Ireland U20s in wooden spoon battle, but relegation trapdoor may shut

Ireland's Billy Corrigan on the ball against New Zealand, supported by Eanna McCarthy. Pic: Sebastiano Pessina, Inpho

The scale of Ireland’s 69-22 hammering by New Zealand on Wednesday evening has meant Neil Doak’s side now go into the lower tier to see who finishes bottom of the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy.

But even if Ireland finish bottom — they play Scotland with the loser facing either Georgia or Spain — they are unlikely to be relegated as World Rugby proposes increasing this tournament from 12 to 16 teams in 2026.