Four Connacht players involved with Ireland U20s v New Zealand

Head Coach Neil Doak has named his Ireland Men’s U20s Match Day Squad, for Wednesday’s game in the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship against New Zealand. The game takes place at 5 pm Irish time in Calvisano.

To reach the semi-finals this time, Ireland needs to overhaul the Junior All Blacks at the top of Pool B, which means winning with a bonus point or winning and restricting New Zealand to a maximum of one bonus point.

There are four changes to the starting XV from the loss to Italy last Friday.

Conor Kennelly starts in the second row while Oisin Minogue, who scored the last-minute try against Italy, comes into the back row. Jonny Scott comes into the centre and Daniel Green starts at full-back. Charlie Molony moves to the wing alongside Derry Moloney. Ciarán Mangan makes up the midfield pairing with Scott.

Tom Wood and Will Wootton continue in the half-backs. In the pack, Alex Usanov, Henry Walker and Alex Mullan are in the front row, Billy Corrigan joins Kennelly in the engine room, Captain Éanna McCarthy shifts to six alongside Minogue with Luke Murphy again at eight. Luke McLaughlin, Billy Bohan, Tom McAllister, David Walsh and Bobby Power are the forwards available to Doak and his Coaching Team on the bench, with backs Clark Logan, Sam Wisniewski and Gene O’Leary Kareem completing Ireland’s 23.