Daniel Brennan, all 6ft3in and 20 stone of him, sits in a small chair in the courtyard of the vineyard where the French U20 team are staying outside Narbonne, and tries to rattle off his phone number before realising he can’t do it in English.

Coach Noel McNamara is hopeful Ireland will learn to “put away” teams and finally get their first win of the World Rugby U20 Championship this afternoon against Scotland.

Head coach Noel McNamara does not believe Ireland’s failure to win a game in the pool stage of the World Rugby U20 Championship should be a cause for alarm.

Ireland captain Caelan Doris said they have turned their attention to getting a first win at the World Rugby U20 Championship on Thursday against Georgia.

South Africa 30 Ireland 17: Ireland coach Noel McNamara said he has no doubt his U20s will regroup and have a crack at Georgia next Thursday despite falling to a second defeat in the World Rugby U20 Championship in France.

Ireland, ever-present in the tournament since it started in Wales in 2008, will face a baptism of fire this evening when they open their World Rugby U20 Championship campaign against France at Stade Aime Giral.

Grand Slam champion, Champions Cup winner and a PRO14 final to come.

Italy 22 Ireland 21: Munster’s Calvin Nash ran in a couple of tries, but Ireland’s hopes of reaching successive World Rugby U20 Championship finals took a nosedive as Italy pipped them at the death in Georgia.

Ahead of Ireland’s opening game in the World Rugby U20 Championship against Italy tomorrow at the AIA Arena in Kutaisi, Jack Kelly revealed that being released from his original role of team captain has taken some pressure off his shoulders.

Ireland U20 head coach Peter Malone is looking forward to having another crack at New Zealand as he prepares to bring his side into battle for this summer’s World Rugby U20 Championships in Georgia, writes Daire Walsh.

England 45 Ireland 21: Twenty-one points was enough to win each of the two previous World Rugby U20 Championship finals and only twice has a team scored more than that and lost, but you got the impression at the AJ Bell Stadium on Saturday evening that no matter what Ireland scored, England would nab more.

Coach Nigel Carolan has urged his men to play the game and not the occasion when they take on England this evening (7pm) in the World Rugby U20 Championship at the AJ Bell Stadium in Greater Manchester.

Former Westmeath minor footballer Conor O’Brien might this week be preparing for a Leinster SFC semi-final showdown with Kildare in Croke Park, but instead it’s the World Rugby U20 Championship final.

It was an emotional day all round in Manchester on Saturday when Ireland beat New Zealand 33-24 in the World Rugby U20 Championship, but nobody fluctuated as violently through the full gamut of emotions as Irish hooker Adam McBurney.

Munster supporters who were enthused by the displays of out-half Johnny Holland in the latter stages of the season will also have been impressed by the performance of Bill Johnston on his debut for the Irish U20s on Tuesday night.

With just five days to go to the start of their World Rugby U20 Championship campaign in Manchester, Ireland head coach Nigel Carolan insists they are not looking beyond their opening game against Wales.

Ireland’s new captain Josh Murphy says the squad has put the disappointment of the New Zealand loss behind them and are now determined to claim fifth place in the World Rugby U20 Championship.

Ireland U20 coach Nigel Carolan said he was proud of the effort made by his men and they would learn from the chastening experience of trying to beat New Zealand.

Had things gone differently, then former Limerick minor hurler Stephen Fitzgerald might be preparing for a big one in the Gaelic Grounds instead of being part of an Irish squad bidding for glory at the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy.

Ireland lock Jack Dwan has been ruled out of the remainder of the World Rugby U20 Championship with a shoulder injury sustained in the final minute of Saturday’s win over Scotland.

Ireland 18 Argentina 16: There is something familiar about a kicker from Cork Con having nerves of steel to land a last-gasp winning penalty, but Tomas Quinlan wrote a script all of his own to get Ireland’s World Rugby U20 Championship off to a winning start.

Nigel Carolan may be in charge of the Irish U20s at a world championship for the first time but the Galwayman has been involved with enough underage national sides to know they face a tough test against Argentina today, 3.30pm (live on TG4).

Ireland coach Nigel Carolan admits the loss of experienced out-half Ross Byrne is a huge blow ahead of their World Rugby U20 Championship campaign but he is confident they have the strength in the squad to cope.