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Three Ireland U20s changes but no recall for skipper Evan O'Connell
Ireland have named a team for Sunday’s World Rugby U20 Championship semi-final with England that contains three changes from the XV named for last Tuesday’s cancelled match with Australia. They also confirmed that skipper Evan O’Connell, the nephew of Paul O’Connell who last took the field in the July 4 pool win over Georgia, has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament through injury.
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Selection changes at prop have been a regular occurrence for the Irish through their 2023/24 season and the players named at No1 and No3 to play the Junior Wallabies – Emmet Calvey and Patreece Bell – have now been benched for the semi-final.
Ben Howard, who wasn’t in last Tuesday’s match day 23, will start at loosehead while Jacob Boyd, who was named as the match day three loosehead replacement, will now start at tighthead. That reshuffle means there is no bench place for Andrew Sparrow, last Tuesday’s No18.
There is one other alteration in the starting pack with Sean Edogbo promoted from the bench to play at blindside. His inclusion has caused a positional reshuffle as it is lock Billy Corrigan who slips to the bench with James McKillop switching from back to second row.
The same starting backline has been retained en bloc, but there is one backs switch on the bench with Sam Berman named as 23rd man and Davy Colbert missing out.
The Irish will go against the English having has a 10-day break in between games at the tournament as their final Pool B match with the Junior Wallabies was cancelled due to the inclement weather in the Cape Town region last Tuesday.
The same pitch in Athlone, though, hosted two matches later in the day, including England’s Pool C win over South Africa. The English picked up two injuries in that victory and have had to change their semi-final XV.
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Ireland U20s (vs England, Sunday)
15. Ben O’Connor (UCC RFC/Munster)
14. Finn Treacy (Galwegians RFC/Connacht)
13. Wilhelm de Klerk (UCD RFC/Leinster)
12. Hugh Gavin (Galwegians RFC/Connacht)
11. Hugo McLaughlin (Lansdowne FC/Leinster)
10. Jack Murphy (Clontarf FC/Leinster)
9. Oliver Coffey (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)
1. Ben Howard (Terenure College RFC/Leinster)
2. Danny Sheahan (Cork Constitution FC/Munster)
3. Jacob Boyd (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster)
4. Alan Spicer (UCD RFC/Leinster)
5. James McKillop (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster)
6. Sean Edogbo (UCC RFC/Munster)
7. Bryn Ward (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster)
8. Brian Gleeson (Garryowen FC/Munster)(captain)
Replacements:
16. Stephen Smyth (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster)
17. Emmet Calvey (Shannon RFC/Munster)
18. Patreece Bell (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby)
19. Billy Corrigan (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster)
20. Luke Murphy (Shannon RFC/Munster)
21. Tadhg Brophy (Naas RFC/Leinster)
22. Sean Naughton (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht)
23. Sam Berman (Terenure College RFC/Leinster)
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