McAleese braced for big challenge

THE IRB Under-19 World Championship has a high profile around sunny Belfast.

McAleese braced for big challenge

The visibility of the tournament on street flag poles, shop windows, tourist brochures and in hotel lobbies are signs that the city has fully embraced the world’s premier under-age tournament. The competition has seen 24 countries descend on the city and Bangor for the next 17 days.

The Championship kicked off yesterday with the minnows of Division B playing their opening pool games in Malone RFC, Bangor and Queen’s.

Much of the focus will on events in Ravenhill tonight: the venue for the two most appetising encounters.

Favourites New Zealand face dark horses Wales (5:30pm) before hosts Ireland open their bid for a first title since 1998 against holders Australia at 7:30pm.

Ireland coach Charlie McAleese fully appreciates the size of the task that awaits his side tonight, acknowledging that Australia’s development and conditioning structures are ahead of this country’s: “They tend to produce a different physical specimen at 19 than to what we do. Obviously the power in the physical side presents its own problems. But we generally find that our skill levels are on a par at this age. Some of the southern hemisphere players in the tournament this year are playing Super-14 rugby.

McAleese was in charge in Dubai when Ireland finished in fifth position, and most of that squad went on to win the Grand Slam at U20 level this Spring under Eric Elwood.

There’s an acceptance amongst the Ireland coaching staff (that includes former Leinster assistant coach Bobby Byrne and Ireland centre Kurt McQuilkan) that the class of 2007 contains no stars.

But that it itself carries its own advantages. Tonight’s team includes three players from this year’s successful Leinster Schools Senior Cup winning side St Michael’s College, while PBC’s Scott Deasy, fills the number ten shirt for Ireland.

Eoin O’Malley starts at outside centre, while the back row looks formidable and could hold the key to victory. It consists of Kieran Essex (CBC/UCC), Rajan Reilly (St Michael’s) and Paul Ryan of Blackrock RFC, who captains the team

McAleese has had to prepare for this tournament in difficult circumstances and, as a consequence, results in warm-up games have not been good.

A 31-9 loss to Wales in February was followed by a 9-9 draw to Division B side Italy last month. But a friendly against Ireland schools eleven days ago saw signs that the team was beginning to gel.

It must be remembered that training has been disjointed and fragmented because many of the squad were caught up in their respective provincial schools campaigns. For example St Michael’s had five involved in their Leinster Schools Senior Cup win that ended on St Patrick’s weekend.

Like his counterpart Mooney, McAleese can do little to analyse the Australians.

He admitted: “I’m not quite sure of their strengths and weaknesses, but I’ve no doubt that they’ll play with the ball all over the field and they’ll want to play it quick into the dangerous areas. That’s what we have to be careful about — that we play the game we want to play.”

But the Championship had been dominated by the southern hemisphere teams since the turn of the millennium with New Zealand winning three of the last six.

France, in 2000, were the last northern hemisphere side to lift the trophy while England, Scotland and Wales have never won it since its inception in 1969.

Australian coach, Phil Mooney, includes four of the squad that triumphed over the Baby Blacks in Dubai last April and, again, the Junior Wallabies will be tipped to push New Zealand for the title.

But their preparation hasn’t been ideal. Mooney says they only had their first selection camp in December followed by two shorter camps in January and February and finished last month with a ten day assembly before flying into Belfast last weekend.

Mooney is aware wary of the buoyancy of Irish rugby which, he says, will have rubbed off on Ireland’s age grade sides. He says that there “is enormous respect for Irish rugby in Australia since their autumn win over the senior’s and their form in the Six Nations.’’

Mooney had to travel without four players currently on Super 14 contracts: Will Gengia (Reds), Quade Cooper (Reds), David Pocock (Western Force) and Curtley Beale (NSW Waratahs).

Mooney can, however, call on four of last year’s successful squad including centre and captain, Brett Gillespie, Ben Daley (prop), James Hanson (hooker) and Sam Wykes (lock).

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