Ireland have the potential to make impact

UNDER-20 MATCH: THIS SEASON'S Six Nations championship takes on greater significance considering France and England are in Ireland's pool, along with the hosts, at the Junior World Championships in Argentina next June.

The squad is brimming with potential, with seven players back from last year, six of whom start this evening against Italy in their now established Athlone base. They could be better still if prospective Munster openside Brian O’Hara wasn’t ruled out with a knee injury. The UL Bohemians flanker was a strong contender to captain the team.

Former St Michael’s schoolboy Noel Reid, who can play outhalf or centre, is recovering from a shoulder operation, while recently-capped Connacht winger Tiernan O’Halloran should come into contention once he too regains fitness.

Add those three to the mix, and there are more bubbling under the surface, and this becomes a team comparable to the Under-21 World Cup finalists of 2004 (think Tomás O’Leary, Jamie Heaslip and Tommy Bowe) and the 2007 Grand Slammers (Cian Healy, Keith Earls and Seán O’Brien).

The Leinster system supplies 12 of tonight’s 22, five are attached to Munster, four from Ulster, with replacement back Eoin Griffin the only Connacht representative.

There are two players of Welsh extraction in captain Rhys Ruddock and replacement prop Stewart Maguire. Ruddock’s father Mike coached Wales to a Grand Slam 2005 having previously been in charge of Leinster.

The most exciting talent on display is fullback Andrew Conway, who is still eligible for schools rugby, while his Blackrock team-mate, centre Brendan Macken, also could make an impact.

Tonight’s opponents should be blown away before Allen Clarke’s team make the intimidating trip down to Mazamet, near Toulouse, in seven days.

IRELAND UNDER-20s: A Conway(Blackrock, Leinster); D Hudson (St Mary's, Leinster), B Macken (Blackrock, Leinster), N Spence (Ballynahinch, Ulster), S Zebo (Cork Constitution, Munster); J McKinney (Queen's University, Ulster), J Cooney (UCD, Leinster); B Cagney (UCC, Munster), N Annett (Belfast Harlequins, Ulster), J O'Connell (Lansdowne, Leinster); D O'Callaghan (UCC, Munster), B Marshall (UCD, Leinster); R Ruddock (capt, UCD, Leinster), D Ryan (Lansdowne, Leinster), P Butler (Shannon, Munster). Replacements: D Doyle (UCD, Leinster), S Maguire (Old Belvedere, Leinster), B Hayes (Cork Constitution, Munster), R O'Sullivan (Bective Rangers, Leinster), M Heaney (Belfast Harlequins, Ulster), B Kingston (Blackrock, Leinster), E Griffin (Corinthians, Connacht).

ITALY: R Trevisan (Orved San Donà); G Venditti (Plusvalore Gran Parma), T Benvenuti (Benetton Treviso), S Rodwell (Giunti Firenze 1931), G Alberghini (Plusvalore Gran Parma); T Iannone (Banca Monte Parma), E Gori (capt, Consiag I Cavalieri Prato); C Fazzari (Plusvalore Gran Parma), N Corbanese (Benetton Treviso), F Pepoli (Vibu Noceto); E Targa (Petrarca Padova), L Santelli (Plusvalore Gran Parma); N Belardo (Partenope Napoli), F Ferrarini (Vibu Noceto), G Cicchinelli (Futura Park Rugby Roma). Replacements: A Manici (Plusvalore Gran Parma), A Denti (MPS Viadana), P Leso (Petrarca Padova), F Cazzola (Livorno Rugby), E Lubian (Femi-CZ Rovigo), A Chillon (Petrarca Padova), V Callori-Di Vignale (Primavera Rugby), F Menon (Giunti Firenze 1931), M Mortali (Plusvalore Gran Parma).

Referee: L Hodges(WRU).

Venue: Dubarry Park, Athlone, Kick-off: 7.35pm tonight On TV: Live RTÉ Two