Australia U20 10

Ireland U20 30

Jon Cardinelli reports from Paarl, South Africa 

IRELAND BEAT AUSTRALIA 30-10 in Paarl on Thursday to strengthen their bid for a place in the World Rugby U20 Championship semi-finals.

Ireland came into this Pool B clash needing a victory, after drawing 34-34 with England in the opening round of the tournament on Saturday. Australia started the second round at the the top of the Pool B standings, after beating Fiji 46-37 last week.

The wet and heavy underfoot conditions at the Paarl Gymnasium school fields on Thursday prescribed a more direct approach by both teams. The rain started shortly before kickoff, and continued for much of the game. High-ball ploys and well-aimed box kicks, however, persisted throughout.

Ireland enjoyed a fantastic opportunity to score in the sixth minute, after Andrew Osborne intercepted a pass inside his own 22 and raced towards Australia’s tryline. The winger was eventually caught by the cover defence, but Ireland were awarded a penalty, and out-half Sam Prendergast stepped up to boot his side into a 3-0 lead.

Australia delivered the first significant blow of the contest in the 25th minute, when scrum-half Teddy Wilson broke the line and offloaded to centre Henry O’Donnel for a well-deserved try. Out-half Scott Bowen added the extras.

Ireland dug deep, though, to ensure that they registered a try of their own before the break. After controlling the ball through the phases, they shifted it to the left wing, where James Nicholson made sure of the finish.

Prendergast pushed the conversion attempt wide. Ireland controlled the ensuing restart well, though, and played themselves back into Australian territory. When they were awarded a penalty on the stroke of half-time, Prendergast hammered it between the posts to give his side a 11-10 lead.

The weather worsened as the game wore on. Ireland maintained their intensity, and earned some reward when No 8 Brian Gleeson crashed over the line in the 53rd minute. Prendergast’s conversion extended Ireland’s lead to eight points – a substantial buffer given the conditions.

Ireland’s pack started to dominate in the closing stages, with the scrum winning a series of penalties, and the lineout drive proving an excellent attacking platform. On the back of a well-executed maul, the boys in green hammered away at the Australian tryline, with captain Gus McCarthy dotting down in the 63rd minute.

Ireland enjoyed multiple opportunities to secure the four-try bonus point in the closing stages. Spurred on by an extremely vocal travelling Irish contingent in the stands, they continued to edge closer to the tryline, but were repeatedly denied by the Australian defence.

Replacement Rory Telfer was shown a yellow card for a high tackle in the 78th minute. Despite being one man down, Ireland continued to press, and were awarded the fourth try and bonus point after Diarmund Mangan crashed over.

Ireland’s final pool fixture is against Fiji on Tuesday 4 July.

Australia U20 scorers:

• Tries: Henry O’Donnell
• Conversions: Jack Bowen [1 from 1]
• Penalties: Bowen [1 from 1]

Ireland U20 scorers:

• Tries: James Nicholson, Brian Gleeson, Gus McCarthy, Diarmund Mangan
• Conversions: Sam Prendergast [1 from 3], Jack Oliver [1 from 1]
• Penalties: Prendergast [2 from 2]

AUSTRALIA U20: Mason Gordon, Tim Ryan, Henry O’Donnell, David Vaihu, Darby Lancaster, Jack Bowen, Teddy Wilson (captain); Jack Barrett, Max Craig, Massimo de Lutiis, Jhy Legg, Daniel Maiava-Tapusoa, Lachlan Hooper, Ned Slack-Smith, John Bryant.

Replacements: Liam Bowron, Harrison Usher, Nick Bloomfield, Toby MacPherson, Leafi Heka Talatania, Klayton Thorn, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, Taj Annan.

IRELAND U20: Henry McErlean, Andrew Osborne, Hugh Gavin, John Devine, James Nicholson, Sam Prendergast, Fintan Gunne; Paddy McCarthy, Gus McCarthy (captain), Ronan Foxe, Charlie Irvine, Conor O’Tighearnaigh, James McNabney, Ruadhan Quinn, Brian Gleeson.

Replacements: Danny Sheahan, George Morris, Fiachna Barrett, Evan O’Connell, Diarmund Mangan, Jack Oliver, Harry West, Rory Telfer.

Referee: Angus Mabey [NZRU].

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