Ireland have named an U18 squad to face Portugal U18 this coming Saturday.
The game takes place in Praca da Maratona, and the Irish squad will be coached by Leinster’s Coach Development Officer, Dan Van Zyl.
You may have recently seen us promoting Irish Exiles regional assessment days, and no fewer than seven Exiles are in this squad, with those in the English school system really proving their worth.
Beechen Cliff School contribute two players to the squad, Connor Beer and Chris Moore. Joining those two is a fellow AASE League player Paddy Harris of Henley College.
From the regular school circuit Denstone College’s Joshua Dunne links up, so too Wellington College’s Joe Henry, Millfield’s Oran McNulty, and Cranleigh’s Hayden Hyde.
With almost a third of the squad being Exiles, it is a real show of both the value of the Exiles system and also the sheer quality that English school rugby is producing at the moment.
Irish School rugby is equally strong right now too though, with the likes of Blackrock College and St Michael’s College among the top school teams in the world. A number of their players are rested for this game that Ireland will likely expect to win comfortably.
Ireland U18 Squad v Portugal U18 – Saturday 4th November.
Thomas Ahern (Dungarvan RFC/ St. Augustine’s Dungarvan)
Connor Beer (Bath Academy/Beechen Cliff School)
Ben Daly (Waterpark RFC/Ard Scoil Na Mhara)
Joshua Dunne (Nottingham Academy/Denstone College)
Marcus Hanan (North Kildare RFC/ Salesians College)
Paddy Harris (Wasps Academy/Henley College)
Joe Henry (Wellington College)
Hayden Hyde (Harlequins Academy/Cranleigh School)
Karl Martin (Boyne RFC / St. Marys School Drogheda)
Padraig McCarthy (Bantry Bay RFC/ Colaiste Pobail Bheanntrai)
Paddy McKenzie (Wicklow RFC / East Glendalough School)
Oran McNulty (Bath Academy/Millfield)
Chris Moore (Beechen Cliff School)
Iarlaith Morrin Laheen (Galwegians RFC/Calasanctius College)
Conor Morrissey (Cork Constitution FC / Mayfield CS)
Shane Murphy (Skerries RFC / St Joseph’s Rush)
Evan Murphy (Nenagh Ormond RFC/Nenagh CBS)
Thomas Ahern (Buccaneers RFC/Coláiste Chíaráin)
Mark Nicholson (Wicklow RFC / Colaiste Chill Mhantain)
Conor O’Brien (Nenagh Ormond RFC/Nenagh CBS)
Saul O’Carroll (Buccaneers RFC/Garbally College)
Kevin O’Connor (Cashel RFC/Cashel Community School)
Charlie Ward (Tullow RFC / Tullow Community School)
