U20 Six Nations: Ireland’s focus purely on Scotland as they look to grab fourth successive win

U20 Six Nations: Scotland v Ireland, Scotstoun, Friday, 7.15 – Live on RTÉ 2

Ireland will hope to negotiate the penultimate step in this season’s Under-20 Six Nations Championship with a victory in Glasgow and set up the possibility of a second successive Grand Slam when England visit a sold-out Musgrave Park in the final round of fixtures on Sunday week (5.0).

Richie Murphy’s charges handled a tricky assignment against Italy in Treviso last time out very capably but won’t be looking past the challenge of their hosts. What exactly that entails is hard to gauge accurately as the Scots have produced some yo-yo performances in the tournament to date.

They were 31-10 down to England at one point in their opening fixture, came storming back to lead, before losing 41-36, beat Wales by a single point and last time out were hammered by France 54-14. Scotland head coach Kenny Murray makes four changes from that match in Agen, with secondrow Harris McLeod, Luke Townsend, and wings Geordie Gwynn and Logan Jarvie promoted to the starting team.

Townsend is an outhalf like his father Gregor, the Scotland senior coach, and brother Christian, who played at this level too, and is now in the Glasgow Warriors academy.

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Murphy makes three changes to the starting team and a couple more on the bench from the victory over Italy. James Nicholson is ruled out with a quad strain and is replaced by Andrew Osborne, the younger brother of Leinster’s Jamie. Osborne has recovered from a hand injury and is involved for the first time in the campaign.

Corinthians prop Fiachna Barrett and Evan O’Connell are promoted from the bench to the starting 15, with Paddy McCarthy and Diarmuid Mangan heading in the opposite direction. Flanker Liam Molony, a member of last season’s Blackrock schools senior cup winning team, and Trinity student Matthew Lynch are set to make their first appearances.

There has been a tangible improvement in the quality of the Irish performances as the Six Nations has progressed, and one preparatory aspect that has helped in that respect is a couple of training matches with Andy Farrell’s Ireland senior team.

Loosehead prop George Hadden explained: “It was certainly a step up, they’re the number one team in the world, but we were happy coming out of it. No one went into their shells, we stood up and met them, and it was a good experience.

“Getting to talk to the senior players as well after, getting their opinions on things [was great]. I was talking to a few frontrows, getting good chats with Andrew Porter and Tadhg [Furlong], they were giving good information. It was mainly to do with the scrum, but I was just asking their opinions on binds and set-ups. They were helpful.”

Furlong, in particular, took time to give Hadden some advice. “He was really sound to me, full of chat, especially when I was asking for a few tips because I got my reps against him. It was nice knowing he’s another clubs’ man who is doing well.”

Hadden grew up in Tinahely in south Wicklow, went to Coláiste Bhríde in Carnew, but learned his rugby from the age of 11 in Gorey RFC. He played a bit of minor football with Tinahely but the choice to specialise was relatively straightforward.

He played with the Ireland under-19 side in a couple of matches against France last season and has since lined out for Clontarf in the All-Ireland League and the club’s under-20 team. Hadden champions the collective mantra that the only thing that matters is getting a result against Scotland, an undertaking that has commanded their undivided attention.

If Ireland’s performance graph continues its upward trend, then they will beat Scotland, a victory that will take them to that Grand Slam showdown. Nothing else will suffice though and that’ll be the message running out at Scotstoun.

SCOTLAND: Dan King (Heriot’s); Logan Jarvie (Stirling), Duncan Munn (Boroughmuir), Kerr Yule (Glasgow Hawks), Geordie Gwynn (Ealing); Luke Townsend (Melrose), Finlay Burgess (Stirling); Craig Davidson (Watsonians), Corey Tait (Boroughmuir), M Ogunlaja (Glasgow Hawks); Jake Parkinson (Ealing), Harris McLeod (Stirling); Liam McConnell (Boroughmuir), Rudi Brown (Southern Knights), Jonny Morris (GHA).

Replacements: Elliot Young (Exeter), Max Surry (Cardiff Met University), Robbie Deans (Watsonians), Ruaraidh Hart (Glasgow Hawks), Sam Derrick (Southern Knights), Charlie Clare (Harlequins), Ben Salmon (Stirling), Andy McLean (Glasgow Hawks)

IRELAND: Henry McErlean (Terenure); Andrew Osborne (Naas), Hugh Cooney (Clontarf), John Devine (Corinthians), Hugh Gavin (Galwegians); Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne), Fintan Gunne (Terenure); George Hadden (Clontarf), Gus McCarthy (UCD, capt), Fiachna Barrett (Corinthians); Evan O’Connell (UL Bohemian), Conor O’Tighearnaigh (UCD); James McNabney (Ballymena), Ruadhán Quinn (Old Crescent), Brian Gleeson (Garryowen).

Replacements: Danny Sheahan (UCC), George Morris (Lansdowne), Paddy McCarthy (Dublin University), Diarmuid Mangan (UCD), Liam Molony (Dublin University), Oscar Cawley (Naas), Matthew Lynch (Dublin University), Rory Telfer (QUB).