British & Irish Lions
• British & Irish Lions tour Australia in 2013
Ireland Rugby
Ireland places eighth in the Junior World Cup
The under twenty Junior World Cup is widely regarded as the stomping ground of future champions. This is certainly true if one thinks about the fact that there are a number of Springboks that lifted the 2007 IRB World Cup trophy and have done the same at U23 and U19 level.
Just because the competition is for younger players does not mean that it is any less intense than the full blown region. The tournament is proving to be more popular with the rugby viewing public as more and more people have become aware of its existence. There is a great deal of interest in the tournament this year.
The Irish squad was named in mid May and there was great hope that this would be the team that would mirror the performance of the Irish team that won the Six Nations. The Irish were placed in pool A of the competition and faced opponents such as Uruguay, the unpredictable Argentina and the current champions New Zealand. It was clear that this was going to be a challenging tournament.
The team did well in the pool rounds of the competition against some tough competitors. But sadly they did not have what it took to get past the quarter final stages of the tournament. The Irish lost their game and were placed eighth for the Junior World Cup.
Backs (12):
Andrew Burke (Garryowen/Munster)
Shane Gahan (Lansdowne /Leinster)
Matthew Healy (Lansdowne/Munster)
David Kearney (Lansdowne/Munster)
Michael Keating (Clontarf/Leinster)
Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Ian McKinley (UCD/Leinster)
Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)
Ronan O’Mahony (Garryowen/Munster)
Eamonn Sheridan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Jonny Shiels (QUB/Ulster)
Nevin Spence (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
Forwards (14):
Mark Flanagan (UCD/Leinster)
Adam Macklin (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
Paddy McAllister (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
Jack McGrath (St.Mary’s College/Leinster)
David McGregor (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
Michael Noone (Seapoint/Leinster)
David O’Callaghan (UCC/Munster)
Jack O’Connell (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Brian O’Hara (U.L. Bohemians/Munster)
Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster) Captain
Rhys Ruddock (Millfield School/Exiles)
Ciaran Ruddock (Neath/Exiles)
Dominic Ryan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Thomas Sexton (Old Belvedere/Leinster)