Nigel Carolan wary of dangerous Azzurri

Joe Schmidt’s side may still seek a first win of the campaign, but it is hard not to look at their U20 counterparts and suspect that their corner has already been turned.

Defeats to Wales and France had left them with plenty of questions to answer, but a dramatic come-from-behind win in Newcastle against England two weeks ago — they trailed by 20-6 at one point — leaves them well-placed to kick on up the table.

Italy and Scotland at home? Perfect, you would think.

Nigel Carolan isn’t framing it quite like that. Understandably. Not just because it is his imperative as a coach to guard against complacency, but because the Scots, who visit Dublin in a week’s time, look like being their best ever vintage at this grade.

“We know that there’s no easy games now,” said the Ireland U20 head coach ahead of tonight’s outing in Donnybrook. “Italy are the team that are in transition. They’ve a lot of young guys, but they’re still making it very, very difficult for teams like England and France to beat them.

“Scotland had two of their U20s out against Connacht at the weekend in the Pro12… I don’t know what’s going on in their system, but this cycle that they currently have is particularly strong and that’s being recognised.”

The Scots left Italy with a 10-point win last time out, but the Azzurri shipped 40 against both France and England as their head coach and scrum-half legend Alessandro Troncon looks to the future with a batch of U19s.

It may be that it takes Ireland time to break down the resistance, but break it they will. Eliminate the individual errors that pockmarked their losses to the Welsh and French, and the first half against England, and the process will be even quicker.

Carolan has the boon of an unchanged pack and, though there are enforced changes in the back line, it will be exciting to see Ulster’s highly rated Jacob Stockdale make his first appearance on the wing and Brett Connon earn a first start at full-back after a superb cameo last time.

“We’re not going to try and focus too much on Italy,” said Carolan. “If we focus on ourselves and what we do well we know we’re going down the right road. Especially on a fast pitch, it suits us. If all things are equal and we’re consistent in our performance, we should be comfortable.

“But, with that, they are a dangerous side to play against. They’re not going to lie down too easily. No more than England and even France, it could be late in the game before we pull away, but hopefully we’re in that position and hopefully we’ll finish as strong as we did against England.”

IRELAND:

B Connon (Newcastle Falcons); H Keenan (UCD/Leinster), S Daly (Cork Constitution/Munster), C O’Brien (Clontarf/Leinster), J Stockdale (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster); J McPhillips (QUB/Ulster), J Poland (Cork Con/Munster); A Porter (UCD/Leinster), A McBurney (Ballymena/Ulster), C O’Donnell (Sligo/Connacht); P Claffey (Galwegians/Connacht), J Ryan (Lansdowne/Leinster); C Gallagher (Sligo/Connacht), W Connors (UCD/Leinster), G Jones (UCD/Leinster).

Italy:

TBC

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