By JOHN FALLON

THERE will be a good sprinkling of Connacht input as Ireland bid to create history by capturing the World Rugby U-20 Championship when they take on France in the final in South Africa on Friday (6pm, Irish time).

Four Connacht players are in the squad — two from Galway and two from Mayo — while two key members of Richie Murphy’s coaching team have been working in the Connacht academy in recent years.

Centres Hugh Gavin of Galwegians and John Devine, a Ballinasloe native who plays for Corinthians, have played leading roles in Ireland advancing to the final for only the second time in the 12-year history of the competition.

Ireland’s only previous final experience came under the guidance of former Connacht player and coach Nigel Carolan in 2017 when they went down to hosts England at the AJ Bell Stadium with a side that contained future senior internationals such as Jacob Stockdale, Hugo Keenan, Andrew Porter and James Ryan.

New Zealand have won this title six times, England have captured it three times, South Africa have one success and France won it in 2018 and 2019 before it was cancelled due to Covid-19 and has only resumed again this summer.

The performances of Gavin, son of former Connacht and Galwegians captain Barry, and Devine, whose dad Mike also played for Connacht as well as gaelic football for Offaly, were key in Ireland winning a Six Nations grand slam earlier this year and they have taken that form to Cape Town.

It was the second year in a row that Ireland won the U-20 Six Nations grand slam — Devine’s older brother Matthew was a key figure in the 2022 success.

Ireland had little margin for error in the three-match pool games with opening matches against England and Australia in the 12-team tournament. They drew 34-34 with England but then thrashed Australia 30-10 before a much-changed starting side beat Fiji 47-27 to qualify for the semi-finals for only the third time.

Hosts South Africa stood in their way but Ireland laid down their championship credentials with a 31-12 win over the Baby Boks to set up a final meeting with a French side who also showed their class in a 52-31 win over England.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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