Ireland U20s hoping mixture of brain and brawn a winning formula ahead of Wales trip

Richie Murphy’s side kick off their tournament in Colwyn Bay on Friday evening.

Brian Gleeson in full flow during Ireland U20s training in Dublin this week. Picture: INPHO/Ben Brady

Size isn’t everything in rugby but it sure helps. That holds even more at the U20 grade where players are still fitting in to frames that may not be fully formed and Ireland have rarely found themselves trading in such excess bulk.

Six Nations campaigns at this level are usually prefaced with the physical disadvantage the boys in green will face when up against France and England but this crop is different. Bigger. Badder? We’ll see. Better? Well, last year’s crop did claim a Grand Slam.