Munster fans should be excited by Tom Wood says Ireland U2O boss
FAN FAVOURITE: Tom Wood with his friends after the United Rugby Championship match between Glasgow Warriors and Munster. Pic: Rob Casey/Sportsfile.
Ireland Under-20s boss Andrew Browne believes Munster supporters should be excited to see academy star Tom Wood coming through the ranks, but not before the fly-half plays a full part in the U20 Six Nations campaign, which kicks off against France in Perpignan on Saturday (8pm Irish time).
Wood, 19, is set to start in the green number 10 jersey at Stade Aime Giral a week on from his senior Munster debut off the bench in the URC at Glasgow Warriors, replacing Tony Butler in the 47th minute of the 31-22 defeat.
The Irish head coach told the Irish Examiner he is impressed by the playmaker’s quiet assurance as a leadership foil for Ireland U20s captain and tighthead prop Sami Bishti.
“He's done very well, even when he came on the last day (at Scotstoun),” Browne said. And I think for the most part, I think he would be happy with his game, and I think Munster and supporters would be thinking about him in a good way.
“Like it was some promising shoots from there. I know he had that one miss kick from touch (against Glasgow) but that is something that as a young person, you see a lot of if you're watching AIL rugby, you see a lot of it in underage rugby. That will get better in time.
“I think there is a real window for him in there, down in Munster, to feature a lot more. Hopefully not too soon, because we obviously want him with the 20s. But I think hopefully if he continues his rise and his outlook on rugby is good as well. Like he doesn't give much away, does Tom. You know, he'll always look quite calm and composed on the pitch.
“A different leadership style to what we will get with Sami; more quiet and will lead by his actions as well. But I think if I was a Munster fan, I would be very encouraged by just having him coming through.”
The son of former Munster and Ireland hooker Keith Wood, Tom’s elder brother Gordon, 22, is an academy centre at Munster, and Browne added: “He's from pretty good stock. So, to have that kind of firm base behind him, to have that support network that he can go back and he can lean on, I think is important as well. So, we're very lucky to have him with the 20s as well.
“So hopefully he can have a good Six Nations with us.”
Pre-Six Nations, Ireland have played well in a 31-22 defeat to the South African U20s at Cork’s Virgin Media Park last November and then beaten upcoming championship rivals Italy 29-10 last month at UCD.
Wood is one of four players returning for their second U20 Six Nations campaign alongside wing Derry Moloney, lock Donnacha McGuire and hooker Rian Handley, a quartet Browne is confident has emerged unscathed from a poor 2025 championship.
Ireland finished with the wooden spoon with a single victory away to Scotland in round two. Indeed, last year’s forwards coach, now in charge for a year before Connacht forwards coach Cullie Tucker assumes the head role for 2027, made a point of drawing a line in the sand when the current squad first got together last autumn.
“I addressed last year because it was important to do so in our very first day in camp back in October,” Browne said. “I got their opinion as well in that, the lads that were returning from last year, just to give a sense to the new group how difficult it was.
“But also, what a pleasure and an honour it is representing your country at Under-20 level. So that was it. We talked about that and there was a couple of times going back to it during that first camp but since then, really, it's kind of draw a line in the sand and we've looked forward since then and trying to create our own story without harping back to last year.
“I think that’s very important as well, because you could always compare and contrast. It's nearly like the easy thing to do, but it would nearly be to the detriment of the group because you'd always be looking back without looking forward. So, it's important that we did that. Important that we addressed it early on, but then we parked it.”
Just like the senior Ireland team, Browne’s U20s face an opening trip to the defending champions but the head coach is leaning into the challenge facing his side.
“It is a difficult one, but it's an exciting one as well. Going down there, we've talked about it during the week in terms of what to expect from the atmosphere in Perpignan. I think it's a great place to go and play.
"Stade Aime Giral, I mean, when you've watched Perpignan play, the atmosphere that they generate there, I'm sure it's going to be the same. What I hear is that it's close to a sell-out, which is class. It's going to generate a really good atmosphere.
"You know, naturally, it'll be difficult. Of course it will be. But it's also something that we should savour. And in a way, it's a good thing to do, to not ease yourself into the tournament.
“You're pretty much thrown in at the deep end, which is a good thing because it forces you to start fast and adapt quickly. And I think we have done that from what we've done in training sessions, and hopefully we've prepared ourselves well for that.”
Axel Guillaud (Clermont); Dylan Cazemajou (Agen), Adrien Drault (Bordeaux), Quentin Valentino (Pau), Melvyn Rates (Montpellier); Luka Keletaona (Brive), Nolhann Couillaud (La Rochelle); Matheo Frisach (Clermont), Yanis Basse (Racing 92), Ruben Pargade (Bordeaux); Baptiste Veschambre (Clermont), Nils Punti (Montpellier); Marceau Marzullo (Toulouse), Romeo Bonnard Martin (Toulouse), Tana Keletaona (Brive).
Lohann Gil (Toulon), Liam Couturier (Bayonne), Mael Turpin (Stade Montois), Alban Portat (Toulouse), Lucas Andjisseramatchi (La Rochelle), Antoine Latrasse (Racing 92), Gabin Kretchmann (Perpignan), Joachim Senga Kouo (Vannes).
Noah Byrne (Dublin University/Leinster); Derry Moloney (Blackrock College/Leinster), Johnny O’Sullivan (Dublin University/Leinster), James O’Leary (UCC/Munster), Daniel Ryan (Galway Corinthians/Connacht); Tom Wood (Garryowen/Munster), Christopher Barrett (UCC/Munster); Max Doyle (UCD/Leinster), Rian Handley (Old Wesley/Leinster), Sami Bishti (UCD/Leinster) – captain; Dylan McNeice (UCD/Leinster), Donnacha McGuire (UCD/Leinster); Josh Neill (Old Wesley/Leinster), Billy Hayes (Garryowen/Munster), Diarmaid O’Connell (Galway Corinthians /Connacht).
Duinn Maguire (UCD/Leinster), Christian Foley (Young Munster/ Munster), Blake McClean (Instonians/Ulster), Joe Finn (Garryowen/Munster), Ben Blaney (Terenure College/Leinster), Fergus Callington (Durham University/IQ Rugby), Charlie O’Shea (UCC/Munster), Ethan Black (Old Wesley/Leinster).
Christopher Allison (South Africa).
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