Ireland U20 men's and women's squads announced for summer tournaments
THE MEN'S AND women's squads that will represent Ireland in their respective U20 tournaments this summer have been announced.
Neil Doak's side will compete in the men's U20 World Championship with Connacht's Éanna McCarthy captaining the 30-player squad for the trip to Italy.
'It's been a challenging season,,' says Doak, 'but this group has shown resilience and real character. We know the competition at the World Championships will be fierce, but these experiences have made us stronger. We're looking forward to the opportunity to test ourselves on the world stage.'
Niamh Briggs has named a 35-person squad for the women's U20 2025 Summer Series in Wales, with Wicklow's Jane Neill named as captain again for the second year of the competition.
'This competition represents a significant step in our player development pathway. It provides a valuable opportunity for young athletes to challenge themselves against top-level opposition, experience the demands of an international environment, and continue their progression toward senior rugby,' Briggs said.
Advertisement
Ireland U20 Men Squad
Forwards
Billy Bohan – Corinthians RFC/Connacht
Billy Corrigan – Old Wesley RFC/Leinster
Michael Foy – Cork Constitution FC/Munster
Conor Kennelly – Highfield RFC/Munster
Tom McAllister – Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster
Éanna McCarthy – Galwegians RFC/Connacht
Luke McLaughlin – Old Belvedere/Leinster
Oisin Minogue – Shannon RFC/Munster
Paddy Moore – Blackrock RFC/Leinster
Alex Mullan – Blackrock RFC/Leinster
Luke Murphy – Young Munster RFC/Munster
Bobby Power – Galwegians RFC/Connacht
Mahon Ronan – Old Wesley RFC/Leinster
Alex Usanov – Clontarf FC/Leinster
Henry Walker – Queens University/Ulster
David Walsh – Terenure RFC/Leinster
Mikey Yarr – UCD RFC/Leinster
Backs
Connor Fahy – Clontarf FC/Leinster
Paidi Farrell – Old Wesley RFC/Leinster
Dan Green – Queens University/Ulster
Clark Logan – Queens University/Ulster
Ciaran Mangan – Blackrock College RFC/Leinster
Derry Moloney – Blackrock College RFC/Leinster
Charlie Molony – UCD RFC/Leinster
Chris O'Connor – Terenure College RFC/Leinster
Gene O'Leary Kareem – UCC RFC/Munster
Eoghan Smyth – Cork Constitution FC/Munster
Sam Wisniewski – Old Belvedere/Leinster
Tom Wood – Garryown RFC/Munster
Will Wootton – Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby
Ireland Men U20 Fixtures:
Ireland v Georgia, 29 June, 5pm
Ireland v Italy, 4 July, 7.30pm
New Zealand v Ireland, 9 July, 5pm
Ireland U20 Women Squad
Forwards
Jemima Adams Verling – Creggs RFC/Connacht
Alma Atagamen – Balbriggan RFC/Leinster
Sophie Barrett – Enniskillen RFC/Ulster
Grainne Burke – UL Bohemian RFC/Munster
Ella Burns – Tuam/Oughterard & Galwegians RFC/Connacht
Beth Buttimer – UL Bohemian RFC/Munster
Maebh Clenaghan – Queens University Belfast RFC/Ulster
Carla Cooney – Tullow RFC/Leinster
Aoife Corcoran – MU Barnhall RFC/Leinster
Saoirse Crowe – Shannon RFC/UL Bohemian RFC / Munster
Poppy Garvey – Railway Union RFC/Connacht
Beibhinn Gleeson – Tuam/Oughterard/Connacht
Sally Kelly – Ennis RFC/Munster
Merisa Kiripati – Creggs RFC/Connacht
Lily Morris – Ballincollig RFC/Munster
Jane Neill – Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster
Aoibhe O Flynn – UL Bohemian RFC/Munster
Rosie Searle – Navan RFC/Leinster
Backs
Emma Brogan – MU Barnhall RFC/Leinster
Hannah Clarke – Galwegians RFC/Connacht
Lyndsay Clarke – Ennis RFC/Munster
Katie Corrigan – Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster
Clara Dunne- Wicklow RFC/Leinster
Caitriona Finn – UL Bohemian RFC/Munster
Emily Foley – Galwegians RFC/Connacht
Jade Gaffney – Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster
Niamh Gallagher – Saracens/IQ Rugby
May Goulding – Old Albians/Saracens/IQ Rugby
Lucia Linn – UL Bohemian RFC/Munster
Caoimhe McCormack – Railway Union RFC/Leinster
Grainne Moran – Galwegians RFC/Connacht
Robyn O'Connor – Wexford Wanderers RFC/Leinster
Tara O'Neill – Cooke RFC/Ulster
Ellie O Sullivan Sexton – Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster
Hannah Scanlon – Railway Union RFC/Leinster
Ireland U20 Women Fixtures:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
26 minutes ago
- Irish Times
‘We're talking about the best of the best': Tadhg Beirne up for the challenge of being a Lion
Tadhg Beirne didn't express any emotion when he uttered the words but the suggestion was that the Munster and Ireland lock was mildly fascinated by Lions captain Maro Itoje . 'I'm very impressed, he speaks incredibly well. He doesn't curse,' said Beirne. There is not much Itoje doesn't do but not swearing on a Lions tour may well be a first and well, there's a long way to go. Still Beirne expressed excitement that he will start with the England captain against Argentina on Friday night at the Aviva Stadium, hoping that their stint in Portugal and the last number of days in Ireland will have given them some cohesion for the first examination. READ MORE Cohesion came up several times. But Beirne is confident that the rugby IQ within the squad and the innate ability of the players will overcome any cohesive shortcomings they might have from being together for such a short time. 'Yeah, but you're talking about world-class players here. We're talking about the best of the best,' said Beirne. 'The expectation we would have of each other is that you can adapt to any system you're given and that's the challenge laid in front of us. That's the challenge of being a Lion. 'Every four years there's going to be a new system, the coach is going to want to play a certain way and if you want to be a Lion, you're going to have to adapt, or you'll get left behind. 'I would say if you came in here thinking that you could just play your club system or your country system, then you're probably already at a loss.' Argentina under coach Felipe Contepomi have both the advantage of knowing their system and the coach having a deep knowledge of the Irish players, having left the Leinster backs coaching job for Argentina at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season. British and Irish Lions captain Maro Itoje. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA 'I think everyone comes into these things with a massive open mind and looking forward to getting to play these new systems and eager to learn,' said Beirne. 'If you're not floating ideas of players in your position, you're already at a loss as well. We're in such a privileged position to come into these environments and learn from one another and get better as rugby players. Adaptation is a big part of that. We all want to be on the same page. 'I think that's what we'll be chasing is, that cohesion and connection.' Beirne believes his own game has evolved since he played with the Lions in the Covid-hit South African tour of 2021. Playing like a blindside flanker more than secondrow, it was still enough to earn him two Lions caps. In his non-Test debut for the Lions, Beirne scored a try in their 28–10 warm-up victory against Japan. He made his Lions debut as a replacement in the first Test win over the Springboks and came on again in the second Test, which was won by South Africa. But he didn't play in the third Test, which the Lions lost. 'If anything, I've probably become more settled in the secondrow over the last couple of months, particularly with Munster,' said Beirne. 'I like to think, or I've convinced myself anyway, that my game has improved a bit over the last four years, just in terms of understanding the game and being a smarter rugby player. And particularly in the secondrow, because I've been playing there a lot more, what's expected of me in that role, whether it be for Munster or Ireland. I've definitely got a better understanding of it.' During the Six Nations , Beirne spoke to Jack Conan about the weirdness of the Warren Gatland-led last tour, the result of which was that players didn't get the full Lions experience with a disrupted schedule and matches played in empty stadiums. Although not yet sold out, a big crowd is still expected to turn out at the Aviva Stadium on Friday night. And with Finlay Bealham and Bundee Aki starting alongside him and three more Irish players ‐ Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong and Mack Hansen ‐ hopeful to be sprung from the bench, it will be far from the Covid experience. 'Me and Jack Conan had spoken about it very briefly, So when we both got the name called out, that's what I was thinking in my head, that we're going to get the actual experience of what the Lions is actually meant to be about, full crowds, having the fans come over, experiencing that wave of red coming into each city and I'm really, really excited about it.'
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
'Good news' - Andy Farrell eases Jamison Gibson-Park injury worries
Andy Farrell has allayed fears over the fitness of Jamison Gibson-Park ahead of the British and Irish Lions' opening game against Argentina on Friday night. The Ireland scrum-half missed Leinster's BKT United Rugby Championship final against the Bulls last week with a glute injury, and fears grew over his fitness when England's Jack van Poortvliet was called in as cover for Friday's game at the Aviva. However, Farrell insists that he expects all of his traveling party to be ready to go within a week of arriving in Australia at the weekend. "Good news on most of the injuries, they are all a week or so away from being fit," Farrell said, after naming his side for Friday night's game in Dublin. "We didn't quite know until Jamison got another scan on Monday night which was pretty positive. Jack [Van Poortvliet] comes over as cover for this game, Jamison should be up and running for the week after. "Huw Jones has trained with us this week, and he's been back into full training, so that's great. "Hugo Keenan ran for the first time a couple of days ago. Everything's going pretty well as far as that's concerned. And there's always one or two bumps and bruises that you're you're trying to nurse but the nature of rugby within itself. So, we're in good shape." There was good news for Tadhg Furlong (below), who is fit to play this week after a calf injury. The tighthead prop hadn't featured for his province since their Investec Champions Cup semi-final defeat against Northampton Saints in early May, but is named among the replacements, with his Ireland team-mate Finlay Bealham starting. And despite Furlong's lack of gametime, he believes the prop is able for whatever minutes are required on Friday. "Well, he's fit, he's fit, and ready to go and trained well. And he's as keen as everyone else to get the show on the road. "It is what it is. You have all the best plans for a game of rugby. You've got to be ready from minute one or you roll with the punches. "You may want to get someone on after 50 or 55 minutes but that might not come to fruition and they might only get five minutes at the end. It is what it is. Everyone understands that." While no Test caps will be handed out on Friday, Farrell has included 14 players in his matchday squad who are set to make their first appearances in a Lions shirt, including Ireland internationals Bealham, Rónan Kelleher and Mack Hansen, while Furlong, Bundee Aki and Tadhg Beirne have featured on previous tours. "Naming the squad yesterday was great, you feel like the show is on the road and the journey is about to begin properly. It was exciting to name that and allow the boys to realise they will be the first to represent this group. "It is what they dream of. You can tell with the buzz in the group, what it means to them and the excitement around the place, it just shows what it means," he added. "We have seen it in the preparation, how diligent they have been, how quickly they have come together as a group and the bond they have got already in a short space of time. "Best foot forward and all that, it is all about the performance on Friday night. That is how we are going to get judged, how we want to do the shirt proud and represent the group properly on Friday night." There is familiarity in a side that has nine England internationals in the starting team, but history has shown that the opening game of a Lions campaign can often be littered with errors with so many players coming together after just a couple of weeks together in camp. But Farrell says that will be no excuse, as they look to to board their plane to Australia on Saturday with a win in the bag. "Cohesion, connection," were the traits he stressed for Friday. "An ability to attack the game from the off and be the best version of themselves individually and collectively. You can give yourself any excuse in terms of time together. But we've had good preparation. "If you want to be a good Lions player, you have to hit your straps straight from the off. We want to see these players compete. "They [Argentina] are a well-drilled, well organised team that's been playing some fantastic rugby – certainly over the last 18 months. Fifth in the world and beating everyone in their path shows where they're at. "We realise as well just how special this is for them and what a privilege it is to be here at the Aviva with the Lions playing their first game in Ireland. It's a special occasion and it's great they're coming to the party."
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Players must adapt to the Lions way or get left behind, insists Beirne
This isn't the first time that Tadhg Beirne has worn red in the Aviva Stadium, but the crest and the shade caught the eye here. The digs this week are the same as Ireland's, though plenty of the faces around the halls and in team meetings are new. So much this last week or so, as the British and Irish Lions set out their stall for Friday's opening game of the 2025 campaign against Argentina at the home of Irish rugby, is bordering on familiar while still managing to be strikingly different. 'The lead-up to the game is going to feel very similar,' said the Munster forward. 'Doing all the same things that we would do in Irish camp, going to the same coffee places, or preparing for the game the same way. 'A lot of it is similar but different at the same time because you're not used to being around the players that you would be used to. It makes it all the more enjoyable, though.' It's four years since Beirne got his first taste of the Lions. That was a ghost of a tour played out in an empty stadium in South Africa at the height of the pandemic and it sucked the colour out of sport and life as we knew it. Even the rugby was mostly grey. When Beirne and Jack Conan chatted and allowed themselves to peek forward to the Lions in the middle of the Six Nations, it was the chance to experience the full panoply of emotions and experiences that got them dreaming. And he's not the same player as 2021, either. Beirne jokes about how he has 'gotten slower, put on a bit of weight' since the last excursion, but it's worth remembering that he had started that season as a squad member with Ireland before he got, and took, his chance in the Six Nations. All of a sudden, he was a Lion. 'I was kind of playing as a six more than a second row back then. I've been between both over the last couple of years, but if anything, I've probably become more settled in the second row spot over the last couple of months, particularly with Munster. 'I like to think, or I've convinced myself anyway, that my game has improved a bit over the last four years, just in terms of understanding the game and just being a smarter rugby player, and particularly in the second row because I've been playing there a lot more, what's expected of me in in in that role, whether it be for Munster or Ireland.' An even better Beirne is an exciting prospect. He got no more than 18 Test minutes against the Boks in 2021 but that exposure to this most rarified of levels will, barring injury, be massively increased in Australia, and his importance to the squad off the park as well as on won't be minimal either. Andy Farrell spoke on Wednesday of how the players have been busy adapting to a new system while, in the next breath, expressing the desire to see cohesion and connections when they put it all together for the first time against the Pumas. The suggestion that these two dynamics might not be compatible so soon was shut down immediately by the 33-year-old who went on to lay down the sort of marker for the squad that would have had his head coach positively purring. 'Why wouldn't they be compatible?' Beirne asked. 'We're talking about the best of the best. The expectation we would have of each other is that you can adapt to any system you're given. That's the challenge laid in front of us. That's the challenge of being a Lion. Every four years, there's going to be a new system. 'The coach is going to want to play a certain way. If you want to be a Lion, you're going to have to adapt. You'll get left behind. I would say if you came in here thinking that you could just play your club system or your country system, then you're probably already at a loss.' The trick with the Lions is to find that balance between this manner of hard-edged intensity and the sort of levity that you need when holed up in hotels, airplanes and dressing-rooms with the same bunch of people for weeks on end. Johnny Sexton, of all people, provided some of the latter this week when he joked about purchasing a Munster season ticket in the wake of Leinster's signing of Rieko Ioane who he has had a very public spat with in recent years. 'I was celebrating with him in the hotel yesterday,' said Beirne on the back of Sexton's words earlier in the week. 'I was like, 'aw brilliant, can't wait to have you down' and offered him a bed to sleep in for any of the late games. 'Looking forward to having him in the stands next year.'
