Tom Wood with his father Keith Wood after the U20 Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and Scotland at Virgin Media Park in Cork | SPORTSFILE
Ireland U20 rugby squad confirmed for the World Junior Championships in Georgia

A NUMBER of rising rugby stars have been named the Ireland U20 squad for the World Junior Championships in Georgia.

Ireland have been drawn in Pool C alongside Argentina, England and USA for this summer’s tournament and will play all their Pool matches at the Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi.

There are a number of locals among the eight Munster players selected: Christopher Barrett (scrum-half), Rob Carney (centre), Jamie Conway (prop), Joe Finn (lock), Alex Lautsou (back-row), James O’Leary (centre), Charlie O’Shea (out-half) and Tom Wood (out-half).

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Shannon RFC prop Jamie Conway came up through the ranks at Old Crescent and Castletroy College and has made 19 appearances in his first year at senior level for Shannon this season.

Garryowen lock/flanker Joe Finn is a former Cistercian College Roscrea student who started out at Ballina-Killaloe RFC and has already featured for Munster A.

Shannon back-row forward Alex Lautsou is a former Castletroy College student who trained with the Munster senior squad earlier this season and made 15 appearances for the Shannon senior team this season.

Garryowen out-half Wood joined the Munster Rugby Academy last summer and made his Munster debut against Glasgow Warriors in January. He also lined out for the Ireland U20s in 2024/25 and came up through the ranks at Ballina-Killaloe RFC and St Munchin’s College.

Having led Ireland in the U20 Men’s Six Nations, Sami Bishti will once again captain Browne’s side, who open their campaign against England on Saturday, June 27.

Ireland’s matches are live on Premier Sports and RugbyPass TV.

Commenting ahead of the tournament, Head Coach Browne said: “We’re delighted to today announce our 30-player squad for the upcoming World Rugby Junior World Championship.

“Building on from our Six Nations campaign, we have worked hard over a number of preparation camps and recent uncapped matches against Scotland and a Munster Development side.

“The World Rugby Junior World Championship is a fantastic challenge and an opportunity to test ourselves against the best teams in the world. We are aware of the challenges ahead, coming up against some quality sides in our Pool, but the players are excited for what lies ahead and are relishing the platform to grow and develop our performance levels in green.

“We’re looking forward to getting over to our base in Tbilisi and representing Ireland with pride on the world stage.”

Enda McDonagh, PwC managing partner, added: “We are proud to continue our support of the Ireland U20 Men’s team as they build on the momentum of an outstanding Six Nations campaign and embark on an exciting summer of international rugby.

“At PwC, we are committed to fostering an environment where our people can realise their full potential and where achievement is recognised and celebrated. We understand the dedication, resilience and ambition required to progress to the next level. PwC is proud to support Ireland’s next generation.”

Forwards: Sami Bishti (UCD/Leinster); Ben Blaney (Terenure/Leinster); Jamie Conway (Shannon/Munster); Adam Cooper (Buccaneers/Connacht); Max Doyle (UCD/Leinster); Joe Finn (Garryowen/Munster); Rian Handley (Old Wesley/Leinster); Charlie Keane (Corinthians/Connacht); Alex Lautsou (Shannon/Munster); Duinn Maguire (UCD/Leinster); Blake McClean (Instonians/Ulster); Donnacha McGuire (UCD/Leinster); Luke McLaughlin (Old Belvedere/Leinster); Dylan McNeice (UCD/Leinster); Josh Neill (Old Wesley/Leinster); Diarmaid O’Connell (Corinthians/Connacht); Paddy Woods (Queen’s University/Ulster).

Backs: Christopher Barrett (UCC/Munster); Noah Byrne (Dublin University/Leinster); Rob Carney (Cashel/Munster); Jack Deegan (Blackrock/Leinster); Daniel Green (Queen’s University/Ulster); Charlie Molony (UCD/Leinster); James O’Dwyer (Old Belvedere/Leinster); James O’Leary (UCC/Munster); Charlie O’Shea (UCC/Munster); Johnny O’Sullivan (Dublin University/Leinster); Daniel Ryan (Corinthians/Connacht); Sean Walsh (Corinthians/Connacht); Tom Wood (Garryowen/Munster).