Six Nations U-20s: Ireland braced for big assignment as France come seeking revenge

Ireland Under-20 v France Under-20, Musgrave Park (8.0, live on RTÉ 2)

French centre Emilien Gailleton is on something of a personal crusade in Cork tonight, as the only survivor from the starting team that lost 17-16 to Ireland in Aix-en-Provence in last season’s Six Nations Championship.

Richie Murphy’s Ireland team went on to win the Grand Slam while that match represented France’s sole defeat in the tournament. Gailleton, who has returned to play with the 20s after training with the senior French squad, said: “We can talk about revenge after they beat us last year. We really all had it in our throats so yes, we can feel revenge a few days before the match.”

France have made seven changes to the run-on team from the opening weekend, including five players who return from French Top 14 action. Despite losing the try count 5-3 they squeezed past Italy 27-26; the Italians missed a late conversion to win the game.

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Among those returning from league fare is fullback Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who has played 13 matches for Bordeaux-Begles in the French Top 14 this season, scrumhalf Leo Carbonneau and Hugo Auradou, a son of the former Stade Francais and French international secondrow, David.

Ireland, who made changes and two positional switches to the starting side that beat Wales 44-27 in Colwyn Bay last weekend, retain two players from the game in Aix-en-Province, secondrow Conor O’Tighearnaigh and flanker James McNabney.

O’Tighearnaigh, the youngest player in last year’s Grand Slam-winning side, has added a few kilos and sundry responsibilities in the current group including calling the lineout.

He explained: “I learned from the players last year who had played the year before, I learned a lot from them, and I’m trying my best to set an example for the younger lads.

“But it’s each to themselves, you have to control what you’re doing. Yeah, I’d be calling the lineout now. Maybe it’s just a little bit more time you have to put into it, it’s your responsibility if anything goes wrong, it’s on you to make sure it all goes smoothly.”

It’s a responsibility the secondrow carries easily on shoulders that have got broader since last year.

He said: “I’m about 6ft7in, maybe I grew a few centimetres but not massively. I put on maybe seven kilos if I had to guess, I’m not sure. Nothing massive, but a bit.

“Luckily where we train at Leinster there are very good resources so we can make sure when putting on weight, you can measure that it’s not just fat, that it’s muscle.”

O’Tighearnaigh, yet another from the St Michael’s College production line, received specialist coaching from a couple of senior Irish internationals while at school. He explained: “When I was in first or second year, James Ryan was my coach, so I would have had a whole year coaching with him. This was when he was maybe a year out of U-20s.

“Then when I was in fourth year or so I had Ryan Baird as a coach. Looking up to them, it’s a great example to see the players that went through the same system as you are, are making it to the top of their game, so it’s proven results, and that the system works.

“You’re trying to impress them and get to where they are. I’m coaching the first years now, so most players when they leave stay around coaching which is a good thing.”

Given that there are only three survivors from last season’s Six Nations, the moniker of Gram Slam champions is largely an irrelevancy in the context of this year’s tournament given the sizeable turnover in personnel. But O’Tighearnaigh understands their rivals see them as the team to beat.

“It’s a completely different team to last year, but if it’s just because we won last year, that’s something we have to embrace and use, to keep the momentum going . . .we know every team will be up for it when they’re playing us.”

Ireland and France have enjoyed some titanic tussles over the last few years and tonight’s tussle promises to be no different.

IRELAND: H McErlean (Terenure); J Nicholson (UCD); H Cooney (Clontarf), J Devine (Corinthians), H Gavin (Galwegians); S Prendergast (Lansdowne), F Gunne (Terenure); G Hadden (Clontarf), G McCarthy (UCD, capt), P McCarthy (DUFC); C O’Tighearnaigh (UCD), D Mangan (UCD); J McNabney (Ballymena), R Quinn (Old Crescent), B Gleeson (Garryowen). Replacements: D Sheahan (UCC), G Morris (Lansdowne), F Barrett (Corinthians), E O’Connell (UL Bohemians), J Sheahan (UCC), O Cawley (Naas), H West (Buccaneers), R Telfer (QUB).

FRANCE: L Bielle-Biarrey; T Attissogbe, N Depoortere (capt), E Gailleton, E Benmegal; T Raffy, L Carbonneau; L Penverne, B Massa, Z Affane, H Auradou, B Liufau; O Jegou, M Nouchi, L Gazotti. Replacements: T Lacombre, L Tabarot, M Pakihivatu, B Chinarro, M Castro Ferreira, H Reus, A Mathiron, M Ferte.