Sport

Butler hopes to make amends

IRB JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: IRELAND’S UNDER-20s are hoping to silence the vociferous home crowd at Newell’s Old Boys tomorrow…

Sat Jun 12 2010 - 01:00

IRB JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP:IRELAND'S UNDER-20s are hoping to silence the vociferous home crowd at Newell's Old Boys tomorrow as they look to end the pool stages on a high against Argentina.

Defeats to France and England mean the Six Nations champions have been forced into refocusing their goals and a win would qualify them for the fifth-placed play off.

And after twice playing in front of the neutral Argentine crowds in Rosario, they now face into a partisan home crowd that England coach Mark Mapletoft said put the Shed at Gloucester’s Kingsholm in its place.

Allen Clarke has a full deck to choose from for the clash, with Darren Hudson expected to return on the wing when the team is named today.

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Argentina have lost key attacker Ramiro Moyano, but will be heartened by a second-half performance against France that saw them almost snatch victory after being 28-5 down.

Number eight Paddy Butler is aware of the intimidating atmosphere, but the Cashel native says the Irish are relishing the prospect.

“You’ve got to like that,” he said. “That’s what you want. You want to come up against a home crowd like that and put your body on the line for your country.

“It’s great experience, it reminds you of matches in France or back in Thomond Park where the crowd really get behind the team, it’s great.

“They’re the home team and they’ll be really up for it. It would be very disappointing if we didn’t get into the fifth to eighth place after the Six Nations so we need to beat Argentina and get into that stage and then hopefully win a few games.”

IRELAND (Probable): A Conway (Leinster); D Hudson (Leinster), B Macken (Leinster), N Spence (Ulster), S Zebo (Munster); J McKinney (Ulster), J Cooney (Leinster); J O’Connell (Leinster), N Annett (Ulster), S Maguire (Leinster); D O’Callaghan (Munster), B Marshall (Leinster), R Ruddock (capt, Leinster), D Ryan (Leinster), P Butler (Munster). Replacements: D Doyle (Leinster), B Cagney (Munster), B Hayes (Munster), B O’Hara (Munster), M Heaney (Ulster), N Reid (Leinster), E Griffin (Connacht).