'His dream is to play with Ireland' - Ike Anagu on verge of achieving long-term goal 

READY FOR ACTION: Ike Anagu of Ireland during a friendly match between Ireland U20 and Leinster Development at Energia Park. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Richie Murphy has said that Ike Anagu will be fulfilling a long-held dream if he gets to line out for Ireland in the forthcoming U20s Six Nations Championship.

Born in Waterford, Anagu moved to South Africa over a decade ago before eventually joining the La Rochelle Academy in 2021. He remains eligible for the Springboks - and will qualify to represent France through the residency rule if he stays there for five years or more - but Murphy jumped at the chance to get him involved in the U20s set-up through the IQ Rugby programme once he became aware of his background.