Interview
Getting to know: France U20s out-half Hugo Reus
Reus was only a late confirmation in the French squad, as it wasn’t until La Rochelle were eliminated from the Top 14 at the sem…
Liam Heagney
02 Jul 2024, 2:37
Contributors
Liam Heagney
@heagneyl
A seasoned rugby journalist, Liam hails from Limerick and has covered World Cups, Lions tours, Six Nations Championships and European Cup campaigns since 2000. He became a content editor at RugbyPass in 2019 after joining from the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday in Ireland.
Interview
The England U20 verdict on 17-year-old debut maker Lucas Friday
The hat-trick scoring jack Bracken wasn’t the player that coach Mark Mapletoft reserved special praise for in the aftermath of t…
Liam Heagney
01 Jul 2024, 3:59
Interview
Getting to know: Wales U20s openside Lucas de la Rua
Lucas de la Rua was the starting Wales No7 on both occasions and his year in between these age-grade World Cup clashes featured a …
Liam Heagney
01 Jul 2024, 3:16
Analysis
Four talking points after World Rugby U20 Championship day one
Saturday’s opening round of the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship produced a feast of age-grade entertainment. There were some e…
Liam Heagney
30 Jun 2024, 5:27
Exclusive
Junior Kpoku: 'That wasn't down to me, it was all behind closed doors'
The dramatic thing is, he wasn’t long packing up again in Devon and taking a giant October leap across the Channel. Stuart Lanca…
Liam Heagney
30 Jun 2024, 3:11
Interview
Eddie Andrews: 'We've seen players commit suicide... I was fortunate'
What took place in 2004 is the reference point for this particular interview as that two-game series heralded the arrival of Andre…
Liam Heagney
30 Jun 2024, 3:09
Interview
Junior Boks boss Bafana Nhleko: ‘Two things stand out for me’
The Junior Boks spluttered their way into the semi-finals at the 2023 World Rugby U20 Championship, inconsistencies that Ireland e…
Liam Heagney
30 Jun 2024, 3:02
Interview
The Faloon, O’Connell verdict as Ireland U20s soothe Italian pain
Numerous winning teams caught the eye on Saturday across the opening round of the World Rugby U20 Championship, but Ireland deserv…
Liam Heagney
30 Jun 2024, 2:40
Interview
Jack Bracken: 'Third try was pretty good; lucky with the bounce'
Jack Bracken wasn’t part of the England squad that clinched the Six Nations U20s title 15 weeks ago, yet he was in Cape Town on …
Liam Heagney
30 Jun 2024, 2:16
Live blog: World Rugby U20 Championship 2024 in Cape Town – Day One
Five of the Six Nations countries and all four Rugby Championship participants are now in South Africa along with Georgia, Spain a…
Liam Heagney
29 Jun 2024, 5:58
Interview
What would leave Mark Mapletoft 'pretty devastated as a coach'
Having clinched the Six Nations title with a spectacular win away to France in Pau last March, the English have been drawn in a po…
Liam Heagney
29 Jun 2024, 3:01
Interview
The play where South Africa are expecting 'a lot more gamesmanship'
Six round one pool matches are on the schedule, with the host nation rounding off the three-game DHL Stadium programme with an eve…
Liam Heagney
29 Jun 2024, 2:56
Analysis
Four World Rugby U20 Championship opening round talking points
It won’t be until the July 19 final that the 2024 champions become known, but this weekend’s six-match round one is set to del…
Liam Heagney
29 Jun 2024, 2:04
Interview
Getting to know: Australia U20s out-half Harry McLaughlin-Phillips
However, if selection was a criteria that included good manners and conversational ability, then Harry McLaughlin-Phillips has eve…
Liam Heagney
29 Jun 2024, 1:41
Mark Mapletoft: Why England U20s invited RugbyPass to film Embedded
The English open their Pool C campaign this Saturday with a heavyweight clash versus Argentina in Athlone and the first episode of…
Liam Heagney
28 Jun 2024, 5:24
Analysis
World Rugby U20 Championship: Pool C team by team guide
It will be round three in Athlone on July 9 when that fancied duo – last year’s beaten semi-finalists – go head-to-head in a…
Liam Heagney
28 Jun 2024, 2:34
Analysis
World Rugby U20 Championship: Pool B team by team guide
Australia felt hard done by in their round two loss to Ireland in Paarl because in the aftermath of their 10-30 defeat, Irish back…
Liam Heagney
28 Jun 2024, 2:24
Analysis
World Rugby U20 Championship: Pool A team by team guide
The Spanish have the honour of opening the pool the DHL Stadium this Saturday, taking on a French team that didn’t fire on all c…
Liam Heagney
28 Jun 2024, 2:13
Interview
Getting to know: New Zealand U20s hooker Vernon Bason
For a country with a glittering heritage in the tournament, especially in the early years when they won four in a row, seventh pla…
Liam Heagney
28 Jun 2024, 2:00
Interview
Mark Mapletoft: 'Stuff like that winds me up, it’s cheap and easy'
Given that they are about to fly to South Africa for the World Rugby U20 Championship, a tournament that will be played in the sou…
Liam Heagney
16 Jun 2024, 2:24
