynn, L Murphy. Reps: M Yarr, E Calvey, P Bell, A Spicer, B Gleeson, T Brophy, J Murphy, F Treacy.
Ireland U-20s v Georgia U-20s,
Live, RugbyPass.tv, 1.0
