Only a game? Not strictly true.

Ireland U20s assistant coach Kieran Campbell expects his side to be more ruthless in tonight’s Six Nations second round clash with Wales at Musgrave Park (kick-off 7.15pm).

No AIL, no Ireland Under-20 success. Noel McNamara has stressed the importance of club rugby to the success of Ireland’s age-grade player pathway, as his side bids to continue the winning start to its Six Nations title defence.

Despite the gulf in class between the sides in last year’s table, Ireland U20s forward coach Colm Tucker expects Scotland to come out with all guns blazing at Musgrave Park on Friday evening (RTÉ Two, 7.15pm).

Versatile Ireland U20s forward Brian Deeny has said that regular exposure to the All-Ireland League has helped him to prepare for the rough and tumble of underage international rugby.

Ireland turn the page from one era to the next this week as the 2020 Guinness Six Nations gets underway with not just a new coaching team but also a fresh player leadership group.

He may share the same name and position as an international star of the recent past, but Ireland U20s flanker Sean O’Brien plans to make his own reputation.

Exiles product and Connacht full-back Oran McNulty will have every reason to feel right at home when the Ireland U20s get their Six Nations underway in Cork next Friday as he visits his father’s hometown for the opener with Scotland.

David McCann will captain the Ireland Under-20s as part of a 37-man Six Nations squad dominated by Leinster players.

As Joey Carbery and Jacob Stockdale lined up against each other at Ravenhill, it was noted that four years ago, at the time of the 2015 World Cup, neither had made their provincial debuts.

The result was never going to be the primary indicator of the worth of this pre-season workout, but in running in six tries and building important momentum, there was a lot to like about the performance from Noel McNamara’s Ireland Under-20s.

It's 10 years since Ciaran and Rhys Ruddock were part of a talented Ireland U20s side that travelled to Japan to compete in the Junior World Cup.

Ireland captured a memorable Grand Slam earlier this year, securing thrilling home victories over England and France.

Ian McKinley said that heading to Japan with Italy next month, 10 years after featuring there for Ireland in the Junior World Cup, would circle a remarkable rugby journey.

Two of Ireland's U20 Six Nations winners are among the four players added to the Munster Academy for next season.

Paul O’Connell feels Munster need to be mindful about the absence of any ‘locals’ on their backroom staff as they look to a new campaign with a new-look brains trust under Johann van Graan.

Tom Willis’ last-minute try ruined the Ireland Under-20s’ final quarter fight-back as England won a titanic World Rugby U-20 Championship play-off 30-23 in awful underfoot conditions in Rosario.

For years, there had been a reliance on IRFU assistance to facilitate loan repayment negotiations on the debt arising from the Thomond Park redevelopment,

A combination of Ryan Baird's 21st-minute red card and a luckless spate of injuries left the Ireland Under-20s exposed down the final stretch as Australia ruthlessly took advantage to claim a 45-17 bonus point win in Santa Fe.

It won’t prompt an update from the AA Roadwatch team but the steady traffic of players switching provinces will continue this summer on the back of IRFU performance director David Nucifora’s vision to maximise the playing pool.

Ireland U20s coach Noel McNamara insists his full focus is on the upcoming Junior World Cup despite suggestions that he could be a possible candidate for a role with Munster under Johann van Graan.

The party will be whittled down to 28 before departure for Santa Fe, via Amsterdam and Buenos Aires. Ireland face England, Australia and Italy in their pool: a tough task.

Paul O'Connell has dismissed speculation that he could return to a coaching role with Munster anytime soon.

Question marks may remain over his hamstring ahead of Saturday’s Champions Cup quarter-final against Edinburgh but there is no doubting Joey Carbery’s allegiance to Munster with confirmation yesterday that the out-half has signed a two-year contract extension that will see him remain with the province until June 2022.

The Ireland U20s were not long celebrating their remarkable Six Nations Grand Slam before the demands of the rest of the season kicked back in and they had gone their separate ways.

A place in the Munster Senior Schools Cup final is at stake at Musgrave Park today as Cork’s Christian Brothers College takes on Ardscoil Rís, representing the Treaty City.

So that’s Friday nearly wrapped up. Here are some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

Despite being odds-on favourites to extend their winning start to the Six Nations, Ireland U20s scrum coach Ambrose Conboy believes the biggest physical test of the tournament awaits them in Rieti this evening [kick-off 6pm, Irish time].

The competition for places within the Ireland U20s set-up is set to intensify with the return of Craig Casey and Ryan Baird for Friday night’s Six Nations encounter with Italy in Rieti (kick off 6pm, Irish time).

Ireland’s defeat of Scotland didn’t convince everyone that the toxins from the defeat to England in Dublin had been fully flushed from the system, but Andy Farrell believes the side deserves more credit for the manner in which they bounced back in Murrayfield.

It's a starting fifteen shot-through with senior provincial experience.

It’s all too easy to take James Ryan’s youth for granted. An instant success in the unforgiving world of professional club and international rugby, he had Guinness PRO14, Champions Cup and Grand Slam successes to his credit before the age of 22 in his first season in the senior ranks.

It’s a case of friends reunited for Paul O’Connell, after the 38 year-old Munster and Ireland legend confirmed yesterday he is to move to Paris and take up as role as forwards coach with Stade Francais.

The prospect of a shock victory was but a false promise when Ireland took a 12 points lead into the break in the opening match of the World Rugby U-20 Championship in Perpignan.

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

The Nenagh man accompanied co-coach Laurent Travers and captain Yannick Nyanga to yesterday’s media event and found himself facing 50% of the enquiries from the floor.

Donnacha Ryan likes to lose himself in Paris when he isn’t doing his day job with Racing 92.

With the likes of Simon Zebo, Andrew Conway and JJ Hanrahan to compete with, it hasn’t been easy for Stephen Fitzgerald to get a run in a Munster number 15 shirt.

It’s a doozy, as quiz questions go: When did James Ryan last lose a game of rugby?

Jordan Larmour had his season all planned out.

The Ireland Under-20s suffered an alarming collapse in the final quarter of their final U-20 Six Nations game as England ran riot.

Jacob Stockdale was just 13 years of age when he saw his Ireland heroes claim Ireland’s Grand Slam of 2009.

Jack McGrath is reading nothing into Scotland’s poor Six Nations away record as Ireland prepare to face a visiting side this Saturday which is fast leaving behind a forgettable championship past.

The line between triumph and disaster is seldom more than gossamer thin in the Six Nations.