'It’s groundhog day, you start all over again' - new-look U20s ready to make their mark
NEXT GEN: Mark Sexton runs the rule over Ireland Rugby U20s Squad Training at the IRFU High Performance Centre on Tuesday. Picture: INPHO/Ben Brady
There is no such thing as ‘defending champions’ at the underage grades. Not really. Each year brings with it a new batch of wannabes. The turnover of talent and rate of progress endemic to the teenage ranks all but ensures that every season brings with it a new slate.
SIX NATIONS RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2023
Your home for the latest news, views and analysis of this year's Six Nations Championship from our award winning sports team.
SIX NATIONS RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2023
Your home for the latest news, views and analysis of this year's Six Nations Championship from our award winning sports team.
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So, while Richie Murphy’s Ireland claimed Grand Slam honours at the Six Nations U20s grade last time out, only three of them return for a second shot at a tournament that has served as a profitable breeding ground for future stars. Another four of this year’s collective played in the Summer Series.
If anything, the Welsh outfit they face in Colwyn Bay this Friday in the Championship opener boasts more continuity with eleven of their squad having featured at some point across Six Nations and Summer Series in 2022.
“It is a brand new group,” said Mark Sexton, younger brother of Johnny, who is serving as backs and skills coach for the second year under Murphy. “It’s groundhog day, you start all over again.
“Wales away, it’s a huge challenge and a huge opportunity for a new group of lads to put their mark on things. We have some outstanding rugby players and they want to live it again. They want to be part of something new and create history for themselves.”
Wales coach Byron Hayward has already stated that they are in a “totally different” place when compared to this time 12 months ago and there probably isn’t any harm in stating as much given they shipped over 50 points and eight tries to Ireland when the sides met in 2022.
How good or bad they are remains to be seen. The Welsh, like Ireland, have put together a hodge podge of fixtures since the Christmas period to prepare for this opener but fixtures against Poland’s men, Cardiff Met, Pontypool and a challenge against their Scottish equivalents will only go so far.
Ireland haven’t seen much by way of footage from those games according to Sexton but he is willing to plug into the thought process that this first outing is shaping up to be a tough one as Ireland cross the Irish Sea and make for the Stadiwm Zip World on the Welsh north coast.
“Wales away in the first game of the Six Nations, the Irish 20s have only won there once in the last ten years. Every time you play Wales you get a fight. They are a proud rugby nation, they have a really good side, a good backline.
“Last year, if I remember correctly, we were up against it for the first 20 minutes. Wales got a five-metre line out where they played a shift maul up the front, could have gone five or seven nil up. If that’s the case it is a very difficult match. We know we are up against it. Any away fixture in the Six Nations is going to be a damn hard game.”
Leinster hooker Gus McCarthy has been named captain for the tournament while Diarmuid Mangan, Conor O’Tighearnaigh, and James McNabney all return from the side that swept to the Grand Slam last spring.
Sam Prendergast, brother to Connacht forward Cian, will look to follow up his key role in last year’s Summer Series where Ireland won two and lost two. The three others to play in that tournament were Charlie Irvine, Harry West and George Hadden.
