Newly appointed Ireland U20 manager Willie Faloon has named his 30 man panel for the World U20 Championships.
The squad contains four Connacht rugby academy members, all of whom are Galway-based. Returning to the setup from Six Nations duty are Hugh Gavin, Finn Treacy and Sean Naughton, while back-rower Max Flynn is a first-time addition. This will also be Gavin's second stab at the championships after being involved last year.
Gavin and Treacy both ply their trade for Galwegians, who have been newly promoted to Division 2B of the AIL - while Naughton and Flynn play for Corinthians, who were also successful in their 2A promotion bid.
The U20 Championships will again be held in South Africa this year, in the Capetown area.
Ireland have been drawn in a group with Australia, Georgia and Italy. Their opening game is against Italy on Saturday, June 29 at 3.30pm Irish time. Next up will be the fixture against Georgia on July 4 at 1pm - and the final game against former champions Australia will take place on July 9 at 1pm.
Ireland have good pedigree in this competition, having previously reached the final in 2016 against England, and in 2023 against a rampant French side. Both finals saw Ireland outclassed against superior opposition, so they will be hoping to go one step further this time out.
In the U20 Six Nations this year, Ireland were second place to England despite drawing with the eventual winners at the Rec in Bath. Coach Richie Murphy subsequently left the role to manage Ulster, leaving Willie Faloon as the replacement. Faloon had been the team's defence coach under Murphy, and is a former Connacht and Ulster back-row player.
Captaining the squad will be Munster's Evan O'Connell, who along with Gavin will partake in his second foray into World Championship rugby. Other members of the squad on their second trip to South Africa are Brian Gleeson, Danny Sheahan and Sam Berman.
