Ireland U-20s’ Lineout Work Pays Dividends In Bonus Point Triumph

A Danny Sheahan double, and a cleverly-crafted final try from Ben O’Connor, pushed the Ireland Under-20s’ winning margin out to 35 points as they outplayed Wales at a wet Virgin Media Park.

UNDER-20 SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 3:

Friday, February 23 –

IRELAND UNDER-20s 43 WALES UNDER-20s 8, Virgin Media Park
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Sean Edogbo, Hugh Gavin, Henry Walker, Danny Sheahan 2, Ben O’Connor; Cons: Jack Murphy 4, Sean Naughton; Pen: Jack Murphy
Wales: Try: Ieuan Davies; Pen: Harri Wilde
HT: Ireland 17 Wales 3

Ireland’s second bonus point success of the U-20 Six Nations keeps them just a point behind leaders England, with the two unbeaten teams set to go head-to-head at the Recreation Ground on Friday, March 8.

It was a more complete performance from Richie Murphy’s charges, who had front rowers Ben Howard, Henry Walker, and Patreece Bell making their first starts, and there were debuts for replacements Tom Brigg, Davy Colbert, and Emmet Calvey, a late call-up.

Sean Edogbo (17 minutes) and Hugh Gavin (39) both scored their second tries of the Championship, making it 17-3 at half-time with Wales’ only score a penalty from Harri Wilde while Harry Thomas was in the sin bin.

Walker and Ieuan Davies exchanged tries, but replacement Sheahan took his tournament haul to three – either side of a Evan Wood yellow card – and O’Connor raided over late on for the best score of the lot.

With the maul a major attacking weapon for Ireland, captain Evan O’Connell’s astute work in the lineout and his physicality around the pitch earned him the PwC player-of-the-match award.

Having made their tackles and covered well in the back-field, Murphy’s youngsters picked up the first points in a pacy opening to the game. Jack Murphy landed a central seventh-minute penalty after Harry Thomas was slow to roll away.

The Welsh hooker saw yellow soon after for a no-arms tackle on the impressive Bryn Ward, but Wilde curled over a penalty, awarded against Ireland’s scrum, to bring the visitors level by the quarter hour mark.

Ireland got their maul going in response, twice gaining ground before the freshened-up front row all carried strongly and then Edogbo burrowed in under the posts with support from Bell. Murphy converted for a 10-3 lead before Thomas’ return to the pitch.

Wales began to build more phases early on in the second quarter, with skipper Harri Ackerman busy on the ball. They could not get into scoring range though, and Ireland also failed to profit from a leg-pumping charge from O’Connell.

Ward was proving a menace at the breakdown, drawing a neck roll only for a rare Irish lineout infringement to quickly hand back possession to Wales. They advanced further down the pitch when loosehead Howard was penalised for hinging at a scrum.

Just when the Welsh outfit were moving the ball well inside Ireland’s 22, hooker Thomas was pinged for a neck roll on Gavin. There were more defensive duties for the hosts until winger Treacy got in over the ball to win a turnover penalty.

Gavin, the Connacht Academy centre, had a big finish to the opening half. He was involved twice in a powerful attacking spell that saw Wales leak two penalties. Oliver Coffey used the advantage to send Ireland’s second try scorer crashing over the line, and Murphy converted.

Despite having his first two lineout throws of the second period stolen, the industrious Walker replied with a well-taken try off the back of a 45th-minute drive. Wales had conceded penalties in the scrum and maul before that.

Following Murphy’s conversion from the left to make it 24-3, Richard Whiffin’s side increased their try-scoring threat. A dropped pass and the ball bouncing on the touchline denied Huw Anderson and Ackerman respectively, before their persistence paid off in the 52nd minute.

A booming kick from O’Connor almost gave Ireland a 50:22 platform, but Welsh replacement Harri Ford countered brilliantly from another kick. He accelerated back to the blindside and fed his half-back partner Davies for a speedy finish from 35 metres out.

O’Connell pinched a lineout at the front, and Treacy and O’Connor pressed from a kick chase soon after, and although Wales hit back with a maul turnover, the subsequent scrum saw the reinforced Irish pack advance and earn a close-in penalty.

It set up Sheahan to bag a converted bonus point score, the end product of a well-directed maul. Ireland’s attack was beginning to punch more holes now, with Luke Murphy’s deft pass releasing Ward to weave his way back up to the Welsh 22.

Wales replacement Wood paid the price for too many penalties against his team, landing himself in the bin for failing to release after his tackle on Ward. Sheahan swiftly scored again off the back of a maul, with the post denying out-half Murphy for his only miss of the night.

36-8 became 43-8 in the end as the Irish backs knifed their way through in clinical fashion. Wilhelm de Klerk put Treacy thundering in between two defenders and his neat inside pass sent the supporting O’Connor darting over from just outside the Welsh 22.

Replacement Sean Naughton got on the scoresheet with the final conversion, as the contest closed out with the rain becoming more of a factor and a few more handling errors in the process. Ireland were able to halt Wales’ progress at the edge of their 22.

Under-20 Six Nations Results/Fixtures

Under-20 Six Nations Table

TIME LINE: 7 minutes – Ireland penalty: Jack Murphy – 3-0; 8 mins – Wales yellow card: Harry Thomas; 14 mins – Wales penalty: Harri Wilde – 3-3; 17 mins – Ireland try: Sean Edogbo – 8-3; conversion: Jack Murphy – 10-3; 39 mins – Ireland try: Hugh Gavin – 15-3; conversion: Jack Murphy – 17-3; Half-time – Ireland 17 Wales 3; 45 mins – Ireland try: Henry Walker – 22-3; conversion: Jack Murphy – 24-3; 52 mins – Wales try: Ieuan Davies – 24-8; conversion: missed by Harri Ford – 24-8; 62 mins – Ireland try: Danny Sheahan – 29-8; conversion: Jack Murphy – 31-8; 65 mins – Wales yellow card: Evan Wood; 66 mins – Ireland try: Danny Sheahan – 36-8; conversion: missed by Jack Murphy – 36-8; 73 mins – Ireland try: Ben O’Connor – 41-8; conversion: Sean Naughton – 43-8; Full-time – Ireland 43 Wales 8

IRELAND U-20: Ben O’Connor (UCC RFC/Munster); Finn Treacy (Galwegians RFC/Connacht), Wilhelm de Klerk (UCD RFC/Leinster), Hugh Gavin (Galwegians RFC/Connacht), Hugo McLaughlin (Lansdowne FC/Leinster); Jack Murphy (Clontarf FC/Leinster), Oliver Coffey (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster); Ben Howard (Terenure College RFC/Leinster), Henry Walker (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster), Patreece Bell (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby), Joe Hopes (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster), Evan O’Connell (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster) (capt), Sean Edogbo (UCC RFC/Munster), Bryn Ward (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster), Luke Murphy (Shannon RFC/Munster).

Replacements used: Alex Usanov (Clontarf FC/Leinster) for Howard, Emmet Calvey (Shannon RFC/Munster) for Bell (both 51 mins), Danny Sheahan (Cork Constitution FC/Munster) for Walker (54), Billy Corrigan (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster) for Hopes (61), Davy Colbert (Dublin University FC/Leinster) for Gavin (64), Tom Brigg (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster) for L Murphy, Tadhg Brophy (Naas RFC/Leinster) for Coffey, Sean Naughton (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht) for J Murphy (all 67).

WALES U-20: Huw Anderson (Dragons); Harry Rees-Weldon (Dragons), Louie Hennessey (Bath), Harri Ackerman (Dragons) (capt), Walker Price (Dragons); Harri Wilde (Cardiff), Ieuan Davies (Bath); Josh Morse (Scarlets), Harry Thomas (Scarlets), Sam Scott (Midlands Central), Jonny Green (Harlequins), Nick Thomas (Dragons), Osian Thomas (Leicester Tigers), Harry Beddall (Leicester Tigers), Lucas de la Rua (Cardiff).

Replacements used: Evan Wood (Cardiff Met) for Beddall (9-18 mins), Harri Ford (RGC) for Wilde (31), Kian Hire (Ospreys) for Scott, Owen Conquer (Ebbw Vale) for Green (both 44), Jordan Morris (Dragons) for Morse (47), Macs Page (Scarlets) for Rees-Weldon (54), Wood for H Thomas (57), Rhodri Lewis (Ospreys) for Davies (66), H Thomas for Beddall (68-75), Will Plessis (Scarlets) for N Thomas (76).

Referee: Federico Vedovelli (Italy)