Five Trinity players named in U20s squad

The debutantes will hope to earn international caps over the next two months

Dublin University Football Club (DUFC) has seen their strong showing in the All Ireland League (AIL) rewarded with five players named in the Ireland U20s squad for this year’s Six Nations Championship. Props Giuseppe Coyne and Tom Clarkson, lock Ryan Baird, full-back Rob Russell, and centre Liam Turner will hope to emulate the success of current Trinity full-back Michael Silvester in representing their country next month.

The debutants will be part of a bevy of fresh faces as head coach Noel McNamara has retained only five players who have previously been capped at U20 level. All five are current members of the Leinster Academy, while Clarkson and Turner were members of the Blackrock College squad that triumphed in last year’s Leinster Senior Cup, which Turner captained. DUFC has seen an increase in their representation on the U20 squad by one from last year.

Ireland play England on Friday, February 1 at 7:15pm at Irish Independent Park, as they attempt to win their first title since 2010. Meanwhile, DUFC continue their AIL campaign with a challenging trip to Lansdowne on Saturday. Kick-off is at 2:30pm at the Aviva Stadium.

Cian Mac Lochlainn

Cian Mac Lochlainn is an Economics and Politics student, and a Contributing Writer for Trinity News.