Road to the top - How Ireland Under-20s shaped Andy Farrell’s squad

Ireland captain Johnny Sexton has accumulated many accolades and titles during his storied career to date but perhaps a lesser-known fact relating to the former world player of the year is that he is the only member of Andy Farrell’s squad for the upcoming Six Nations Championship who lined out at the now defunct Under-21 age-grade for his country.

Sexton played under head coach Mark McDermott – he led Ireland to the Under-21 World Cup final in Glasgow in 2004 – in 2005 and 2006 before World Rugby, known as the IRB in those days, changed the age-grade to Under-20 in advance of the 2007 Six Nations and subsequently for the World Junior Championship from 2008 on.

Over the past couple of decades, the Under-20s age group has transformed into the flagship of the IRFU’s player development pathway where results supersede a previously greater emphasis on simply exposing players to international rugby at schools, youths and under-19 levels.

In Farrell’s squad there is at least one player from every year of the Irish 20s, beginning with the class of 2007, represented by Keith Earls and Cian Healy to the uncapped Jamie Osborne (2021), apart from last year’s Grand Slam winners and the Rhys Ruddock-captained 2010 cohort.

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It should be noted that Allen Clarke’s 2010 Irish Under-20 team, which contained future internationals Andrew Conway, John Cooney, Simon Zebo, Tiernan O’Halloran, Jordi Murphy, Ruddock and Dominic Ryan, claimed the Six Nations title with four victories, beating Italy (39-0), England (25-10), Wales (24-17) and Scotland (44-15) while losing narrowly to France (20-15) at Stade de la Chevaliere.

In the 37-man Irish squad in Portugal this week, Bundee Aki, Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe wouldn’t have qualified to play for the Irish 20s, Rob Herring could have but was in his native South Africa at the time, while Mack Hansen represented Australia (2018) at that level.

[ Richie Murphy’s Ireland Under-20s have reasons to be optimistic ahead of Six Nations Championship ]

Australian-born Finlay Bealham did play for the Irish 20s (2011), while two of his team-mates Iain Henderson – along with Dominic Ryan they share the Irish record for the most caps, 20, at that age-grade – and Tadgh Furlong played their first of two years. Another current senior international, Ross Byrne (129), holds the Irish record for the number of points scored at 20s.

There are only two Irish-born players in the current senior squad, Munster prop Dave Kilcoyne and Ulster centre Stuart McCloskey, who didn’t play for the 20s. Mike Ruddock’s 2012 side would produce five players, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Henderson and Furlong for the current national side, a feat replicated by Nigel Carolan’s 2016 group.

The latter shined as a collective too, reaching the 2016 World Junior Championship final before losing to hosts England in Manchester. James Ryan was captain and among his team-mates were Andrew Porter, Jimmy O’Brien, Hugo Keenan and Jacob Stockdale. They also became the first men’s national side to beat New Zealand, which they managed earlier in the tournament.

Ireland have won three Under-20 Six Nations Grand Slams, starting with the Eric Elwood-coached vintage of 2007 – Ulster head coach Dan McFarland was an assistant coach – who are represented by Earls and Healy, but it would be another 12 years until Ireland won a second Slam, this time under the baton of Noel McNamara. Craig Casey and Ryan Baird represent that group in the current senior squad.

In 2020 an Irish 20s team that included Jack Crowley, Joe McCarthy and Cian Prendergast won all three matches in the Six Nations before the Coronavirus pandemic struck and forced the reminder of the tournament to be cancelled.

The current Ireland Under-20 coach Richie Murphy guided his charges to a third Grand Slam last year – Chay Mullins plays Sevens for Ireland – and there is a reasonable expectation that a number will bridge the gap to senior international rugby.

Farrell’s current senior squad is just a snapshot in time – many more successfully made the jump – but what it does demonstrate is that the throughput from 20s to senior international rugby in an Irish context boasts a very good strike-rate, a record that will hopefully be maintained with this season’s highly regarded crop of underage prospects.

Ireland squad 2023 Six Nations

Bundee Aki, (Connacht), 41 senior caps, not eligible at U-20 level

Ross Byrne, (Leinster), 14 senior caps, played U-20s 2014/2015

Craig Casey, (Munster), 7, played U-20s 2019

Jack Crowley, (Munster), 2, played U-20s 2020

Keith Earls, (Munster), 98, played U-20s 2007

Jamison Gibson-Park, (Leinster), 23, not eligible

Mack Hansen, (Connacht), 8, represented Australia U-20s

Hugo Keenan, (Leinster), 25, played U-20s 2016

Jordan Larmour, (Leinster), 30, played U-20s 2017

James Lowe, (Leinster), 15, not eligible

Stuart McCloskey, (Ulster), 9, did not play U-20s.

Conor Murray, (Munster), 100, played U-20s 2009

Jimmy O’Brien, (Leinster), 3, played U-20s 2016

Jamie Osborne, (Leinster), 0, played U-20s 2021

Garry Ringrose, (Leinster), 47, played U-20s 2014/2015

Johnny Sexton, (Leinster) 109, played U-21s 2005/2006

Jacob Stockdale, (Ulster), 35, played U-20s 2015/2016

Ryan Baird (Leinster), 8, played U-20s 2019

Finlay Bealham, (Connacht), 27, played U-20s 2011

Tadhg Beirnem, (Munster), 36, played U-20s 2012

Jack Conan, (Leinster), 33, played U-20s 2012

Gavin Coombes, (Munster), 2, played U-20s 2017

Caelan Doris, (Leinster), 23, played U-20s 2017/2018

Tadhg Furlong, (Leinster), 63, played U-20s 2011/2012

Cian Healy, (Leinster), 121, played U-20s 2007

Iain Henderson, (Ulster), 68, played U-20s 2011/2012

Rob Herring, (Ulster), 31, not available for Ireland U-20s

Ronan Kelleher, (Leinster), 18, played U-20s 2017/2018

Dave Kilcoyne, (Munster), 48, did not play U-20s.

Joe McCarthy, (Leinster), 1, played U-20s 2020/2021

Peter O’Mahony, (Munster), 89, played U-20s 2009

Tom O’Toole, (Ulster), 4, played U-20s 2018

Andrew Porter, (Leinster), 48, played U-20s 2016

Cian Prendergast, (Connacht), 1, played U-20s 2020

James Ryan, (Leinster), 48, played U-20s 2016

Dan Sheehan, (Leinster), 13, played U-20s 2018

Josh van der Flier, (Leinster), 45, played U-20s 2012/2013