Paul Ryan will lead the Ireland U20 team as part of a 26-man squad for the upcoming inaugural IRB Junior World Championships to take place in Wales in June.

DEMOCRATIC presidential candidate Barack Obama yesterday brushed aside a challenge from Hillary Rodham Clinton to debate before the May 6 primaries in Indiana and North Carolina.

The Ireland U-20 team will make its final outing in the RBS Six Nations U20 Championship against England in Gloucester on Friday evening.

THERE are three changes and one positional switch from the Ireland Under-20 side that lost to France for tomorrow night’s meeting with Scotland (Dubarry Park, Athlone, 7.30pm).

France U-20 24 Ireland U-20 13

FRANCE U-20 24 IRELAND U-20 13

The Ireland U-20 team to play France in their second match of the RBS Six Nations U-20 Championship shows one change from the side that beat Italy in Athlone last Friday.

Ireland U20 6 Italy U20 0, Dubarry Park

Holders Ireland will start their RBS Six Nations U-20 Championship at home to Italy at Dubarry Park on Friday night.

THE curtain comes down on a successful IRB under 19 World Championship in Belfast today, with the host nation bidding to finish on a positive note when they face Scotland in the 9th Place Play-Off Final at Ravenhill (3pm).

Ireland coach Charlie McAleese has rung the changes once more to the Ireland U19 team that will play Scotland in the ninth place playoff in the U19 IRB U19 World Championship tomorrow in Ravenhill.

A TOURNAMENT that started so promisingly for Ireland U19s now sees the hosts fighting for respectability.

There are several changes both in personal and position to the Ireland U-19 team to play Japan U19 in the IRB U-19 World Championship tomorrow in Shaw’s Bridge, Belfast.

Ireland U-19 13 Scotland U-19 12

Ireland 10 Australia 15

Management have announced the Ireland U19 team to play Australia U19 in the IRB Under 19 World Championship in Ravenhill, Belfast on Thursday, April 5, at 19.30pm.

The Ireland U19 team will play their final international friendly before the beginning of this year's IRB U19 World Championship when they take on Italy in Parma this Sunday.

The Ireland U-19 team begins its preparations for this year’s IRB U-19 World Championship with a game against Wales in Stradey Park this Friday night.

Ballymena 19 Dolphin 12

The following is the Leinster U20 team to play Connacht in the Interprovincial series on Saturday in the Sportsground (KO: 2.30pm).

The nominees have been announced for the annual Guinness Ulster Rugby Awards Dinner which will be held on Thursday May 18, at the Ramada Hotel.

The Ireland Schools team to play England schools tomorrow in the opening game of the U18 4 Nations Schools tournament shows two personnel and three positional changes to the side that played against France last weekend in a friendly.

Five men appeared in court in Belfast today charged with conspiring to imprison and rob a bank employee.

US Democratic hopeful John Kerry has called for monthly debates with President George W. Bush to elevate the tenor of a presidential election campaign that has opened with a relentlessly negative tone.

Shelbourne are on the verge of a money-spinning clash with Portuguese club Boavista if they can overcome Malta’s Hibernians in tomorrow’s Champions League first qualifying round second leg at Tolka Park.

Maltese hot-shot Adrian Mifsud could end Shelbourne’s dream of a money-spinning tie against Portuguese side Boavista.