Rugby

Ulster trio selected in Ireland squad for U20 World Rugby Championships

Ulster's Adam McBurney, Johnny McPhillips and Jacob Stockdale have all been selected in Ireland's Under 20 Rugby World Championships squad
Ulster's Adam McBurney, Johnny McPhillips and Jacob Stockdale have all been selected in Ireland's Under 20 Rugby World Championships squad Ulster's Adam McBurney, Johnny McPhillips and Jacob Stockdale have all been selected in Ireland's Under 20 Rugby World Championships squad

Three Ulster players have been selected in the Ireland squad for the World Rugby Under-20 Championship which starts in Manchester in two weeks time.

Nigel Carolan, Ireland Head Coach, has announced his 28 man squad for the tournament and has selected Ulster trio Adam McBurney, Johnny McPhillips and Jacob Stockdale.

McBurney, who played in last year’s U20 World Championships in Italy, will lead his fellow Ulstermen to their first appearance on the world stage. 

Ireland kick-off their campaign against celtic rivals Wales at the Manchester City Academy Stadium, where they will play all their Pool A games, on the 7th June.

Carolan is optimistic about his Ireland side’s chances after the Six Nations, he said, “We were happy with how the side progressed during the Six Nations Championship and we were pleased with how the players developed.

I felt that we grew as a team over the course of the championship and that's something we're looking to bring to Manchester."

We are certainly in one of the toughest pools. Wales are coming off the back of a Six Nations Grand Slam and New Zealand come into the competition as defending champions while the Georgians are always a very physical side so it is a big challenge for us. However, we have a very ambitious group of players that have prepared well so we are looking forward to giving it our best shot."

Ireland take on pre-tournament favourites New Zealand on 11th June and Georgia on the 15th June, all the fixtures will be shown on TG4 and Sky Sports.