Browne's Ireland under-20s to face South Africa in Cork 

New Ireland under-20 head coach Andrew Browne. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

The Ireland under-20s are set to face South Africa at Cork's Virgin Media Park as they step up their preparations for the 2026 Men’s U20 Six Nations. 

Newly-appointed head coach Andrew Browne assembled an extended squad at the IRFU High Performance Centre last week and Ireland will come together again for a six-day camp in November, before going head-to-head with the 'Boks on Friday, November 14 (kick-off, 7.30pm).

The challenge match will be a valuable opportunity for Browne and his coaching team to expose their extended squad to minutes in green.

Next year's under-20s Six Nations gets underway with an away trip to France on Saturday, February 7.

The fixture announcement comes after Browne replaced Neil Doak as head coach earlier this month.

Browne was part of the previous coaching ticket, but has now stepped into Doak's shoes as the squad's head coach as they look to improve on their 2025 fortunes.

Former Connacht forward Browne will be assisted by Kieran Hallett, who previously held the Ireland under-19 head coach role, under-18 head coach Michael Hodge and IRFU performance pathway scrum coach Seamus Toomey for the season ahead.

Doak and Ian Keatley have returned to their respective provincial roles with Ulster and Munster.