SIX NATIONS: UNDER-20s and WOMEN'SFullback Stuart Olding and scrumhalf and captain Luke McGrath are the only returning players from last year as Ireland coach Mike Ruddock named his team for the opening fixture in the Under-20 Six Nations Under-20 Championship against Wales at Eirias, Colwyn Bay, tomorrow night (7.10pm).
Denied the services of several frontline players through injury Ruddock has included two Exiles in right wing Alexander O’Meara and hooker George McGuigan. Former Cork hurler Darren Sweetnam is on the bench.
The game will be shown live on RTÉ 2.
Meanwhile the Ireland Women’s team to play Wales in their opening Six Nations game in Aberavon RFC on Sunday (1.30pm) has been named. Coach Philip Doyle has selected the most capped Irish player, Lynne Cantwell, at outhalf.
IRELAND U20:S Olding (Ulster); A O'Meara (Exiles), T Daly (Leinster), R Scannell (Munster), R Scholes (Ulster); S Crosbie (Leinster), L McGrath (Leinster, capt); B Scott (Munster), G McGuigan (Exiles), C Taylor (Ulster); J Donnan (Ulster), G Thornbury (Leinster); P Timmins (Leinster), R Murphy (Munster), C Joyce (Ulster). Replacements: J Andrew (Ulster), P Dooley (Leinster), J Caulfield (Ulster), S McCarthy (Munster), J Van Der Flier (Leinster), J Creighton (Ulster), D Sweetnam (Munster), D Panther (C'nacht).
IRELAND WOMEN:N Briggs (Munster); N Kavanagh (Munster), G Davitt (Ulster), J Murphy (Leinster), A Miller (Connacht); L Cantwell (Exiles), L Muldoon (Exiles); F Coghlan (Leinster, capt), G Bourke (Munster), A Egan (Leinster); S Spence (Exiles), ML Reilly (Leinster); L Guest (Munster), C Molloy (Exiles), J Neville (Munster). Replacements: S Kennedy (Ulster), F Hayes (Munster), L Day (Exiles), H O'Brien (Munster), S Fleming (Munster), A Davis (Ulster), N Stapleton (Leinster), A Baxter (Ulster).
