Ireland’s U20s shooting to top of the charts

The Stadio Zaffanella in Viadana lay close to empty and torpid under the June sun as Ireland’s U20s eked out a narrow win over Scotland to finish seventh at the 2015 Junior World Cup.

It was a nondescript end to a so-so season for the Wolfpuppies who lost three of their Six Nations games before exiting the annual global get-together in Italy.

Irish rugby does not, as a rule, blood young players with alacrity at senior Test level and the majority of those competing that day would have clocked off for the summer suspecting the path to the top still required a deep breath and a mountain of steps yet to climb.