Peter Malone relishing another crack at Baby Blacks in championship

Ireland U20 head coach Peter Malone is looking forward to having another crack at New Zealand as he prepares to bring his side into battle for this summer’s World Rugby U20 Championships in Georgia, writes Daire Walsh.

The squad for the tournament was announced yesterday in PwC (the team’s sponsor) on Dublin’s North Wall Quay, where the Limerick native — who stepped up from his assistant coaching role following Nigel Carolan’s departure at the end of this year’s Six Nations — included a total of six uncapped players in his 28-man selection.

Ireland defeated New Zealand in last year’s competition, and although the initial focus will be on Pool B encounters with Italy and Scotland, Malone believes his players can head into their June 8 meeting with the Baby Blacks in a confident manner.