Under-20 World Championship, Finals - Team Tracker
PREVIEW: Head coach Richie Murphy has named his Ireland matchday squad for Friday’s World Rugby Under-20 Championship Final against France at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town.
Murphy has made one change to his starting XV from last weekend’s semifinal win over South Africa, as James McNabney comes back into the back row and Diarmuid Mangan switches to the second row.
Henry McErlean, Andrew Osborne and James Nicholson continue in the back three, with John Devine and Hugh Gavin named in the Ireland midfield. Fintan Gunne and Sam Prendergast are the halfbacks.
In the pack, Paddy McCarthy, captain Gus McCarthy and Ronan Foxe are in the front row, with Mangan joining Conor O’Tighearnaigh in the engine room. The returning McNabney is named in the back row alongside Ruadhan Quinn and Brian Gleeson.
Murphy has strong options on the bench, with Max Clein, George Hadden, Fiachna Barrett, Charlie Irvine and Evan O’Connell providing the reinforcements in the pack, while Oscar Cawley, Matty Lynch and Sam Berman complete the match 23 for Friday’s decider.
Commenting ahead of the game Murphy said: “The entire group are fully focused on producing our best performance of the season on Friday night because we know we’ll need it against a very strong France team. We have made good progress throughout the tournament but we will need to fine-tune all areas of our game for the Final.
“The players and staff are excited about the challenge ahead and we look forward to representing Ireland in the World Rugby U20 Championship final. The level of support we have received from back home throughout has been incredible and a major boost for everyone, and we will do everything to finish the season on the ultimate high.”
France coach Sébastien Calvet has named an unchanged starting XV for the clash.
All 15 members of the side that overturned a 0-17 deficit at Athlone Stadium to win 52-31 on Sunday against England in the semifinal have been rewarded with a starting berth, with only one change being made on the bench.
The six-two split on the bench adopted in the semifinal to overcome England’s pack has been replaced by a conventional bench, which sees centre Arthur Mathiron replace loose forward Andy Timo.
Though England gave Les Bleuets their sternest test so far this Championship, they were still no match in the end. England’s 21-point deficit was, however, the closest any team has got to France in the tournament, alongside New Zealand who also lost by the same margin.
Calvet’s team will face an Ireland side that have gone from strength to strength since their draw with England in the opening round, booking their spot in the final with a 31-12 win over hosts South Africa in the semifinal.
*Damian Markus will earn a first start for the Junior Springboks against England on Friday, while SA U20 head coach Bafana Nhleko was also forced to make a few changes due to injuries for their third-place play-off at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town.
Markus played off the bench in all four matches of the tournament thus far, and on Friday will run out at inside centre, while Hakeem Kunene (fullback, shoulder), Jacob van Heerden (lock, shoulder) and Ghudian van Reenen (flank, concussion) have been ruled out of the match.
Regan Izaks will start at fullback, as he did against Italy in Paarl, while Hennie Sieberhagen has been drafted into the squad to replace Van Reenen and will make his debut in the No.7 jersey. The former Paarl Gimnasium pupil was in die wider squad, but just missed out on final selection and will now get a chance to show his mettle.
Tiaan Wessels, who made his debut against Italy, will earn a second cap at lock in place of Van Heerden, while Quewin Nortje (wing) and Neil le Roux (scrumhalf) will also start – having last done that against Italy – with Michael Annies and Imad Khan playing off the bench this time.
Nhleko also changed his props. Mawande Mdanda and Phatu Ganyane will pack down together, having last done so in the tournament opener against Georgia. On the bench, flank Gcinokuhle Mdletshe will also see some action having last played against Italy.
“We said at the start of the tournament that we wanted to give everyone a taste of Test match rugby,” said Nhleko.
“We did that, but the injuries and the result against Ireland have now given us another opportunity to expand on that, which means we will have some fresh bodies in the squad to face England. We lost Hakeem, JF and Ghudian due to injury, while Neil is back after missing two games due to HIA protocols.
“We are sad to lose those three players, but at the same time happy for someone like Hennie. He has trained with us with great enthusiasm even after being told that he did not make the squad and it is great for him to have that attitude rewarded.
“We still have a lot to play for. We looked at the way England play and planned accordingly; we believe we have named a squad that will suit us in what we want to achieve.”
*In Friday’s other matches, Italy will face Japan in the 11th-place play-off, while Fiji are up against Argentina in the ninth-place play-off.
New Zealand will be hoping to end on a high when they face Georgia in the seventh-place play-off and Wales will have a tough encounter against Australia in the fifth-place play-off.
*All the teams follow below. They will be updated as they become available …
Friday, July 14:
Italy v Japan
(Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch – Kick-off: 12.00; 10.00 GMT)
Teams:
Italy: 15 Simone Brisighella, 14 Alessandro Gesi, 13 Lorenzo Elettri, 12 Dewi Passarella, 11 Filippo Bozzoni, 10 Giovanni Sante, 9 Lorenzo Casilio, 8 Jacopo Botturi, 7 David Odiase (captain), 6 Carlos Berlese, 5 Pietro Turrisi, 4 Enrico Pontarini, 3 Marcos Francesco Gallorini, 2 Nicholas Gasperini, 1 Federico Pisani.
Replacements: 16. Giovanni Quattrini, 17 Riccardo Bartolini, 18 Matteo Bernardinello, 19 Alex Mattioli, 20 Filippo Lavorenti, 21 Sebastiano Battara, 22 Matthias Leon Douglas, 23 Nicola Bozzo
Japan: Japan: 15 Yohsitaka Yazaki, 14 Renji Oike, 13 Yoshiki Omachi (captain), 12 Kengo Nonaka, 11 Kohso Muto, 10 Kanjiro Naramoto, 9 Asahi Doei, 8 Taison Mogami, 7 Tomoki Kusuda, 6 Tenta Kobayashi, 5 Kantaro Tajima, 4 Yuzuki Sasaki, 3 Riku Tomita, 2 Takashi Omoto, 1 Sena Hwang.
Replacements: 16 Kouta Nagashima, 17 Tomoki Yumbe, 18 Kosuke Sugiura, 19 Bunsuke Kurita 20 Keito Hayashi, 21 Yutaro Takahashi, 22 Taishin Ohshima, 23 Genki Ikuta
Referee: Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Luc Ramos (France), Stephan Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Wales v Australia
(Athlone Sports Stadium, Cape Town – Kick-off: 14.00; 12.00 GMT)
Teams:
Wales: 15 Harri Houston, 14 Tom Florence, 13 Louie Hennessey, 12 Bryn Bradley, 11 Llien Morgan, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Archie Hughes, 8 Morgan Morse, 7 Lucas De La Rua, 6 Ryan Woodman (captain), 5 Jonny Green, 4 Evan Hill, 3 Kian Hire, 2 Lewis Lloyd, 1 Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths.
Replacements: 16 Lewis Morgan, 17 Louis Fletcher, 18 Tom Pritchard, 19 Mackenzie Martin, 20 Gwilym Evans, 21 Joe Westwood, 22 Harri Wilde, 23 Harri Williams.
Australia: 15 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, 14 Tim Ryan, 13 Henry O’Donnell, 12 David Vaihu, 11 Darby Lancaster, 10 Jack Bowen, 9 Teddy Wilson (captain), 8 Leafi Heka Talataina, 7 Ned Slack-Smith, 6 Lachlan Hooper, 5 Daniel Maiava-Tapusoa, 4 Toby Macpherson, 3 Nick Bloomfield, 2 Liam Bowron, 1 Jack Barrett.
Replacements: 16 Marley Pearce, 17 Harrison Usher, 18 Trevor King, 19 Ollie McCrea, 20 John Bryant, 21 Klayton Thorn, 22 Mason Gordon, 23 Jackson Ropata.
Referee: Angus Maybe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Morne Ferreira (South Africa), Christopher Allison (South Africa)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)
Fiji v Argentina
(Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch – Kick-off: 14.30; 12.30 GMT)
Teams:
Fiji: 15 Isikeli Basiyalo, 14 Sireli Misiwini, 13 Epeli Waqaicece, 12 Pateresio Finau, 11 Manieta Vonovono, 10 Phillip Baselala, 9 Sakiusa Kama, 8 Judah Qoro Saumaisue, 7 Motikiai Murray, 6 Timoci Nakalevu, 5 Nalani May, 4 Mesake Vocevoce, 3 Lasaro Vuluma, 2 Kavaia Tagivetaua, 1 Moses McGoon
Replacements: 16 Joeli Nainoca, 17 Sitiveni Tamani, 18 Marika Toga, 19 Emosi Natubailagi, 20 Sakenasa Senivono Nalasi, 21 Frank Ralogaivau, 22 Tupeni Waqalala, 23 Bronson Lee
Argentina: 15 Felipe Mallia, 14 Mateo Soler, 13 Faustino Sanchez Valarolo, 12 Ernesto Giudice, 11 Valentin Soler Filloy, 10 Valentino Di Capua, 9 Tomas Di Biase, 8 Eliseo Chiavassa, 7 Felipe Bares, 6 Facundo Garcia Hamilton, 5 Tiziano Barrios, 4 Mateo Lorenzo, 3 Marcos Camerlinckx, 2 Valentino Minoyetti, 1 Matias Medrano
Replacements: 16 Tomas Bartolini, 17 Juan Vivas, 18 Tomas Rapetti, 19 Efrain Elias, 20 Aitor Bildosola, 21 Agustin Moyano, 22 Nicolas Lopez Gonzalez, 23 Franco Rossetto
Referee: Ben Breakspear (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Hollie Davidson (Scotland), Dylen November (South Africa)
TMO: AM Jacobs (South Africa)
South Africa v England
(Athlone Sports Stadium – Kick-off: 16.30; 14.30 GMT)
Teams:
South Africa: South Africa: 15 Regan Izaks, 14 Jurenzo Julius, 13 Katlego Letebele, 12 Damian Markus, 11 Quewin Nortje, 10 Jean Smith, 9 Neil le Roux, 8 Corné Beets, 7 Hennie Sieberhagen, 6 Paul de Villiers (captain), 5 Tiaan Wessels, 4 Coetzee le Roux, 3 Mawande Mdanda, 2 Juann Else, 1 Phatu Ganyane.
Replacements: 16 Samuel Kotze, 17 Corné Lavagna, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Abulele Ndabambi, 20 Gcinokuhle Mdletshe, 21 Imad Khan, 22 Litelihle Bester, 23 Michael Annies.
England: 15 Sam Harris, 14 Cassius Cleaves, 13 Joe Jenkins, 12 Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, 11 Alex Wills, 10 Connor Slevin, 9 Nye Thomas, 8 Zach Carr, 7 Nathan Michelow, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 5 Lewis Chessum (captain), 4 Joe Bailey, 3 Afolabi Fasogbon, 2 Craig Wright, 1 Asher Opoku-Fordjour.
Replacements: 16 Nathan Jibulu, 17 Ethan Clarke, 18 James Halliwell, 19 Finn Carnduff, 20 Tristan Woodman, 21 Charlie Bracken, 22 Louie Johnson, 23 Joe Woodward.
Referee: Reuben Keane (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Takehito Namekawa (Japan), Griffin Colby (South African)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
Georgia v New Zealand
(Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch – Kick-off: 17.00; 15.00 GMT)
Teams:
Georgia: 15 Vazha Mikadze, 14 Shalva Aptsiauri, 13 Tornike Kakhoidze, 12 Giorgi Shvelidze, 11 Luka Tsirekidze, 10 Petre Khutsishvili, 9 Davit Khuroshvili, 8 Nika Lomidze, 7 Lasha Tsikhistavi (captain), 6 Rati Zazadze, 5 , 4 Guram Ghaniashvili, 3 Badri Tsikhistavi, 2 Basa Khonelidze, 1 Sergo Abramishvili.
Replacements: 16 Tamaz Chamiashvili, 17 Giorgi Mamaiashvili, 18 Lrakli Aptsiauri, 19 Giorgi Nikoladze, 20 Tornike Ghaniashvili, 21 Aleksandre Jighauri, 22 Gela Kheladze, 23 Luka Khorbaladze.
New Zealand: 15 Harry Godfrey, 14 Caleb Tangitau, 13 Aki Tuivailala, 12 Ajay Faleafaga, 11 Macca Springer, 10 Taha Kemara, 9 Noah Hotham (captain), 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Cooper Flanders, 6 Will Stodart, 5 Hunter Morrison, 4 Taylor Chaill, 3 Siale Luaaki, 2 Jack Taylor, 1 Ben Ake.
Replacements: 16 Raymond Tuputupu, 17 Hunter Fahey, 18 Malakai Hala, 19 Malachi Wrampling-Alec, 20 Che Clark, 21 Jordi Viljoen, 22 Xavi Taele, 23 Code Vai
Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe (England)
Assistant Referees: Luc Ramos (France), Stephan Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (SARU)
Ireland v France
(Athlone Sports Stadium, Cape Town – Kick-off: 19.00; 17.00 GMT)
Teams:
Ireland: 15 Henry McErlean, 14 Andrew Osborne, 13 Hugh Gavin, 12 John Devine, 11 James Nicholson, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Fintan Gunne, 8 Brian Gleeson, 7 Ruadhan Quinn, 6 James McNabney, 5 Conor O’Tighearnaigh, 4 Diarmuid Mangan, 3 Ronan Foxe, 2 Gus McCarthy, 1 Paddy McCarthy.
Replacements: 16 Max Clein, 17 George Hadden, 18 Fiachna Barrett, 19 Charlie Irvine, 20 Evan O’Connell, 21 Oscar Cawley, 22 Matthew Lynch, 23 Sam Berman.
France: 15 Mathis Ferte, 14 Leo Drouet, 13 Nicolas Depoortere, 12 Paul Costes, 11 Theo Attissogbe, 10 Hugo Reus, 9 Baptiste Jauneau, 8 Marko Gazzotti, 7 Oscar Jegou, 6 Lenni Nouchi, 5 Posolo Tuilagi, 4 Hugo Auradou,3 Zaccharie Affane, 2 Pierre Jouvin, 1 Louis Penverne.
Replacements: 16 Thomas Lacombre, 17 Lino Julien, 18 Thomas Duchene, 19 Brent Liufau, 20 Mathis Castro, 21 Leo Carbonneau, 22 Arthur Mathiron, 23 Clement Mondinat.
Referee: Damian Schneider (Argentina)
Assistant Referees: Hollie Davidson (Scotland), Morne Ferreira (South Africa)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)
Additional reporting: @RugbyPass
