There is a narrative in play that Irish rugby is heading for the doldrums and there is nothing light about the shifting winds of opinion, whether they’re coming from sections of the media, its antisocial half-sibling or from bar-room conversation.
A pummelling on the pitch in Paris has given rise to criticism and misgivings off it. They are legitimate concerns for the most part, but not without elements that are hysterical and tribal. An Ireland team missing five first-choice players went to the home ground of the reigning Six Nations champions, a side that had battered them in Dublin last season.
Andy Farrell’s side lost. The set piece went well but in most other areas Ireland were outthought, outfought and outplayed. They did eventually decide to keep the ball in hand, in an all too brief if tantalising respite. There were tactical and technical deficiencies, as well as an overreliance on kicking. Substandard performances will be addressed in selection for Saturday’s game against Italy.
Critics have come out swinging at coaches, players and the game plan. They have then dropped down to more parochial matters, arguments drawn on provincial lines. Ireland’s famed production line – or, truth be told, Leinster’s – has slipped into the crosshairs when it comes to doing the heavy lifting involved in providing talent for the academies.
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It’s worth examining the players that have progressed from Under-20 level to the senior national team since 2020. In ballpark terms during those six years, 14 players from approximately 200 have, to date, made that leap from 20s to senior international. This is at a time when Ireland won two Under-20s Grand Slams, reached a World Cup final and finished fourth in the global tournament.
Thomas Clarkson returned for a second season having won a Grand Slam under Noel McNamara in 2019 – Ryan Baird, Harry Byrne and Craig Casey also made the jump from age-grade to senior international from that squad – to join a group that had the biggest throughput in the specified time frame.
Jack Crowley (31 caps), Joe McCarthy (20) and Clarkson (11) have reached double figures in appearances for the Ireland team while Cian Prendergast (8), Tom Stewart (4), Thomas Ahern (2) and Ben Murphy (2) have also been capped by Farrell. Seven players – it’s a rich seam.
Three – Jack Boyle (4), Darragh Murray (2) and Alex Kendellen (1) – have made the jump from the 2021 Irish Under-20s. None have been capped from the class of 2022. Four upgraded their age-grade green jersey from 2023, namely Sam Prendergast (14), Gus McCarthy (7), Paddy McCarthy (4) and Hugh Gavin (1). None have yet progressed from the Under-20s squads of 2024 and 2025.
It’s important to point out that Ireland won Under-20s Grand Slams in 2022 and 2023 and in the latter year, Richie Murphy’s charges also reached the Under-20 World Cup final in South Africa.
Last Thursday night at the Stade de France, Fabien Galthié’s side fielded six players from a French Under-20s side that lost to their Irish counterparts 33-31 in Cork (2023). Ireland had one, Sam Prendergast.
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Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Théo Attissogbé, Nicolas Depoortere, Hugo Auradou, Oscar Jegou and Lenni Nouchi played in that match in Musgrave Park, but a few of that cohort missed out for a variety of reasons when France went on to hammer Ireland 50-14 in the World Cup final that summer.
There were no Under-20 World Cups from 2020-2022 inclusive. France’s victory in 2023 was a threepeat, having also won the global tournament in 2018 and 2019. The French won the 2025 Six Nations title, seven years on from their previous triumph in that competition.
Drawing a parallel between the Ireland and French underage systems is like comparing apples and oranges. France 20s beat Ireland 50-21 in Perpignan last Saturday night; 11 of their starting 15 had played French Top 14 and in some cases Champions Cup. And not just a handful of games. The remainder had lined out in Pro D2.
Contrast this with the Irish team. Right wing Daniel Ryan made his Connacht debut against Ulster in a United Rugby Championship match on December 27th. Tom Wood came off the bench to make a first Munster appearance against Glasgow Warriors in Scotstoun: 100 minutes combined, one game apiece. That is the sum of the provincial experience for the Irish match-day 23 in Perpignan.
What’s worth bearing in mind for those who want young players to come through quicker is that the numbers game is a huge factor. On any given weekend in the French Top 14, 28 loosehead props – it’s applicable to all positions – will see some game time. There’s a similar situation in Pro D2.
Provincially in Ireland, it’s eight. France and England can fast-track youth in greater numbers, providing them with elite-grade senior rugby.
The reason Ireland are desperately seeking more ‘A’ internationals, the thinking behind the Emerging Ireland tours, is to bridge a gap between 20s and senior internationals, so that the best young players are exposed to elite rugby as often as possible. The decision to cancel the men’s Sevens programme strikes a discordant note in that respect.
The Irish system, as it stands, is desperately in need of refinement and a clear-eyed commitment to unclogging the blockages.
Ireland Under-20 players who went on to win senior caps (2020-2025)
2020: Ben Murphy (Connacht), Jack Crowley (Munster), Tom Stewart (Ulster), Thomas Ahern (Munster), Joe McCarthy (Leinster), Cian Prendergast (Connacht), Thomas Clarkson (Leinster).
2021: Jack Boyle (Leinster), Darragh Murray (Connacht), Alex Kendellen (Munster).
2022: None.
2023: Gus McCarthy (Leinster), Paddy McCarthy (Leinster), Sam Prendergast (Leinster), Hugh Gavin (Connacht)
2024: None.
2025: None.
* Jack Boyle played a second year in 2022, Hugh Gavin played a second year in 2024
