Under-20 Six Nations: Ireland start title defence with daunting assignment in France

Six Nations under-20 Championship: France v Ireland, Saturday, Stade Maurice David (8.10, Irish time, live on Virgin Media)

Last year Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Posolo Tuilagi played against Ireland at Under-20 level, the former in a Six Nations Championship match, the latter back after injury for the World Championship final in South Africa during the summer.

On Friday night in the Stade Vélodrome in Marseilles, the pair began on the bench for Fabien Galthié’s French team, underlining their talent and the French head coach’s conviction that being good enough nullifies age considerations.

The Bordeaux-Bègles wing Bielle-Biarrey played in the World Cup, and Tuilagi’s promotion is the result of several injuries in the secondrow. Richie Murphy’s Ireland are chasing a third successive Under-20 Six Nations Grand Slam while France have won a hat-trick of World Championship titles, illustrating a different emphasis in approach.

The French could potentially have recalled Tuilagi, Marko Gazzotti, Andy Timo, Hugo Reus, Léon Darricarrère, Theo Attisogbe, and Zaccharie Affane, all of whom are accumulating significant Top 14 experience, but elected not to do so, instead bringing younger players into the group for Saturday night’s game in Aix-en-Provence.

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Fullback Mathis Ferté, halfbacks Tom Raffy and Leo Carbonneau, props Lino Julien, Thomas Duchêne and Mathis Castro Ferreira return for a second crack at this age grade. La Rochelle wing Hoani Bosmorin comes with a big reputation while Noah Nene played for Stade Français against Leinster in the Champions Cup this season.

Captain Evan O’Connell, Hugh Gavin, Danny Sheahan, Joe Hopes and Brian Gleeson have been sharing their Grand Slam winning experience with this year’s group and will be key figures in the Irish team. A healthy portion of the roster played together for the Ireland Under-18 Schools team, so that should contribute some continuity and cohesion.

Ireland fullback Ben O’Connor won All Ireland Minor and Under-20 hurling titles with Cork before turning his attention full-time to rugby when offered a place in the Munster academy last summer. He will draw on that experience to cope with big occasions.

He said: “It all comes back to just experience in those games, just having lived the moment before. It could be completely different on Saturday, but I’ll always go back to how I acted in those games. If I could improve on them after the game, I would have tried to improve on the next big occasion.”

O’Connor paid tribute to the support and practical help he’s received from his Munster team-mates. “All the back-three players have been very good for me from the get-go. They’ve just taught me a lot, especially [Simon] Zebo, Calvin [Nash], Shane [Daly], Mike Haley and when Andrew Conway was still in during the summer.

“He [Conway] was very good for my high-ball skills. I did a good bit with him. They’ve so much experience in the game that I love learning off them and just try to put it into my own game.”

Ireland have some very good young backs, centre Wilhelm de Klerk was superb in a preseason friendly against Italy, so too halfbacks Jack Murphy and Oliver Coffey but their effectiveness will depend on the platform up front. The scrum was an issue that day.

The checklist for Saturday: a solid set piece, a good kick/chase game, minimise turnovers, be aggressive and connected in defence, and have the courage to play. Do that and Ireland have a chance. Anything less won’t suffice.

Ireland: B O’Connor (UCC); F Treacy (Galwegians), W de Klerk (UCD), H Gavin (Galwegians), H McLaughlin (Lansdowne); J Murphy (Clontarf), O Coffey (Blackrock College); A Usanov (Clontarf); D Sheahan (Cork Constitution), A Sparrow (UCD); A Spicer (UCD), E O’Connell (UL Bohemian, capt); J Hopes (QUB), B Ward (Ballynahinch), B Gleeson (Garryowen). Replacements: H Walker (QUB), B Howard (Terenure College), J Boyd (QUB), B Corrigan (Old Wesley), L Murphy (Shannon), T Brophy (Naas), S Naughton (Galway Corinthians), E Graham (Ballynahinch).

France: M Ferté; G Arfeuil, R Taccola, A Desperes, H Bosmorin; T Raffy, L Carbonneau; L Julien, B Massa, Z Aouad; C Gambini, C Mezou; N Zinzen, P Tuifua, M Castro-Ferreira. Replacements: R Couly, L Ametlla, T Duchêne, A Corso, M Perrin, J Quere Karaba, N Nene, M Biasotto.