McAleese wants super Saturday

IRB U19 World Championship

IRB U-19 World Cup

Saturday, April 21, 2007

By Gavin Mairs

Ireland Under-19s coach Charlie McAleese is confident his side will finish their IRB World Championship campaign on a high at Ravenhill today.

McAleese's side face their Scotland counterparts in a ninth place play-off game (kick-off 3pm), as a warm-up to the third place play-off match between Australia and Wales (kick-off 5.30pm) and the final showdown between New Zealand and South Africa (kick-off 7.30pm) in what is being billed as 'Super Saturday'.

McAleese, whose team defeated Japan 31-10 in the ninth v 12th classification match at Shaw's Bridge on Tuesday night, has once again rung the changes to his starting line-up as he bids to give as many players as possible a run out once their top-four hopes came to an end with defeat to the Springboks last Friday.

Adam Craig returns to full-back, Harry McAleese is back at scrum-half and Scott Deasy comes in at fly-half. Eoin O'Malley moves from fly-half to a more familiar role at centre while Paul Karayiannis, Stephen Douglas and Patrick McCabe form a new front-row with Jason Harris-Wright and Kieran Essex also drafted into the forwards.

Harris-Wright gets his first start of the tournament at blindside flanker while Essex comes back into the team at number eight, with captain Paul Ryan moving to openside.

Meanwhile, New Zealand coach Kieran Crowley has made just one change to the starting line-up for tonight's final against South Africa.

Ryan Crotty replaces Waikato's Jackson Willison in the midfield - the only change to the side that took the field in the semi-final against Wales this week.

"This is what we have all worked towards since we started back in December," said Crowley. "It is not every day that a player gets the chance to represent his country in the final of a world championship - they will embrace and enjoy the occasion."

IRELAND UNDER-19S: A Craig (Instonians), A Gaughan (Buccaneers), J Smith (Ballymena), E O'Malley (UCD), P Brophy (St Michael's Col.), S Deasy (Presentation Brothers Col., Cork), H McAleese (Ballynahinch), P Karayiannis (RBAI/Queen's), S Douglas (Ballymena), P McCabe (Dublin Uni.), D Foley (UL Bohemian), I Nagle (Glenstal Abbey), J Harris-Wright (Blackrock Col.), P Ryan (capt, Blackrock Col.), K Essex (Christian Brothers Col., Cork/UCC)

Replacements: S Douglas (Ballymena), I Leonard (St Michael's Col.), M Nelson (Ballynahinch), B Cawley (UCD), P Mallon (St Michael's Col.), K Greene (St Mary's Col.), C Cleary (St Michael's Col.), N Morris (Blackrock Col.), M Kinsella (Newtown School, Waterford), T Seymour (Down HS),.) R Riley (St Michael's Col.)