Nigel Carolan’s U20s aim to lay foundations for Irish success

The morning after the depressing night before, when Ireland’s failure to provide a single representative in the Champions Cup’s last eight was belatedly confirmed, and Nigel Carolan is introducing his latest batch of Ireland U20s to the media in a Dublin hotel.

It seemed fitting.

For months now we have listened to coaches and administrators big up the role the provincial academies and the underage player pathway in general has to play if the war with the richer clubs in France and England is not to be lost along with this season’s battles.