Depleted Irish must match physical challenge

RUGBY:MAJOR SURGERY to the Irish team and a visit from the French side to Athlone won't provide for an easy night for coach Mike Ruddock and his Irish Under-20 side.

With no fewer than seven players missing from the team that comprehensively beat Italy last weekend, Ruddock goes in against France hopeful the patching job will hold back a talented and confident visiting team.

Andrew Conway and Brendan Macken played with Leinster last night in the Magners League against Aironi and are not included today, while Craig Gilroy and Luke Marshall are part of Brian McLaughlin’s Ulster squad to face Ospreys in the Magners League on Sunday.

Elsewhere the problems are Connacht’s Eoin McKeon (hamstring), prop Martin Moore (A/C joint) and lock Michael Kearney (concussion/facial laceration). It is expected all three could return for the Scottish game in Inverness on February 25th.

Lansdowne’s David Heffernan comes into the backrow with Jordi Murphy switching to number eight, Conor Carey is promoted to tighthead prop while secondrow David O’Mahony provides a Munster name in the proceedings, one more than last week.

France come to Dubarry Park on the back of their 49-5 rout of Scotland last weekend and are sitting on top of the table.

Gifted with a big pack, none of whom play at the same French club, Ireland’s physical challenge, especially up front, is going to be considerable. That said, the Irish Under-20s have lost just once in 13 games over five seasons at Athlone.

Last week it was Jean-Marc Doussain who starred for the Phillippe Sella-coached French side as they ran in six tries against the hapless Scots.

The 19-year-old Toulouse outhalf effectively controlled the show and added three penalties and three conversions to his team’s haul before coming off. Doussain is again named at 10 tonight.

The French Rugby Union takes a different view to the IRFU with regard to player release. In Ireland the provinces have primacy. Doussain plays in Ireland despite a heavily depleted Toulouse having to play La Rochelle in a Top 14 clash tonight.

IRELAND UNDER-20: M Sherlock (Leinster); T O’Halloran (Connacht), A Kelly (Leinster), N McDonald (Coventry), A Boyle (Leinster); P Jackson (Ulster), B McIlroy (Ulster); J Tracy (Leinster), N Annett (Ulster, capt), C Carey (Ulster), D O’Mahony (Munster), D Qualter (Connacht), D Heffernan (Connacht), A Conneely (Connacht), J Murphy (Leinster). Replacements: D Doyle (Leinster), F Bealham (Ulster), I Henderson (Ulster), S Buckley (Munster), P Du Toit (Leinster), J McKinney (Ulster), JJ Hanrahan (Munster).

FRANCE UNDER-20: G Palis (SC Albis); P Berard (Montpellier), JP Barraque (Biarritz), J Plisson (Stade Francais), M O’Connor (FC Grenoble); M Doussain (Toulouse), Y Lesgourgues (Biarritz); S Taoffenua (Perpignan), R Collait (Castres), W Desmaison (Avoron Bayonnais), W Demotte (Clermont), S Vahaamahina (Brive), K Gimeno (Montpellier), J Come (Racing Metro), G Galan (Toulouse). Replacements: C Bourgeois (Section Paloise), V Delmas (Colomiers), M Marie (Biarritz), P Julien (Agen), M Magnaval (Toulon), T Visensang (Aviron Bayonnais), J Buttin (Clermont).