U20s make late change ahead of opening World Championship game
By John Fallon, Brescia
Ireland coach Nigel Carolan has been forced to make a late change ahead of their opening game in the World Rugby U-20 Championship against Argentina in Parma today.
Winger Ciaran Gaffney, one of seven survivors selected from last year’s tournament in New Zealand, has been forced to cry off through injury.
He suffered a recurrence of an ankle injury at training in Brescia yesterday and with five games in 20 days, he is not being risked.
Jacob Stockdale, who made his U-20 debut off the bench against Scotland in the final Six Nations game, has been drafted in on the right wing.
The former Wallace High School player is underage again next year.
Fergal Cleary, a former Meath minor footballer, has been added to the replacements and could add to the two caps he picked up in the Six Nations.
Ireland: B Dardis (UCD); J Stockdale (Queen’s University Belfast), G Ringrose (UCD), S Arnold (Ballynahinch), S Fitzgerald (Shannon); J Carbery (UCD), N McCarthy (UCD) (capt); J Loughman (UCD), Z McCall (Queen’s University Belfast), O Heffernan (Terenure College); D O’Connor (St Mary’s College), A Thompson (Queen’s University Belfast); J Murphy (UCD), R Moloney (Buccaneers), L Dow (Queen’s University Belfast), F Cleary (Lansdowne).
Replacements: S McNulty (UCD), A Porter (UCD), C O’Donnell (Sligo/NUIG), J Dwan (UCD), N Timoney (St Mary’s College), C Rock (Old Belvedere), T Quinlan (Cork Constitution).
