Ireland head coach Richie Murphy has made two changes and a positional switch to the starting team that drew 32-32 with England ahead of Friday night’s final match in the Under-20 Six Nations Championship against Scotland at Musgrave Park (7pm, live on Virgin Media).
Hooker Henry Walker swaps places with Danny Sheahan as he assumes the starting role with the latter named among the replacements. The other alteration sees Sean Edogbo named in the starting backrow at blindside flanker with Joe Hopes reverting to the secondrow as Alan Spicer drops out of the matchday 23.
The backline is unchanged for the fifth consecutive match. There is one new face on the bench in Ulster’s James McKillop who will make his Irish 20s debut when introduced. Backs coach Ian Keatley explained that the young Ulster backrow, now free from injury, played a unique role in training ahead of the game against England in Bath.
“We got him to train as the English number seven last week [Henry] Pollock, put a headband on him, targeted him and he [McKillop] did a really good job. We don’t only look at matches but how you show up to training every day. He has done a good job there.”
The draw ended Ireland’s pursuit of a third successive U-20 Six Nations Grand Slam but on Friday night in Cork, the home side may have the chance to secure the championship title. England are one point ahead at the top of the standings and have a better points differential (17 ahead) but Mark Mapletoft’s side have to travel to France.
Age-grade rugby is about taking opportunities and one amongst many in this young Irish team who have stepped up is a Clare man, Cratloe’s Luke Murphy. The Shannon player has filled the shirt vacated by Brian Gleeson – last season’s standout player picked up an ankle injury against France and hasn’t played since – to arguably no greater effect than last week.
It was Murphy’s close range try with the match clock in the red that gave Ireland a chance to grab a share of the spoils once Sean Naughton added the conversion. “Firstly, it was a real team try,” Murphy modestly deflected. “We had a minute and a half left and I know if I was watching the match, I would have thought that we wouldn’t have been able to bring it back but, just the team we have, everyone pulled together.
“We knew we were going to score; it was just a matter of who it was. I was just the one who got lucky, after a few carries close to the line.”
He explained that when England scored their try, the Irish team stood behind the posts, focused on their breathing initially to calm down and then became task focused, beginning with the restart. Once they secured possession, Murphy insisted that the players knew they had the ability to score a try.
For the teenager, it was a vindication that the choice he made a couple of years ago to focus on rugby having also played GAA was the right one. His father, a Malahide man, played with Young Munster but his son has been in Shannon from minis up and at school in Ard Scoil Rís.
Murphy has never really focused on whose jersey he inherited with the Irish 20s, just on being the best version of himself. “He’s [Gleeson] a year older now, so I wouldn’t have ever really played with him at all. I think the first time I ever played with him was against France, but it’s big shoes to fill.
“He’s a good friend of mine, so I hope he gets back fit soon. Back for the World Cup and we’ll have an even stronger team then.”
There’s a little bit to do first on Friday night.
Ireland: B O’Connor (UCC); F Treacy (Galwegians), W de Klerk (UCD), H Gavin (Galwegians), H McLaughlin (Lansdowne); J Murphy (Clontarf), O Coffey (Blackrock College); A Usanov (Clontarf), H Walker (QUB), J Boyd (QUB); E O’Connell (UL Bohemian, capt), J Hopes (QUB); S Edogbo (UCC), B Ward (Ballynahinch), L Murphy (Shannon).
Replacements: D Sheahan (Cork Constitution), B Howard (Terenure College), P Bell (Sale Sharks), B Corrigan (Old Wesley), J McKillop (QUB), S Edogbo (UCC), T Brophy (Naas), S Naughton (Galway Corinthians), D Colbert (Dublin University).
Scotland: J Brown; Finlay Doyle, J Ventisei, F Thomson, G Gwynn (co capt); I Coates, H Patterson; C Smyth, J Blyth-Lafferty, C Norrie; E McVie, R Hart (co capt); J Morris, F Douglas, T Currie.
Replacements: M Brogan, R Deans, R Whitefield, A Clarke, M Job, E Davey, A McLean, F Douglas.
