Still unbeaten, the Ireland U20s are set to face their toughest challenge yet as they face off against the Baby Boks in the World Rugby U20s Championship semi-final. With only England, France, South Africa and Ireland still in the hunt for the trophy, an Irish win would put Richie Murphy's side into just Ireland's second-ever U20s final. We have all the info on how to watch Ireland U20s v South Africa right here.
When is Ireland U20s v South Africa?
Ireland are set to take on South Africa in the U20s World Cup semi-final at 15:30 (Irish Time) this Sunday 9th of July in Athlone Sports Stadium, South Africa.
How to watch Ireland U20s v South Africa
Ireland U20s v South Africa will be broadcast live on Virgin Media Two with coverage beginning at 3pm ahead of kickoff at 3:30pm.
Virgin Media Two will also be showing the other semi-final between France and England live, with that game kicking off at 6pm.
READ ALSO: Wonderful Gesture From Fiji Ahead Of Hugely Emotional Ireland U20s Game
4 July 2023; Evan O'Connell of Ireland in action during the U20 Rugby World Cup match between Fiji and Ireland at Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Photo by Nic Bothma/Sportsfile
What's at Stake
Ireland qualified for the semi-finals as second seed overall, leaving them playing South Africa. On the other side of the draw, (1st seed) France are taking on (4th seed) England with a place in the U20s World Cup final the prize for the winners.
Form Guide
We've said it before and we'll say it again: this is one of the most talented groups of U20s players to ever grace the rugby field for Ireland. Their form is quite literally flawless and this team have now gone two Six Nations Championships and their U20 World Championship group stages without a loss. The only blemish on their record since 2021 was a draw against England in the opening round of the World Championship.
So far, they've played three games - winning two of them and sharing the spoils in the other. Ireland opened against England in a fiercely competitive match and in what was a flawed performance from both sides nothing could separate the sides. After that, it was cruise control for Murphy's side who beat Australia 30-10 before showing outstanding strength and courage to beat Fiji 47-27 in tragic circumstances.
South Africa's form has been inconsistent at best, with mixed performances, two wins and a loss on their record. They beat Georgia by elven points before suffering a huge eight-point loss to Italy, made famous by the Italian captain's brilliant speech. However, their eight-point win over Argentina in the final game of the season was enough for a semi-final place.
Ultimately, with Sam Prendergast, Ruadhan Quinn and Gus McCarthy all playing so well for this Ireland U20s side and their flawless record, they're the favourites for Sunday's encounter. South Africa's mixed form means this game could go two ways, however, if South Africa show up it could be a lot closer than Ireland like.
Team News
The big guns are back for Richie Murphy as Sam Prendergast, Gus McCarthy and Brian Gleeson all start Sunday's game while a strong bench including Danny Sheehan and Evan O'Connell are there as reinforcements. The team in full is:
Our World Rugby U20 Championship semi-final line up! 🟢#FutureIsGreen | @PwCIreland
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) July 7, 2023
South Africa
This isn't a Springboks team to be trifled with either as Paul De Villiers captains the side ad Jean Smith and Imad Khan pair up in half-back line. The team in full is:
Team named for Ireland clash on Sunday.
Read more here: https://t.co/lExMuYlhlu#WorldRugbyu20s pic.twitter.com/HZGWgDCJy9— Junior Springboks (@JuniorBoks) July 7, 2023
That's all the info you need on how to watch Ireland U20s v South Africa in their World Rugby U20s Championship semi-final this Sunday.
