Grey makes 10 changes to his Junior Wallabies XV to take on Ireland

Junior Wallabies head coach Nathan Grey has made 10 changes to his side to face Ireland U20s on Thursday in South Africa following their opening-round Junior World Championship win over Fiji last Saturday.

The Australians were eventual 46-37 comeback winners in Stellenbosch and they have now ramped up their XV with wholesale changes for their second outing in Pool B, this time in Paarl against an Irish side that was held to a draw by England in their first outing.

A statement read: “Nathan Grey has named a new-look line-up to face Ireland, making ten changes to the starting team with Jack Barrett, Massimo de Lutiis, Daniel Maiava-Tapusoa, John Bryant, Henry O’Donnell and Tim Ryan set to make their U20 Championship debuts.

“NSW Waratahs duo Teddy Wilson and Jack Bowen have been selected as the starting halves for Thursday’s game at Paarl Gymnasium.”

Grey said: “After a promising start to the tournament with a bonus point win over a strong Fiji side, the next opportunity to represent the jersey has arrived for 23 Junior Wallabies. For some of them, it will be their first opportunity in the tournament but as a team, we will continue to build on our performances to date.

“Ireland has been the benchmark in the U20s Six Nations for the last two years and their draw against England last weekend was a high-quality match. We are excited to test ourselves against a northern hemisphere team for the first time in four years and keen to deliver a performance that showcases both our attacking style and our commitment in defence.”

Junior Wallabies (vs Ireland U20s – Thursday, 11am SAST, 7pm AEST)
15. Mason Gordon (Melbourne Rebels, Wests Bulldogs)
14. Tim Ryan (QLD Reds, Brothers Rugby Club)
13. Henry O’Donnell (NSW Waratahs, Northern Suburbs)
12. David Vaihu (Melbourne Rebels, Wests Bulldogs)
11. Darby Lancaster (Melbourne Rebels, Eastern Suburbs)
10. Jack Bowen (NSW Waratahs, Eastern Suburbs)
9. Teddy Wilson (c) (NSW Waratahs, Eastern Suburbs)
1. Jack Barrett (NSW Waratahs, Randwick)
2. Max Craig (QLD Reds, Easts Tigers)
3. Massimo De Lutiis (ACT Brumbies, Western District Lions)
4. Jhy Legg (Western Force, Wests Scarborough)
5. Daniel Maiava-Tapusoa (Melbourne Rebels, Wests Bulldogs)
6. Lachlan Hooper (ACT Brumbies, Vikings Rugby)
7. Ned Slack-Smith (Western Force, Palmyra Rugby Union Club)
8. John Bryant (QLD Reds, Souths Magpies)

Replacements:
16. Liam Bowron (ACT Brumbies, Canberra Royals)
17. Harrison Usher (QLD Reds, Bond University)
18. Nick Bloomfield (QLD Reds, Easts Tigers)
19. Toby Macpherson (ACT Brumbies, Uni-Norths Owls)
20. Leafi Heka Talataina (Melbourne Rebels, Endeavour Hills)
21. Klayton Thorn (ACT Brumbies, Gungahlin Eagles)
22. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips (QLD Reds, Souths Magpies)
23. Taj Annan (QLD Reds, Souths Magpies)