Preview: Six Nations U20, Round 2
The huge surprise last week was Scotland's first-ever win over England, the 2015 champions.
Results Week 1
Scotland vs England, 24-6
Wales vs Ireland, 35-24
France vs Italy, 40-3
The Welsh victory was significant as it was away.
This week, Wales and Scotland meet while Ireland play France and England head for Italy.
Italy vs England at Stadio Pacifici, San Donà di Piave on Friday, 12 February 2016, kick-off 19.10.
Alessandro Troncon has made four changes to the Italy team beaten by France. Erik Dho comes off the bench to fullback. Antonio Rizzi of Marchiol Mogliano comes into the squad and the starting XV and all that at flyhalf. The other two are flank Davide Ciotoli and lock Samulele Ortis.
Jon Callard has made six changes to the team shocked into an historic defeat by Scotland in Round 1.
One is the appointment of a new captain in No.8 Callum Chick in the place of Jack Walker who is injured.
Max Malins, at fullback as Mat Protheroe moves to flyhalf, flank Sam Smith and lock George Nott all win their first caps. at hooker Jack Singleton comes up from the bench to take Walker's place while Curtis Langdon takes his place on the bench. Flank Zach Mercer also moves up from the bench to the starting team.
Only two players are left on the bench from last week – Billy Keast and Jamie Shillcock. Last week's flyhalf Joe Simmonds joins the bench this week.
If Ralph Adams-Hale, Curtis Langdon, Paolo Odogwu and Jack Willis all feature from the bench, a total of 24 players will have made their debuts and had the chance to test themselves at U20 international level over the two games.
England, who are the titleholders from 2015, will want a big [performance this week.
Teams
Italy: 15 Erik Dho (VII° Rugby Torino), 14 Pierre Bruno (Marchiol Mogliano), 13 Roberto Dal Zilio (Paese), 12 Dario Schiabel (Lafert San Donà), 11 Luca Sperandio (Marchiol Mogliano), 10 Antonio Rizzi (Marchiol Mogliano), 9 Vincenzo Charly Ernest Trussardi (Clermont), 8 Gabriele Venditti (Fiamme Oro Rugby Roma), 7 Davide Ciotoli (L'Aquila), 6 Davide Fragnito (US Rugby Benevento)(captain), 5 Samuele Ortis (Lyons), 4 Vittorio Alberto Mantegazza (Capitolina), 3 Marco Riccioni (Calvisano), 2 Marco Manfredi (Lafert San Donà), 1 Daniele Rimpelli (Reggio)
Replacements: 16 Engjel Makelara (Marchiol Mogliano), 17 Damiano Borean (Lafert San Donà), 18 Giosuè Zilocchi (Elephant Rugby)/Nicolò Ceccato (Marchiol Mogliano), 19 Leonard Krumov (Viadana 1970), 20 Michael De Marco (Accademia Nazionale Ivan Francescato), 21 Matteo Maria Panunzi (Capitolina), 22 Peter Boris Mokom (Viadana 1970) /Mihai Ciju (Reggio), 23 Leonardo Mantelli (Femi-Cz Rovigo)
England: 15 Max Malins (Saracens), 14 George Perkins (Saracens), 13 Joe Marchant (Harlequins), 12 Charlie Thacker (Leicester Tigers), 11 Ollie Thorley (Gloucester), 10 Mathew Protheroe (Gloucester), 9 Max Green (Yorkshire Carnegie), 8 Callum Chick (Newcastle Falcons)(captain), 7 Sam Smith (Worcester Warriors), 6 Zach Mercer (Bath), 5 George Nott (Sale Sharks), 4 Huw Taylor (Worcester Warriors), 3 Will Stuart (Wasps), 2 Jack Singleton (Worcester Warriors), 1 Tom West (Wasps)
Replacements: 16 Curtis Langdon (London Irish), 17 Ralph Adams-Hale (Saracens), 18 Billy Keast (Exeter Chiefs), 19 Stan South (Harlequins), 20 Jack Willis (Wasps), 21 Jamie Shillcock (Worcester Warriors), 22 Joe Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs), 23 Paolo Odogwu (Leicester Tigers)
Referee: Lloyd Linton (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Sam Grove-White (Scotland), Finlay Brown (Scotland)
Television match official: Neil Paterson (Scotland)
France vs Ireland at Parc des Sports Amitié, Narbonne on Friday, 12 February 2016, kick-off 21.05
This is a hard match to predict. Ireland were disappointed at home last week and this time are away to France, a strong team, pleased with their Italian victory.
Irish coach Nigel Carolan has made changes, two of them forced because of injury. fullback Jack Power is injured and out as is Will Connors. Hugo Keenan moves from left wing to fullback and new cap Dan Walsh comes onto the flank for Connors.
Conor O'Brien moves from the bench to left wing and Terry Kennedy comes onto the bench in O'Brien's place.
In the pack tighthead Conan O'Donnell drops onto the bench while Conor Kenny moves up from the bench into the starting XV
Four players who were on the bench against Italy will be starting against Ireland – Alexandre Arrate, Judicaël Cancoriet, Michaël Simutoga and Peato Mauvaka. Eliott Roudil, a last-minute withdrawal against Italy, is back on the wing.
France: 15 Romain Buros (Pau), 14 Eliott Roudil (La Rochelle), 13 Damien Penaud (Clermont), 12 Alexandre Arrate (Biarritz), 11 Gabriel NGandebe (Massy Essonne), 10 Anthony Belleau (Toulon), 9 Christopher Kaiser (Narbonne), 8 Anthony Jelonch (Castres), 7 Judicaël Cancoriet (Clermont), 6 Matthieu Voisin (Racing), 5 Mathieu Tanguy (La Rochelle), 4 Florian Verhaegue (Toulouse), 3 Michaël Simutoga (Clermont), 2 Peato Mauvaka (Toulouse), 1 Clément Castets (Montpellier) (captain)
Replacements: 16 Elyes El Ansari (Massy Essonne), 17 Pierre Bourgarit (Auch), 18 Emerick Setiano (Toulon), 19 Théo Hannoyer (Castres), 20 Jean-Baptiste Grenod (Toulon), 21, Baptiste Couilloud (Lyon), 22 Atila Septar (Brive), 23 Alexandre Pilati (Bordeaux-Bègles)
Ireland: 15 Hugo Keenan (UCD), 14 Matthew Byrne (Terenure College), 13 Shane Daly (Cork Constitution), 12 Jimmy O'Brien (UCD), 11 Conor O'Brien (Clontarf), 10 Johnny McPhillips (Queen's University), 9 John Poland (Cork Constitution), 8 Max Deegan (Lansdowne), 7 Dan Walsh (Cork Constitution), 6 Cillian Gallagher (Sligo), 5 James Ryan (Lansdowne), (captain), 4 Peter Claffey (Galwegians), 3 Conor Kenny (Buccaneers), 2 Adam McBurney (Ballymena), 1 Andrew Porter (UCD)
Replacements: 16 Shane Fenton (Young Munster), 17 James Bollard (Dublin University), 18 Conan O'Donnell (Sligo), 19 Sean O'Connor (Cashel), 20 Kelvin Brown (Shannon), 21 Stephen Kerins (Sligo)
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys (England)
Wales vs Scotland at Eirias Park, Colwyn Bay on Friday, 12 February 2016, kick-off 18.30
Both these sides should enter this match with confidence and determination – Scotland after their big victory over the reigning champions, Wales after winning in Donnybrook. This one is a home match for the Welsh up in North Wales at a ground they call home.
Wales have three changes. Three of last week's team are off to play in the Pro 12 – Adam Beard and Owen Watkin for the Ospreys and Jarrod Evans for Cardiff Blues and have been called up by their Regions this weekend.
Joe Thomas comes off the bench to outside centre while Harri Millard moves to inside centre. Scrumhalves change places – Reuben Morgan Williams from the bench and Declan Smith to the bench. Then in Beard's place at lock Bryce Morgan gets a starting place.
In addition James Ratti, Billy McBryde and Joe Gage come onto the bench. Billy, who played flyhalf for Wales Under-18 last year, is the son of the famous Robin McBryde.
Scotland have also players playing in PRO12 or English Premiership this weekend and so have made three changes. The three who have gone up higher are Blair Kinghorn and Jamie Ritchie, both playing for Edinburgh and Adam Hastings who is playing for Bath in the Premiership
In come lock Callum Hunter-Hill, fullback Ruairi Howarth and outside centre George Taylor.
Teams
Wales: 15 Rhun Williams (RGC), 14 Elis-Wyn Benham (Cardiff Blues), 13 Joe Thomas (Ospreys), 12 Harri Millard (Cardiff Blues), 11 Keelan Giles (Ospreys), 10 Dan Jones (Scarlets), 9 Reuben Morgan-Williams (Ospreys), 8 Harrison Keddie (Newport Gwent Dragons), 7 Shaun Evans (Scarlets), 6 Tom Phillips (Scarlets) (captain), 5 Bryce Morgan (Newport Gwent Dragons), 4 Shane Lewis-Hughes (Cardiff Blues), 3 Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Blues), 2 Dafydd Hughes (Scarlets), 1 Corey Domachowski (Cardiff Blues)
Replacements: 16 Ifan Phillips (Scarlets), 17 Robert Lewis (Cardiff Blues), 18 Leon Brown (Newport Gwent Dragons), 19 James Ratti (Ospreys), 20 Morgan Sieniawski (Cardiff Blues), 21 Declan Smith (Scarlets), 22 Billy McBryde (Scarlets), 23 Joe Gage (Ospreys)
Scotland: 15 Ruairi Howarth (Gala), 14 Darcy Graham (Hawick), 13 George Taylor (Melrose), 12 Tom Galbraith (Melrose), 11 Robbie Nairn (Harlequins), 10 Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints), 9 Hugh Fraser (Heriot’s), 8 Ally Miller (Melrose), 7 Matt Smith (Glasgow Hawks), 6 Andrew Davidson (Glasgow Hawks), 5 Scott Cummings (Glasgow Hawks) (captain), 4 Callum Hunter-Hill (Stirling County), 3 Callum Sheldon (Leeds Beckett University), 2 Jake Kerr (Boroughmuir), 1 Murray McCallum (Heriot’s)
Replacements: 16 Lewis Anderson (Ayr), 17 George Thornton (Bishop Burton College), 18 Adam Nicol (Stirling County), 19 Stephen Ainslie (Currie), 20 Scott Burnside (Boroughmuir), 21 Charlie Shiel (Currie), 22 Chris Lines (Boroughmuir), 23 Ben Robbins (Currie)
Referee: Elia Rizzo (Italy)
Assistant referees: Claudio Blessano (Italy), Luca Trentin (Italy)
