Seven Ulster players named in U18 Ireland Summer Squad for South Africa tour

The Ireland Under 18 Schools squad (sponsored by PwC) will join five other teams at the 2025 U18 Men's International Series in South Africa, which will be held in the Western Cape in August.

Coached by Michael Hodge, the Ireland U18s will play the South Africa U18 'A' and U18 sides, and their Georgian counterparts, across three match days between Friday 8 August and Saturday 16 August.

Hodge's youngsters have already faced Georgia this year, winning 26-21 when they met at the U18 Men's Six Nations Festival in Vichy in April. They also bounced back from a 32-24 defeat to Wales with a 38-21 victory over Scotland.

James Browne, a Leinster Schools Senior Cup winner with Blackrock College in March, led the try-scoring for Ireland with a fine hattrick against Scotland.

Full-back Fionn Rowsome, and hookers Lee Fitzpatrick and Nathan Noble, scored two tries each in France, while the captaincy duties were shared between forwards Harry Goslin, Fitzpatrick, and Jonathan Ginnety.

Prior to the Six Nations Festival, the Ireland U18s overturned a 17-point half-time deficit to overcome England 22-17 in a memorable 50th Anniversary Schools international. The bulk of the squad from earlier in the year will travel to South Africa.

Hodge has included four players in his 26-strong touring group who were not involved in the Six Nations Festival - Alex Lautsou, Joe Christle, Daniel O'Connell, and Harry Waters.

Prior to the Ireland U18 Schools players and management team departing for South Africa, there will be a training camp held at the IRFU High Performance Centre on 19 and 20 July.

Head coach Hodge commented: "Congratulations to all the boys who have been selected, especially those who are joining the squad for the first time. We built some important connections across the Six Nations Festival, and we're looking forward to the next challenge.

"The U18 International Series offers an unique opportunity within the age-grade pathway. The chance to tour South Africa and compete against some of the best players at this level is an invaluable experience."

"The boys will be working hard across all four provinces during the summer, focusing on individual and collective improvement. There is a sense of excitement within the group, as we come back together for our final camp next month."

This is the second year that Ireland have taken part in the South African tournament, with class of 2024 earning wins over England (42-28) and Georgia (17-15), while losing out to the host nation on a 38-26 scoreline.

Last season's U18 Schools squad was captained Charlie Molony, who was a try scorer for the Ireland U-20s in their opening World Rugby U-20 Championship victory over Georgia yesterday.

Tom Wood and Luke McLaughlin are also part of Ireland's World U-20 Championship squad, while Connor Magee, another U18 graduate from last year, played during the recent U20 Six Nations.

Wayne Mitchell, the IRFU's National Talent Squad & Talent ID Manager, said: "We are very excited to return to South Africa with our Ireland U18 Schools squad.

"We have grown the U18 national programme over the past few season to seven Test matches, which has giving us the opportunity to see and work with more players across the whole season.

"It also exposes our players, coaches, and support staff to different environments and styles of play, and builds connections and gets them up to speed with the demands of playing in a green jersey.

"Touring this summer provides us with another opportunity to work more closely with these players on a daily basis while in a different environment. Getting to know them better as individuals is really valuable for us to make better decisions for the future."

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Ireland U18 Schools Summer Squad

Adam Boyd (RBAI/Ulster Rugby)<br>
Alex Lautsou (Castletroy College/Munster Rugby)<br>
Andrew Henson (Buccaneers RFC/ Marist College/Connacht Rugby)<br>
Ben Guerin (Blackrock College/Leinster Rugby)<br>
Bernard White (Blackrock College/Leinster Rugby)<br>
Charlie O’Connor (RBAI/Ulster Rugby)<br>
Connor McVicker (Belfast Royal Academy/Ulster Rugby)<br>
Daniel O’Connell (Ardscoil Ris/Munster Rugby)<br>
Fionn Rowsome (Crescent College Comprehensive College SJ/Munster Rugby)<br>
Frank Maher (Terenure College/Leinster Rugby)<br>
Geoff O’Sullivan (Terenure College/Leinster Rugby)<br>
Geoff Wall (Blackrock College/Leinster Rugby)<br>
Harry Goslin (Belvedere College SJ/Leinster Rugby)<br>
Harry Waters (Ratoath College/Navan RFC/Leinster Rugby)<br>
James Browne (Blackrock College/Leinster Rugby)<br>
James Gould (Wallace HS/Ulster Rugby)<br>
Jamie Walsh (Cistercian College Roscrea/Munster Rugby)<br>
Joe Christle (St. Mary’s College/Leinster Rugby)<br>
Jon Rodgers (Wallace HS/Ulster Rugby)<br>
Jonathon Ginnety (Castleknock College/Leinster Rugby)<br>
Lee Fitzpatrick (Newbridge College/Leinster Rugby)<br>
Leo Anic (Creggs RFC/CBS Roscommon/Connacht Rugby)<br>
Luke Coffey (Blackrock College/Leinster Rugby)<br>
Oliver Fitzsimmons (Wallace HS/Ulster Rugby)<br>
Paul Neary (St. Mary’s College/Leinster Rugby)<br>
Tom Bell (Ards RFC/Regent House/Ulster Rugby)

Ireland U18 Schools Management Team

Michael Hodge - Head Coach<br>
Brendan O'Connor - Assistant Coach<br>
Morgan Codyre - Assistant Coach<br>
Jamie Kirk - Assistant Coach<br>
Stephen O'Hara - Team Manager<br>
Prof. John Ryan - Team Doctor<br>
David Lyons - Team Physio<br>
James O'Leary - Athletic Development Coach<br>
Alan Doonan - Team Analyst<br>
Tom Nyham - Team Logistics

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2025 International Series Fixtures

Friday 8 August

11.30am: South Africa U18 'A' v Ireland U18 Schools<br>
1.30pm: Georgia U18s v England U18s<br>
3.30pm: South Africa U18s v France U18s

Tuesday 12 August

11.30am: South Africa U18 'A' v Georgia U18s<br>
1.30pm: South Africa U18s v Ireland U18 Schools<br>
3.30pm: England U18s v France U18s

Saturday 16 August

11.30am: France U18s v South Africa U18 'A'<br>
1.30pm: Ireland U18 Schools v Georgia U-8s<br>
3.30pm: South Africa U18s v England U18s