Ireland u20 2017-2018

[Ruckedtobits]

Tom Tierney doing a hell of a job as defence coach.

Having watched some of the training during the week, it appeared that PO'C was in charge of restarts - which were a total disaster in execution. Coaching is a learned science not an inheritance!

[Dave Cahill]

In fairness to POC, he's only starting off down the coaching path and doesn't have the record of complete and utter failure behind him that Tierney does

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Tom Tierney doing a hell of a job as defence coach.

Having watched some of the training during the week, it appeared that PO'C was in charge of restarts - which were a total disaster in execution. Coaching is a learned science not an inheritance!

I'm not just saying this because I think POC is great, but I'd find it hard to blame him for the restarts that I saw. I was flicking between all the games that were on so didn't see them all, but it seemed to me that players were in good positions but just let the ball go over them or through their hands. That's on the players as far as I'm concerned.

[Keith]

shame Conor Nash is in Australia..

After speaking to him twice recently enough, he has absolutely no intentions of coming home permanently any time soon.

[CiaranIrl]

shame Conor Nash is in Australia..

After speaking to him twice recently enough, he has absolutely no intentions of coming home permanently any time soon.

I reckon that lad could have been a world class player for us if he had decided on rugby. Shame. He's probably gone out of the game too long now anyway. Hopefully he does well at AFL. If he comes back, I'd say Meath football would be the best fit.

[mildlyinterested]

He is only gone about a year... but yeah can't blame him, say he is having the time of his life in oz.

[Keith]

He is only gone about a year... but yeah can't blame him, say he is having the time of his life in oz.

He is loving it all right but things can change and it's tough to make it to the senior teams, so you never know. I'd imagine he is a talented enough athlete to come back after a year or two and slot back into rugby. Folau went and played Aussie rules for a while and still went on to become a world class rugby player.

[CiaranIrl]

He is only gone about a year... but yeah can't blame him, say he is having the time of his life in oz.

He is loving it all right but things can change and it's tough to make it to the senior teams, so you never know. I'd imagine he is a talented enough athlete to come back after a year or two and slot back into rugby. Folau went and played Aussie rules for a while and still went on to become a world class rugby player.

Yeah, but he was never in the academy to begin with. Starting out properly at Rugby when you're in your 20s is a talk order.

Definitely don't blame him! Just a shame, from a purely selfish perspective. I think he would have been outstanding

[mildlyinterested]

IRELAND UNDER-20 Team & Replacements (v Scotland Under-20s, 2018 Under-20 Six Nations Championship, Donnybrook, Friday, March 9, kick-off 7.15pm):

Player/Club/Province/Caps -

15. Michael Silvester (Dublin University/Leinster) 7
14. Angus Kernohan (Ballymena/Ulster) 3
13. Tommy O'Brien (UCD/Leinster) (capt) 8
12. Angus Curtis (Queen's University/Ulster) 3
11. Mark Keane (Queen's University/Ulster) 2
10. Harry Byrne (UCD/Leinster) 3
9. Hugh O'Sullivan (Clontarf/Leinster) 3
1. James French (UCC RFC/Munster) 3
2. Ronan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster) 10
3. Tom O'Toole (Banbridge/Ulster) 3
4. Matthew Dalton (Malone/Ulster) 1
5. Jack Dunne (Dublin University/Leinster) 3
6. Joe Dunleavy (Malone/Ulster) *
7. Matthew Agnew (Ballymena/Ulster) 2
8. Jack O'Sullivan (UCC/Munster) 3

Replacements:

16. AN Other
17. Jordan Duggan (Naas/Leinster) 7
18. Jack Aungier (St. Mary's College/Leinster) 3
19. Charlie Ryan (UCD/Leinster) 2
20. Ronan Foley (UCD/Leinster) 2
21. Jonny Stewart (Queen's University/Ulster) 12
22. Conor Dean (St. Mary's College/Leinster) 7
23. James Hume (Banbridge/Ulster) 1

[dropkick]

Its good to see Hume there. I thought his injury looked serious the last day. Good time to rotate the squad. The Scots had a good win the last time out against England but lost heavily to France.

[A16]

Is Aungier just being rotated or has he been dropped/overtaken by O’Toole?

[dropkick]

Is Aungier just being rotated or has he been dropped/overtaken by O’Toole?

Rotated. He has been very good so far.

[mildlyinterested]

Is Aungier just being rotated or has he been dropped/overtaken by O’Toole?

several of the team have been rotated.

[Raydollard]

Wrong team I’m afraid. Too many changes. A win should be possible as Scotland are pretty poor.

[blockhead]

Poor enough game tonight. Not a vintage crop, although JOS and Sylvester and Curtis too tbf look decent enough. Munster cocom gives MOTM to Munster player yet again altough this time he probably squeezed it from Sylvester with a late solo try.
Our restarts are dreadful, POC must be fired!

[Ruckedtobits]

Sylvester's defence is terrible. The game has two sides and he is excellent in attack. But he needs serious work on his positioning and tackling in defence.

The MOTM was were awarded and Curtis was the only competition wearing an Irish jersey. The Scots fly-half almost stole the game for them ans was a viable contender.

Overall, that Irish Squad has enough talent to make an impact at the JRWC, despite the draw.

[mildlyinterested]

Review of squad so far:

Props
Jack Aungier(Leinster) - 3 starts, 1 sub appearance.
Jordan Duggan(Leinster) - 3 starts, 1 sub appearance.
Tom O'Toole(Ulster) - 1 start, 3 sub appearances
James French(Munster) - 1 start, 3 sub appearances.

Both TH Props(Aungier/O'Toole) have been standout players in the pack, while both LH Props(Duggan/French) have been solid in the set piece without being outstanding in any of their appearances to date. Joe Byrne who was named in initial squad has yet to appear.

Hooker
Ronan Kelleher(Leinster) - 3 starts.
Diarmaid Barron(Munster) - 3 sub appearances.
Eoghan Clarke(Leinster) - 1 start, 1 sub appearance.

Kelleher has been a standout in his 3 starts, missing one start due to illness. While both Clarke/Barron have mixed the good and bad in their appearances to date. If Kelleher is out of final game it will be interesting to see who starts in his place.

Second Row
Jack Dunne(Leinster) - 4 starts.
Cormac Daly(Leinster) - 3 starts.
Matthew Dalton(Ulster) - 2 starts(1 backrow(6))
Charlie Ryan(Leinster) - 3 sub appearances.
Ronan Coffey(Munster) - 1 sub appearance.

Dunne has started all 4 games at tighthead lock and has generally been very good in the set piece, around the field he has mixed the good and bad. Daly was good in his 3 starts before injury, his hands being especially of note. Dalton looked out of place at 6 when he started there, while he looked more comfortable in his recent start in the second row. Ryan had two very limited sub appearances which are hard to evaluate, while his prolonged sub appearance against Scotland he looked rusty in, unsurprisingly given his lack of game time all season. Coffey had a relatively brief appearance at the start of the tournament before being dropped.

Backrow
Jack O'Sullivan(Munster) - 4 starts(8)
Sean Masterson(Connacht) - 2 starts(6), 1 sub appearance.
Matthew Agnew(Ulster) - 3 starts(7)
Ronan Foley(Leinster) - 3 sub appearances.
Aaron Hall(Ulster) - 1 start(7)
Joe Dunleavy(Ulster) - 1 start(6)

O'Sullivan has been a standout player, carrying the side as times with his explosiveness and footwork. Interested to see if he moves to 6 when Doris returns or if Doris does. Masterson has been somewhat disappointing considering he is returning from last season. Agnew has been decent in his 3 starts, with his last start being his standout game. Foley has appeared off the bench in all 3 of his games and covered multiple positions performing decently. Hall was good in his only appearance before injury. While Dunleavy was good in his 1st appearance last weekend. Max Kearney who was named in initial squad has yet to appear.

Scrumhalf
Hugh O'Sullivan(Leinster) - 2 starts, 2 sub appearances(1 at 15)
Jonny Stewart(Ulster) - 2 starts, 1 sub appearance.
Patrick Patterson(Leinster) - 1 sub appearance.

O'Sullivan has been good in all of his appearances to date, with a brief appearance at 15 due to injuries. Stewart has looked improved in his appearances to date also. Patterson had a brief appearance off the bench which is hard to make a judgement on.

Outhalf
Harry Byrne(Leinster) - 4 starts.
Conor Dean(Leinster) - 3 sub appearances.

Byrne has been generally good, but with some poor moments.. the youngest player in the squad I believe. Dean has been okay in his sub appearances so far. Interested to see who starts the final game and if the return of Michael Lowry may cause changes for the World Cup.

Centre
Angus Curtis(Ulster) - 3 starts(12)
David McCarthy(Munster) - 1 start(12)
Tommy O'Brien(Leinster) - 3 starts(13), 1 starts(14).
James Hume(Ulster) - 1 start(13), 1 sub appearance.

Curtis has been a standout in all 3 of his games and has made the 12 position his own. McCarthy struggled in his only start before being dropped. O'Brien has generally been pretty good without being as impressive as last season. Hume was okay in his only start after a long injury break. Sean O'Brien who was named in initial squad has yet to appear.

Back Three
Michael Silvester(Leinster) - 4 starts(15)
James McCarthy(Munster) - 3 starts(11)
Peter Sullivan(Leinster) - 2 starts(14)
Angus Kernohan(Ulster) - 1 start(14), 3 sub appearances.
Mark Keane(Ulster) - 1 start(11)

Silvester has generally been good in his appearances, flashing potentially excellent counter attacking ability. McCarthy was very good going forward but somewhat suspect defensively. Sullivan was good in his two starts before being dropped. Kernohan/Keane have been decent in their appearances to date. Dan Hurley who was named in initial squad has yet to appear.

Thoughts?

[Fan with smartphone]

Review of squad so far:

Props
Jack Aungier(Leinster) - 3 starts, 1 sub appearance.
Jordan Duggan(Leinster) - 3 starts, 1 sub appearance.
Tom O'Toole(Ulster) - 1 start, 3 sub appearances
James French(Munster) - 1 start, 3 sub appearances.

Both TH Props(Aungier/O'Toole) have been standout players in the pack, while both LH Props(Duggan/French) have been solid in the set piece without being outstanding in any of their appearances to date. Joe Byrne who was named in initial squad has yet to appear.

Hooker
Ronan Kelleher(Leinster) - 3 starts.
Diarmaid Barron(Munster) - 3 sub appearances.
Eoghan Clarke(Leinster) - 1 start, 1 sub appearance.

Kelleher has been a standout in his 3 starts, missing one start due to illness. While both Clarke/Barron have mixed the good and bad in their appearances to date. If Kelleher is out of final game it will be interesting to see who starts in his place.

Second Row
Jack Dunne(Leinster) - 4 starts.
Cormac Daly(Leinster) - 3 starts.
Matthew Dalton(Ulster) - 2 starts(1 backrow(6))
Charlie Ryan(Leinster) - 3 sub appearances.
Ronan Coffey(Munster) - 1 sub appearance.

Dunne has started all 4 games at tighthead lock and has generally been very good in the set piece, around the field he has mixed the good and bad. Daly was good in his 3 starts before injury, his hands being especially of note. Dalton looked out of place at 6 when he started there, while he looked more comfortable in his recent start in the second row. Ryan had two very limited sub appearances which are hard to evaluate, while his prolonged sub appearance against Scotland he looked rusty in, unsurprisingly given his lack of game time all season. Coffey had a relatively brief appearance at the start of the tournament before being dropped.

Backrow
Jack O'Sullivan(Munster) - 4 starts(8)
Sean Masterson(Connacht) - 2 starts(6), 1 sub appearance.
Matthew Agnew(Ulster) - 3 starts(7)
Ronan Foley(Leinster) - 3 sub appearances.
Aaron Hall(Ulster) - 1 start(7)
Joe Dunleavy(Ulster) - 1 start(6)

O'Sullivan has been a standout player, carrying the side as times with his explosiveness and footwork. Interested to see if he moves to 6 when Doris returns or if Doris does. Masterson has been somewhat disappointing considering he is returning from last season. Agnew has been decent in his 3 starts, with his last start being his standout game. Foley has appeared off the bench in all 3 of his games and covered multiple positions performing decently. Hall was good in his only appearance before injury. While Dunleavy was good in his 1st appearance last weekend. Max Kearney who was named in initial squad has yet to appear.

Scrumhalf
Hugh O'Sullivan(Leinster) - 2 starts, 2 sub appearances(1 at 15)
Jonny Stewart(Ulster) - 2 starts, 1 sub appearance.
Patrick Patterson(Leinster) - 1 sub appearance.

O'Sullivan has been good in all of his appearances to date, with a brief appearance at 15 due to injuries. Stewart has looked improved in his appearances to date also. Patterson had a brief appearance off the bench which is hard to make a judgement on.

Outhalf
Harry Byrne(Leinster) - 4 starts.
Conor Dean(Leinster) - 3 sub appearances.

Byrne has been generally good, but with some poor moments.. the youngest player in the squad I believe. Dean has been okay in his sub appearances so far. Interested to see who starts the final game and if the return of Michael Lowry may cause changes for the World Cup.

Centre
Angus Curtis(Ulster) - 3 starts(12)
David McCarthy(Munster) - 1 start(12)
Tommy O'Brien(Leinster) - 3 starts(13), 1 starts(14).
James Hume(Ulster) - 1 start(13), 1 sub appearance.

Curtis has been a standout in all 3 of his games and has made the 12 position his own. McCarthy struggled in his only start before being dropped. O'Brien has generally been pretty good without being as impressive as last season. Hume was okay in his only start after a long injury break. Sean O'Brien who was named in initial squad has yet to appear.

Back Three
Michael Silvester(Leinster) - 4 starts(15)
James McCarthy(Munster) - 3 starts(11)
Peter Sullivan(Leinster) - 2 starts(14)
Angus Kernohan(Ulster) - 1 start(14), 3 sub appearances.
Mark Keane(Ulster) - 1 start(11)

Silvester has generally been good in his appearances, flashing potentially excellent counter attacking ability. McCarthy was very good going forward but somewhat suspect defensively. Sullivan was good in his two starts before being dropped. Kernohan/Keane have been decent in their appearances to date. Dan Hurley who was named in initial squad has yet to appear.

Thoughts?

I’m pretty impressed with this group and think the coaches have done a decent job of rotation to look at the most of them. With a fair wind they could do something in France, though it is a brutal draw.

Front row has been steady and we are technically good. Haven’t heard anything re: Kelleher’s injury, but obviously he is going to be important to have available.

Second rows have impressed with their agility and handling. They are also powerful given none of them are overly filled out. I think there are a few prospects there, though it will take a bit of time. Dalton played second row at the weekend and he is the opposite of all that! He is a man-child, physically ready for pro level, but in the small sample size I have seen, his handling needs work.

O’Sullivan has looked a quality player. Offloading and making difficult carries (and line breaks) against bigger men. Agnew’s groundwork was also impressive at the weekend, and at crucial times. They probably need another big lump in the backrow, but Dalton looks better at lock, so would be interested to see Doris in there alright. Masterson is an all action type, but needs to watch he doesn’t annoy the referee, by being too enthusiastic in what he does or says.

Scrum halves have both looked good, I think as the team settles Stewart could have a high ceiling and good control, don’t think we have seen the best of him yet. Byrne is an excellent 10, but would like to see him telegraph less. You know early if he is going to run, pass or kick. Curtis is playing very well at 12, but I do think he will end up a 10 in the pros. There were a few times v Scotland he stepped in at 10 when Byrne was at the bottom of a ruck or whatever and he looked comfortable and threatening. Ulster could do a lot worse than get him involved early, but unlike with Jackson, after the u20 World Cup. It hasn’t quite happened for Dean yet, but he is one who has had limited time over 2 seasons to get his teeth into it and it’s a good crop of 10s this season he is competing with.

I liked the look of McCarthy against France and am disappointed not to see him again. O’Brien is obviously class. Silvester too, looks an exciting player to me. Both the Ulster wings struggled v Scotland, but they were both getting their first starts. McCarthy is quick and a good finisher, but I think he needs to contribute more than just that to get his place. I see potential in Sullivan, but it’s an open competition on the wings at the minute.

They have France first up in Perpignan in the rwc and it’s obviously the pivotal fixture for these lads.

[mildlyinterested]

Ireland U20 v England U20

15. Michael Silvester (Dublin University FC/Leinster) (8)
14. James Hume (Banbridge RFC/Ulster) (2)
13. Tommy O’Brien (UCD RFC/Leinster) CAPTAIN (9)
12. Angus Curtis (Queen’s University RFC/Ulster) (4)
11. Angus Kernohan (Ballymena RFC/Ulster) (4)
10. Harry Byrne (UCD RFC/Leinster) (3)
9. Hugh O’Sullivan (Clontarf FC/Leinster) (3)
1. Jordan Duggan (Naas RFC/Leinster) (8)
2. Eoghan Clarke (Wanderers FC/Leinster) (2)
3. Jack Aungier (St. Mary’s College RFC/Leinster) (4)
4. Matthew Dalton (Malone RFC/Ulster) (2)
5. Jack Dunne (Dublin University FC/Leinster) (4)
6. Joe Dunleavy (Malone RFC/Ulster) (1)
7. Matthew Agnew (Ballymena RFC/Ulster) (3)
8. Jack O’Sullivan (UCC RFC/Munster) (4)

Replacements

16. Diarmuid Barron (Garryowen FC/Munster) (4)
17. James French (UCC RFC/Munster) (4)
18. Tom O’Toole (Banbridge RFC/Ulster) (4)
19. Ronan Coffey (Shannon/Munster) (1)
20. Sean Masterson (Corinthians RFC/Connacht) (7)
21. Jonny Stewart (Queen’s University RFC/Ulster) (13)
22. Conor Dean (St.Mary’s College RFC/Leinster) (8)
23. Sean O’Brien (Clontarf FC/Leinster) (0)

[Ruckedtobits]

Despite that defeat this evening, the U.20 team have improved sufficently to give a good account of themselves in the JWC19 in France in June.

They played rugby in the wrong parts of the pitch for a team without flyers on the wings, i.e. even if they made a line-break on half-way, they were unlikely to have the pace to finish it. The English back three looked better than their senior players and their open-side looked like he could tog out tomorrow and improve their breakdown.

For Ireland the centres were a lovely combination of football skills. The back-row will be improved by Doris and Stewart is a better option at No 9. But dear oh dear, somebody will have to teach Silvester that he also has defensive duties.

Good coaching in a vaiety of areas has brought improvement, but more to do yet.