Andrew Browne: Ireland 20s excited to test themselves against best team in the world

Head coach Browne knows as a player and coach just how demanding this tournament is, but also how it can help young players develop.

Ireland head coach Andrew Browne speaks to his players. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Andrew Browne has enjoyed little good fortune in the draw for fixtures in his sole year in charge of the Irish U-20 side who will open their Junior World Championship campaign this Saturday in Georgia with a clash against an England side who have reached the semi-finals in a dozen of the 15 years this tournament has been held.

The tournament in Georgia has been expanded from 12 to 16 teams, so only the four pool winners will go through to the semi-finals, with the next four playing off for fifth to eighth place and so on.

Argentina, who recently beat New Zealand and last year finished third, and the USA are the other teams in Ireland’s pool and an opening day loss will make it really difficult to stay in contention for a title which Ireland have never won, but twice reached the final in 2016 and three years ago.

Browne, part of Neil Doak’s coaching team last season when they had to win their final game to prevent relegation to the Challenge Cup, took charge this year but their opening game in the Six Nations saw them travel to champions Perpignan where they suffered a 50-21 loss.

That suggested another poor Six Nations campaign — they finished bottom of the table with one win in 2025 — but Browne turned it around and Ireland won all of their remaining games, including a 31-21 win over England in Bath which saw them finish runners-up to France at the end of the campaign.

“We have worked hard over a number of preparation camps and recent uncapped matches against Scotland and a Munster Development side, building on from our Six Nations campaign,” said Browne, an U-20 Six Nations Grand Slam winner in 2007 before going to play 156 times for his native Connacht.

He knows as a player and coach just how demanding this tournament is, but also how it can help young players develop.

“It is a fantastic challenge and an opportunity to test ourselves against the best teams in the world.

“We are aware of the challenges ahead, coming up against some quality sides in our pool, but the players are excited for what lies ahead.

“They are relishing the platform to grow and develop our performance levels in green,” added Browne. It will be his final tournament in charge as his Connacht colleague Cullie Tucker will then step in. 

The Limerick native has been appointed for the next three years.

Browne has made a big call at out-half where Tom Wood, who started in the No.10 shirt in all of the Six Nations games, is on the bench for this one.

Charlie O’Shea, who came off the bench in each of those five games in the Six Nations, has got the nod to start where the UCC student will link up with his former Christians half-back partner Christopher Barrett.

Tighthead Sami Bishti, a Leinster Senior Cup-winning captain with Blackrock College, will again skipper the side with Browne hoping that flanker Josh Neill, who scored four tries in the Six Nations, will continue that sort of form.

He is one of two players recruited from abroad who could have a big impact in this tournament. Cape Town native Neill was recruited by Leinster, while Paddy Woods from Perth, who family is originally from Newtownards and Bangor, is in the Ulster pathway system and is a promising lock who previously played U-19 for Western Province.

Ireland’s opening game of the tournament, which is the first international competition to feature the new trial lowering the tackle height at the sternum, against England in Tbilisi, kicks off at 12.30pm Irish time this Saturday.

Ireland: N Byrne (Leinster); C Molony (Leinster), R Carney (Munster), J O’Leary (Munster), D Ryan (Connacht); C O’Shea (Munster), C Barrett (Munster); M Doyle (Leinster), R Handley (Leinster), S Bishti (Leinster); D McGuire (Leinster), D McNeice (Leinster); J Neill (Leinster), B Blaney (Leinster), D O’Connell (Connacht).

Replacements: D Maguire (Leinster), A Cooper (Connacht), J Conway (Munster), P Woods (Ulster), A Lautsou (Munster), J O’Dwyer (Leinster), T Wood (Munster), J Deegan (Leinster).

England: J Pater (Northampton Saints); Z Finch (Saracens), N Lilley (Exeter Chiefs), W Knight (Gloucester Rugby), S Winters (Bath Rugby); H Shields (Northampton Saints), L Friday (Harlequins); A Poku (Saracens), J Staples (Harlequins), O Streeter (Harlequins); E Williams (Harlequins), A Ainsworth-Cave (Northampton Saints); T Williams (Harlequins), S Kelly (Sale Sharks), C Treacey (c) (Bath Rugby). 

Replacements: J Gorleku (Harlequins), O Spencer (Sale Sharks), S Tonga'uiha (Northampton Saints), P Hogg (Sale Sharks), J Lewis (Northampton Saints), G Newman (Exeter Chiefs), F Keylock (Saracens), G Pearson (Leicester Tigers).