| Home team | England U20 |
| Away team | Ireland U20 |
| Venue | Avchala Stadium |
| Competition | Junior World Championship |
| Kick off time | 12:30 pm (UK and Ireland) |
| Watch Live in the UK | Premier Sports and RugbyPass TV |
England vs Ireland U20 preview as the side meet in the Avchala Stadium in the opening round of the Junior World Championship.
England have won the Junior World Championship four times, with the last title coming in 2024. Ireland are two-time runner-up but have never won the Junior World Championship title.
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England U20 vs Ireland U20 confirmed lineups
| England U20 | Ireland U20 | ||||
| Forwards | |||||
| Poku | 1 | Doyle | |||
| Staples | 2 | Handley | |||
| Streeter | 3 | Bishti | |||
| Williams | 4 | McGuire | |||
| Ainsworth-Cave | 5 | McNeice | |||
| Williams | 6 | Neill | |||
| Kelly | 7 | Blaney | |||
| Treacey | 8 | O’Connell | |||
| Backs | |||||
| Friday | 9 | Barrett | |||
| Shields | 10 | O’Shea | |||
| Winters | 11 | Ryan | |||
| Knight | 12 | O’Leary | |||
| Lilley | 13 | Carney | |||
| Finch | 14 | Molony | |||
| Pater | 15 | Byrne | |||
| Replacements | |||||
| Gorleku | 16 | Maguire | |||
| Spencer | 17 | Cooper | |||
| Tonga’uiha | 18 | Conway | |||
| Hogg | 19 | Woods | |||
| Lewis | 20 | Lautsou | |||
| Newman | 21 | O’Dwyer | |||
| Keylock | 22 | Wood | |||
| Pearson | 23 | Deegan | |||
Recent Form:
England U20 (Home team):
| Result | Date | Competition | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 15th March 2026 | U20 Six Nations | France U20 | 31-28 |
| Won | 6th March 2026 | U20 Six Nations | Italy U20 | 17-37 |
| Loss | 20th February 2026 | U20 Six Nations | Ireland U20 | 21-31 |
| Won | 13th February 2026 | U20 Six Nations | Scotland U20 | 17-33 |
| Won | 6th February 2026 | U20 Six Nations | Wales U20 | 19-16 |
England won three of their five Six Nations games this year losing out to Ireland and the eventual winners France. They finished sixth in the JWC last year, having lost out to the Junior Boks in the group phase.
Ireland U20 (Away team):
| Result | Date | Competition | Opponent | Score |
| Won | 15th March 2026 | U20 Six Nations | Scotland U20 | 47-14 |
| Won | 7th March 2026 | U20 Six Nations | Wales U20 | 48-33 |
| Won | 20th February 2026 | U20 Six Nations | England U20 | 21-31 |
| Won | 13th February 2026 | U20 Six Nations | Italy U20 | 30-27 |
| Loss | 7th February 2026 | U20 Six Nations | France U20 | 50-21 |
Ireland finished second in the Six Nations and their only loss came in the opening game against the winners France. They scored 30 or more points in the last four games, although they did concede more than 20 points in four of the games.
England U20 vs Ireland U20 head-to-head record (last five matches):
| Date | Competition | Winner | Score |
| 20th February 2026 | U20 Six Nations | Ireland U20 | 21-31 |
| 30th January 2025 | U20 Six Nations | England U20 | 3-19 |
| 14th July 2024 | Junior World Championships | England U20 | 31-20 |
| 8th March 2024 | U20 Six Nations | Draw | 32-32 |
| 24th June 2023 | Junior World Championships | Draw | 34-34 |
This has traditionally been a close fixture, with two of the last five ending in draws. Ireland won the meeting this year, although England had won the two before this.
