Preview: Six Nations U20
Each group has three matches left – Italy Scotland and Ireland. This weekend it's Italy.
In the Under-20 Six Nations, England have beaten France and Wales and Italy look unlikely to mount a serious challenge.
Results
Round 1
Ireland vs Scotland, 20-19
England vs France, 59-17
Wales vs Italy, 27-5
Round 2
Ireland vs Italy, 27-26
England vs Wales, 37-21
France vs Scotland, 36-8
Round 3 Fixtures
England vs Italy
Scotland vs Wales
Ireland vs France
You would expect England and Wales to win well and Ireland have another chance of sneaking another small victory.
Log after Two Rounds
1. England – 10 pts
2. Ireland – 8 pts
3. France – 5 pts
4. Wales – 4 pts
5. Italy – 1 pts
6. Scotland – 1 pts
England vs Italy
For this match between the top of the log and the bottom of the log, between unbeaten and winless, England have made eight changes to the team that got home against Wales. Italy, on the other hand, have made just two changes to the team hammered by Ireland.
For England Jamie Blamire, Josh Caulfield, Ben Curry, Ciaran Knight and Alex Mitchell all start for the first time, and Sam Aspland-Robinson and Jack Nay return and Dominic Morris starts at outside centre.
Rory Brand, Max Davies, Marcus Smith, Marcus Street and Henry Walker are on the bench and would make their debuts for England Under-10 if they played in the match.
The most noteworthy Italian change is in the front row where Giosuè Zilocchi comes into tighthead in the place of captain Marco Riccioni. Inside centre Marco Zanon takes over the captaincy. The other change is on the left wing. Giovanni D'Onofrio, who played all but a minute of the match against Wales, starts this time.
Teams
England: 15 Tom Parton (London Irish), 14 Sam Aspland-Robinson (Harlequins), 13 Dominic Morris (Saracens), 12 Max Wright (Yorkshire Carnegie), 11 Gabriel Ibitoye (Harlequins), 10 Jacob Umaga (Wasps), 9 Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints), 8 Zach Mercer (Bath) (captain), 7 Ben Curry (Sale Sharks), 6 Jack Nay (Saracens), 5 Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), 4 Josh Caulfield (Exeter Chiefs), 3 Ciaran Knight (Gloucester), 2 Jamie Blamire (Newcastle Falcons), 1 Ollie Dawe (Bristol)
Replacements: 16 Henry Walker (Gloucester), 17 Alex Seville (Gloucester), 18 Marcus Street (Exeter Chiefs), 19 Max Davies (Newcastle Falcons), 20 Josh Bayliss (Bath), 21 Rory Brand (London Irish), 22 Marcus Smith (Harlequins), 23 Joe Cokanasiga (London Irish)
Italy: 15 Massimo Cioffi (Lazio), 14 Andrea Bronzini (Viadana), 13 Ludovico Vaccari (Capitolina), 12 Marco Zanon (Mogliano) (captain), 11 Giovanni D'Onofrio (Benevento), 10 Antonio Rizzi (Mogliano), 9 Charly Trussardi (Clermont Auvergne), 8 Giovanni Licata (Miraglia), 7 Lorenzo Masselli (Lyons), 6 Jacopo Bianchi (Vasari Arezzo), 5 Gabriele Venditti (Lazio), 4 Giordano Baldino (Mogliano), 3 Giosuè Zilocchi (Lyons), 2 Massimo Ceciliani (Delebio), 1 Daniele Rimpelli (Calvisano)
Replacements: 16 Alberto Rollero (Lyons), 17 Danilo Fischetti (Capitolina), 18 Michele Mancini Parri (Vasari Rugby Arezzo), 19 Edoardo Iachizzi (Perpignan), 20 Nardo Casolari (Lazio), 21 Emilio Fusco (Aurillac), 22 Michelangelo Biondelli (Rovigo), 23 Roberto dal Zilio (Calvisano)
Coaches: Carlo Orlandi, Alessandro Troncon
Date: Friday, 24 February 2017
Kick-off: 19.45
Venue: Northern Echo Arena, Darlington
Expected weather conditions: Partly cloudy with a comfortable high of 22°C, dropping to 12°C
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Mike Adamson (Scotland), Finlay Brown (Scotland)
Television match official: Jim Yuille (Scotland)
Assessor: Michael Carroll (Ireland)
Scotland vs Wales
Scotland beat Ireland and but were then given a hiding by France and there are five changes to the side for this home match near Glasgow. Josh Henderson returns at flyhalf after being sick for the France match and Charlie Shiel starts at scrumhalf for the first time. Ross McCann and Robbie Nairn swap places.
The three changes in the pack are both in the tight five. Fergus Bradbury starts at prop and Hamish Bain at lock as Alex Craig moves to the blindside.
Wales have brought in fresh blood – five uncapped players. Three of them are starting – flank James Botham, No.8 Aled Ward and wing Corey Baldwin. The other two newboys will be on the bench – Owen Hughes and Arwel Robson.
Outside centre Cameron Lewis and hooker Corrie Tarrant are in the starting XV for the first time.
Rhun Williams and Reuben Morgan-Williams return to the side.
In all seven players have dropped out of the starting team after the last match.
Coach Jason Strange said of his side: "The pressure for places in the squad has increased the competitive feeling amongst the squad, and after capping eight new players against England, it's good to be able to blood some more this week, That's exactly what we need travelling to Scotland, who boast some really good individuals and a big pack of forwards."
Teams:
Scotland: 15 Stafford McDowall (Ayr), 14 Ross McCann (Melrose), 13 Craig Pringle (Stirling County), 12 Cameron Hutchison (Currie), 11 Darcy Graham (Hawick), 10 Josh Henderson (Glasgow Hawks), 9 Charlie Shiel (Currie), 8 Tom Dodd (Worcester Warriors), 7 Luke Crosbie (Currie), 6 Alex Craig (Gloucester), 5 Callum Hunter-Hill (Stirling County) (captain), 4 Hamish Bain (Currie), 3 Adam Nicol (Stirling County), 2 Fraser Renwick (Hawick), 1 Fergus Bradbury (Stirling County)
Replacements: 16 Robbie Smith (Ayr), 17 Daniel Winning (Boroughmuir), 18 George Thornton (Bishop Burton College), 19 Bruce Flockhart (Glasgow Hawks), 20 Jamie Ure (Boroughmuir), 21 Andrew Simmers (Heriot’s), 22 Cameron Hutchison (Currie), 23 Robbie Nairn (Harlequins)
Coach: Sean Lineen
Wales: 15 Rhun Williams (Cardiff Blues), 14 Corey Baldwin (Scarlets), 13 Cameron Lewis (Cardiff Blues), 12 Kieran Williams (Ospreys), 11 Ryan Conbeer (Scarlets), 10 Ben Jones (Cardiff Blues), 9 Dane Blacker (Cardiff Blues), 8 Aled Ward (Cardiff Blues), 7 Will Jones (Ospreys) (captain), 6 James Botham (Cardiff Blues), 5 Alex Dombrandt (Cardiff Met), 4 Sean Moore (Pontypridd), 3 Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff Blues), 2 Corrie Tarrant (Cardiff Blues), 1 Rhys Carre (Cardiff Blues)
Replacements: 16 Owen Hughes (Newport Gwent Dragons), 17 Steff Thomas (Scarlets), 18 Chris Coleman (Newport Gwent Dragons), 19 Max Williams (Newport Gwent Dragons), 20 Morgan Morris (Hartpury), 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams (Ospreys), 22 Arwel Robson (Newport Gwent Dragons), 23 Phil Jones (Ospreys)
Coach: Jason Strange
Date: Friday, 24 February 2017
Kick-off:
Venue: Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld
expected weather conditions: The forecast says rain but in fact is started snowing on Thursday. The high is forecast to be 6°C, the low 3°C
Referee: Thomas Charabas (France)
Timekeeper: John McLaughlin (Scotland)
Ireland vs France
Ireland have had a charmed life, winning two matches, each by a single point. Coach Nigel Carolan has made five changes. For one thing he has his third captain in the team's third match as wing Calvin Nash comes into the side, following injuries to Jack Kelly and Cillian Gallagher, the previous captains. Rob Lyttle starts at fullback.
Bill Johnston starts for the first time in place of injured points' scorer Johnny McPhillips.
Tommy O'Brien comes off the bench and into the starting team.
Fineen Wycherley has been taken up into the Munster senior side in the PRO 12 and his place is taken by Jack Regan
Marcus Rea comes onto the flank in the place of Gallagher who has an injured shoulder.
Inevitably the bench is much changed and there are possible first caps for Sean Masterson, Ronan Kelleher and Alex McHenry.
Thomas Lièvremont, the France Under-20 coach, has injury problems and has made six changes to the team that thumped Scotland.
Arthur Retière comes off the bench to start at scrumhalf this round. Pierre-Louise Barassi starts at outside centre and Kevin Tougne at loosehead. Alexandre Roumat, Dylan Cretin and Julien Ruaud make up a new loose trio.
Ntamack is the son of the famous Emile and Roumat the son of the famous Olivier. Under-20 Six Nations Table
Teams
Ireland: 15 Rob Lyttle (Queen's University), 14 Jordan Larmour (St Mary's), 13 Tommy O'Brien (UCD), 12 Ciaran Frawley (UCD), 11 Calvin Nash (Young Munster) (captain), 10 Bill Johnston (Garryowen), 9 Jonny Stewart (Queen's University), 8 Caelan Doris (St Mary's), 7 Paul Boyle (Lansdowne), 6 Marcus Rea (Queen's University), 5 Oisin Dowling (Lansdowne), 4 Jack Regan (UCD), 3 Charlie Connolly (Dublin University), 2 Tadgh McElroy (Lansdowne), 1 Joey Conway (UL Bohemians)
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher (UCD), 17 Rory Mulvihill (UCD), 18 Peter Cooper (Belfast Harlequins), 19 Gavin Coombes (Young Munster), 20 Sean Masterson (Corinthians), 21 Jack Lyons (Young Munster), 22 Conor Fitzgerald (Shannon), 23 Alex McHenry (Cork Constitution).
France: 15 Romain Buros (Pau), 14 Faraj Fartass (Stade Français), 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi (Lyon), 12 Théo Dachary (Biarritz), 11 William Iraguha (Massy Essonne), 10 Romain Ntamack (Toulouse), 9 Arthur Retière (La Rochelle), 8 Alexandre Roumat (Biarritz), 7 Julien Ruaud (Clermont Auvergne), 6 Dylan Cretin (Lyon), 5 Mickaël Capelli (Grenoble), 4 Florian Verhaeghe (Toulouse) (captain), 3 Thomas Laclayat (Oyonnax), 2 Etienne Fourcade (Grenoble), 1 Kévin Tougne (Perpignan)
Replacements: 16 Léo Aouf (La Rochelle), 17 Florian Dufour (Agen), 18 George-Henri Colombe (Racing), 19 Killian Geraci (Grenoble), 20 Baptiste Couilloud (Lyon), 21 Cameron Woki (Massy Essonne), 22 Anthony Fuertes (La Rochelle), 23 Théo Millet (Stade Français)
Coach: Thomas Lièvremont
Date: Friday, 24 February 2017
Kick-off: 20.00
Venue: Donnybrook, Dublin
Expected weather conditions: A miserable day with a strong chance of rain, a high of 8°C and a low of 6°C
Referee: Tom Foley (England)
Assistant Referees: Phil Watters, Hamish Smales (both England)
Television match official: Stuart Terheege (England)
