What happened to the Irish under-20s who defeated New Zealand in 2016?

15 Jacob StockdaleGreat character. Super left foot, howitzer of a boot. He had two years with us. Always knew that he was going to make it as he possessed all the qualities. 14 Matthew ByrneMatthew was very quiet but very quick. He scored a rattler of a try against England in the Six Nations up in Newcastle. Joined the Connacht academy where he spent a couple of years. His destiny was to become an architect, which I think he wanted more. 13 Shane DalyBrilliant, loved Shane. Very versatile, he was capable of playing centre, wing or fullback and as his career has progressed he’s still dabbling in all those positions. Very Jeremy Guscott-esque, I thought, at the time. 12 Conor O’BrienA big, abrasive, swashbuckling centre. Sammy Arnold got injured prior to that campaign, so Conor got a lot more game time than he expected, but didn’t let the side down. 11 Hugo KeenanHugo Keenan is tackled by Mitchell Jacobson of New Zealand during the World Rugby U20 Championship game, which was staged in Manchester.

Photograph: Dave Howarth/INPHO Quiet, unassuming; I called him the silent assassin. When he came alive on a pitch, there was something special about him. I just think he didn’t believe in it himself at the time, but, thankfully, he went on to realise his potential. 10 Bill JohnstonA coach in the player’s shirt, he possessed a very high rugby IQ. Good lad, he rarely cracked a smile, very serious, even as a young fella. He understood the game really well, but was very unfortunate that with the plethora of injuries he had he didn’t kick on. We thought he was going to be something special.[ ‘The scenes were incredible’: When Ireland under-20s made history by beating New Zealand ]9 Stephen KerinsThe way we tried to play the game with speed and tempo, he suited us down to the ground. He had a whip of a pass and he got the ball in and out. Very quick across the ground. At age-grade, I think he maxed out on what he had. 1 Andrew PorterI think it speaks for itself, both the potential and how it was realised. What a beast of a human being he was then and as he is now. A great performer, very strong-willed and he brought guys with him [in matches] all the time.2 Adam McBurneyAbrasive. Fiery. A natural leader. Demanded a high standard vocally and backed it up with his actions. He had a really strong mindset. 3 Ben BettsVery quiet. Conor Kenny and Conan O’Donnell, two Connacht props, would have probably been rated a bit higher than him, particularly around scrum time. Ben was quite small but very compact. He did a great job considering he was probably third in line going into the World Cup.4 Cillian GallagherCillian was very athletic, a super lineout forward, who had the athleticism to play secondrow and backrow. Unfortunately, a plethora of injuries curtailed his huge potential or his ability to realise his potential.5 James Ryan (capt)The talisman. Knew again, no more than Andrew Porter and Jacob Stockdale, that he was destined for higher things. A natural captain, he led by example; very detailed and very consistent.6 Greg JonesA great lineout forward to a point where Peter Malone, our forwards coach wanted to adopt him. His ball-carrying and defence played second fiddle to lineouts, but he could do both. So easy to work with.7 David AspilGot more game time when Will Connors picked up an injury in the Six Nations. A natural seven and a groundhog. Not the same level of rugby experience as Connors or Max Deegan, but he did a fine job.8 Max DeeganMax Deegan goes over for Ireland's third try against New Zealand. Photograph: Dave Howarth/INPHO Max, brilliant. Man of the match against New Zealand then the overall player of the tournament. For anyone who’d seen him play at the time, he was superb. He had the full court game; his ball-carrying, his set-piece was good, his defence was awesome. His play at the back of the scrum was unbelievable. He’s only probably getting the game time now that he probably deserved five years ago. 16 Vincent O’BrienHe didn’t play in the Six Nations and made his debut in the Wales match. Played a lot for us off the bench. 17 James BollardWe lost a few props during the Six Nations and he came in through [Trinity coach] Tony Smeeth [on his recommendation]. He did a fine job.18 Vakhtang AbdaladzeVakh was a big unit, loved a scrum as you would expect for someone born in Georgia. While he wasn’t first choice, he was a really good squad player when called upon. Went from Leinster to Brive.19 Sean O’ConnorHe was a five-and-a-half if you were to put a number on his back. He probably wasn’t big enough to be a secondrow or dynamic enough to be a backrow. A very good lineout option, he started the final. 20 Kelvin Browne'You couldn’t fault Kelvin Browne's enthusiasm.' Photograph: Dave Howarth/INPHO Penalty machine. Abrasive. Headstrong. Loved to pick a battle, pick a fight. You couldn’t fault his enthusiasm. Probably a more natural seven [openside]. Best for his abrasiveness, albeit we had to try and channel that into a bit more control at times.21 Niall SaundersProbably disappointed that he didn’t play more, but we felt at the times when he came on he just lacked a little bit of control. Had a decent pass and a good kicking game, but tended to do his own thing sometimes. We just needed to channel that into what we were looking for more.22 Johnny McPhillipsWhen he assumed the quarterback position, I thought he grew into it greatly. A real confidence player, who, once he got a run of games and understood what was required, he was able to stick with it. He did a great job with the team. 23 Jimmy O’BrienA box of tricks. Versatile, he brought great spark and an unbelievable skill set that I don’t think any of the others had in the same way. He had the run, kick, pass, that triple threat. Great off the bench. The rest of the squad Paul Kiernan (centre)He was a very honest player, straight up and down, always gave 100 per cent. He was a little bit behind the likes of centres Conor O’Brien and Shane Daly.Terry Kennedy (wing/fullback)He still hates me today for not picking him as much as he thought I should have. He was in good company there with the talent and the competition around him. Terry was a little bit more raw than the other guys. It was great to see him go on and do what he did in the Sevens game. Conor Kenny (prop)A mountain of a tighthead prop, he did exactly what it said on the tin. He got injured and it was a pity that we lost him early in that World Cup. Evan Mintern (secondrow/backrow)Got a bit of game time towards the back end of the World Cup with Cillian Gallagher and Will Connors injured. More of a backrow that played at lock for us. Will Connors (flanker)Poor divil was injury ridden then and is still injury ridden. Powerful, quick, brave and a great skill set. One of the guys you’d love to see get at least a full season where he’s injury-free. Join our Irish Times Rugby WhatsApp communityGet the best of our writing in the Irish Times rugby community (©INPHO/Henry Simpson/©INPHO/Henry Simpson) Join our Irish Times Rugby WhatsApp community and get our best rugby writing sent directly to your messages inbox. From provincial news to coverage of Ireland’s inaugural Nations Championship campaign, you won’t miss an update. Join here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DaV5S7cDxWF0xDDILjarcw