Ireland will harbour thoughts of revenge when they take on Wales in the under-21 international at Thomond Park tonight (7.30). Last season the Welsh handed Ireland their only defeat before going on to win a Grand Slam. In the SANZAR tournament last summer in Argentina, Wales again defeated Ireland.
The Welsh are traditionally strong at this level, a point emphasised by the fact that they travel to Limerick in search of a second successive Grand Slam. Ireland have lost two of their four matches, the away games against England and France. The latter occasion turned into something of a rout as a physically strong French team wreaked havoc in the closing half hour of the match. Ireland were not helped by injuries that day but the pack will need to improve considerably on what will be a very physically robust challenge from tonight's opponents. Cork Constitution second row Donnacha O'Callaghan and Old Belvedere's Simon Keogh have both recovered from injuries sustained the last day.
Once again Garryowen outhalf Jeremy Staunton will be charged with igniting the expansive approach which Ireland has pursued under coach Ciaran Fitzgerald. Staunton has been superb for the under-21s all season while Keogh, D'Arcy, Niall Treston, Chris McCarey and Andrew Hughes have been equally influential.
Ireland U-21: G D'Arcy (Lansdowne); A Dunne (Old Belvedere), P Wallace (UCD), S Moore (UCD, capt), S Keogh (Old Belvedere); J Staunton (Garryowen), K Campbell (London Irish); N Foxe (St Mary's College), A Flavin (London Irish), N Treston (Blackrock College); D O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution), P O'Connell (Young Munster); J Skurr (Otley), C McCarey (Ballymena), A Hughes (Dungannon).
Wales U-21:.
Ireland play Scotland at under-19 level in the West of Scotland grounds tonight (5.30) as part of their preparation for the FIRA under-19 World Championships in France next month.
Ireland U-19: T Daly (UCC); A Maxwell (RBAI), F Baynes (Greystones), J Downey (Old Belvedere), B Burke (Barnhall); C Quaid (CBC Cork), B O'Riordan (UCD); B Young (Ballymena), C Tucker (St Munchin's), S Phillips (Saracens); A Maher (Dublin University), J Murphy (Highfield); A Kelly (Terenure), S Jennings (St Mary's College), N McMillan (Belfast Harlequins). Replacements: F Gallagher
(Instonians), D Witherow (City of Derry), C Hussey (Old Belvedere), P Barker (Malone), R Sparks (Terenure College), F Lynch (St Mary's College), D Mitchell (Saracens).
Northampton lock Richard Metcalfe and Glasgow Caledonians flanker Jason White are new caps included in the Scotland side to play England at Murrayfield on Sunday.
Scotland (v England): C Paterson (Edinburgh Reivers); C Moir (Northampton), G Townsend (Brive), J McLaren (Bourgoin), G Metcalfe (Glasgow Caledonians); D Hodge (Edinburgh Reivers), A Nicol (Glasgow Caledonians, capt); T Smith (Brive), S Brotherstone (Brive), M Stewart (Northampton), S Murray (Saracens), R Metcalfe (Northampton), J White (Glasgow Caledonians), B Pountney (Northampton), M Leslie (Edinburgh Reivers).
Replacements: G McIlwham (Glasgow Caledonians), G Scott (Glasgow Caledonians), S Grimes (Newcastle), S Reid (Narbonne), B Redpath (Narbonne), G Shiel (Edinburgh Reivers), A Bulloch (Glasgow Caledonians).
