Baptism of fire awaits Noel McNamara’s Ireland at Stade Aime Giral

Ireland, ever-present in the tournament since it started in Wales in 2008, will face a baptism of fire this evening when they open their World Rugby U20 Championship campaign against France at Stade Aime Giral.

There have been a couple of weeks of celebrations in Perpignan following their promotion back to the Top 14 and the French are hoping to extend the feelgood factor to their national U20 side.

France come into this tournament as reigning U20 Six Nations champions and having underperformed in this competition — three third-place finishes has been as good as they have managed — they are anxious to make a mark this time round.