Virgin Media Park in Cork is set to be rocking for the clash and so it should be given the recent history between these sides.
In last year’s U20 Six Nations the sides drew 32-32 at the Recreation Ground in Bath and then, a few months later in the U20 World Championship semi-final, England came out on top 31-20 in Cape Town in South Africa.
On both occasions the results set England up to go on and win the tournaments and Ireland will be right up for this next meeting.
England centre Angus Hall and his team mates are looking forward to the round one challenge on the road too and the 19-year-old from Saracens cannot wait to be involved in an U20 Six Nations.
“Last year I was in and around camp during this tournament to gain experience and it was great being around the guys and seeing how they went about their business,” Hall, who is set to start at 13 on Thursday, said.
“Then we had a match against Coventry and there was a tour to Georgia at the end of the season which I was lucky enough to be selected for.
“When we got back from Georgia, I found out that I had been selected in the World Championship squad and I really could not believe it to be honest.
“It was an incredible feeling and when I heard that I’d be going out to South Africa the first people I called were my parents because they have helped me so much in my rugby career.
“When I was on the plane out to the tournament I started to switch on and was saying to myself ‘you have a job to do here’ and I just wanted to do my best for the team whenever called upon.
“We built up momentum through the tournament and then beating Ireland in the semi-finals was a big result, but we soon had to refocus for the final.”
In that final versus the 2023 champions France, Hall was handed a start on the wing.
“There was an injury and it was quite last minute, but as soon as I was told I was starting in not my usual position all I was focused on was that game,” Hall explained.
“It was a tough match, as we expected, but we all really stuck to our jobs and it paid off as we got the [21-13] win.
“That feeling of coming out on top in a World Championship final really was something else, it is hard to describe and it is definitely the highlight of my career so far.”
That may, quite rightly, be the highlight of Hall’s fledgling rugby journey so far, but he has also had a fair few more highs since then.
The former England under-18 and 19 cap who possesses power, pace and an ability to kick the ball well was promoted to the Saracens senior academy ahead of this current campaign and he has since played a batch of games for the club’s first team in various competitions.
He was also invited to train with England A in November and, as a result, he is hoping to take all of these experiences into the U20 Six Nations campaign.
“I like to think I can bring leadership to this U20 squad along with captain Tom Burrows and other senior players,” Hall, who came through the ranks at Sevenoaks Rugby Club and has six U20 caps under his belt to date, stated.
“There are a lot of new faces in the group, but there are so many talented boys together here and we have gelled really well on and off the pitch in recent weeks.
“Now it is about taking what we have worked on in training into this Ireland game and I want to try and lead by example and show a calmness on the pitch so that we can get the result that we are looking for.
“As a player these are the kind of tournaments and matches that you want to be a part of and we really cannot wait.”
The match kicks-off at 19:45 GMT on Thursday. See the full U20 Six Nations fixture list here.
