Sport

Ireland hoping to finish on a high note

U-18 SIX NATIONS: BOTH IRELAND and Italy are bidding for their first wins on the last day of the under-18 Six Nations Festival…

Tue Apr 01 2008 - 01:00

U-18 SIX NATIONS:BOTH IRELAND and Italy are bidding for their first wins on the last day of the under-18 Six Nations Festival at Cork Institute of Technology - not The Mardyke as previously advertised - this afternoon.

The Ireland under-18s will seek to engineer a first win at the third time of asking against their Italian counterparts on foot of two deflating losses to Wales (25-6) and Scotland (25-11).

The Italians are never short of size, if not quite blessed with the same technique, and the Irish boys must look to move the ball into the less confrontational areas of the pitch as they have been dominated in the tight in their two matches so far.

There are first starts for fullback Gavin Nugent, outhalf James McKinney, scrumhalf Jason Bloomfield, hooker Risteard Byrne, prop Martin Moore openside Paul Pritchard and number eight Richard Bent in seven changes brought about by the tournament rule that every county must give at least one start to all players.

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Midleton College number eight David O'Callaghan moves to the secondrow and assumes the captaincy from Brian O'Hara with Luke Marshall switching to 12 from 10 to give Ireland an excellent kicking alternative to McKinney with Michael Allen and Diarmuid McCarthy committed to latching onto ball in hand.

Italy have bled heavily in successive defeats to England (78-8) and Wales (43-10). They have gone for the same eight forwards, halfbacks and backline, except for the selection of Marcello Paglia at fullback and Francesco Lenzi at right wing for Michele Mortali and Sebastian Rodwell, respectively, from the Welsh match.

IRELAND U18: G Nugent (PBC Cork); D McCarthy (Castletroy), M Allen (Methodist), L Marshall (Ballymena Academy), C O'Hanlon (St Munchin's); J McKinney (Campbell), J Bloomfield (Coleraine AI); B Cagney (PBC Cork), R Byrne (Terenure), M Moore (Castleknock), B Hayes (CBC Cork), D O'Callaghan (Middleton, capt), D Ryan (Gonzaga), P Pritchard (Ballymena Academy), R Bent (St Mary).

ITALY U18: M Paglia; F Lenzi, C Ricciardi, T Benvenuti, N Belardo; F Michelini, A Chillon; M Zamparo, A Manici, E Carugi, F Cazzola, P Stinchello, F Ferrarini, G Cicchinelli, L Santelli (capt).