Quotes: Under-19 Coach Charlie McAleese
Click here for quotes from the Ireland Under-19 coach Charlie McAleese, following his side’s 26-18 defeat to France at the IRB U-19 World Championship in Dubai on Sunday.
…UCD lock Conor McInerney – one of Ireland’s key performers in the lineout…
QUOTES: UNDER-19 COACH CHARLIE MCALEESE:
– ON THE DEFEAT TO FRANCE –
“I’m extremely proud (of the players). They put a massive effort in against a very physical French side. Our first reaction is massive disappointment but nonetheless, we’ve had two tough games to start the tournament but we’re ahead of schedule in terms of our aims for the tournament.
“I thought in the tight exchanges, if we got to the right areas of the pitch, we could have done damage there. We weren’t, as you saw, scared to spread the ball about the park and there is a versatility and flexibility in this team and we can adapt and change depending on who we play – so we’re delighted with the performance but very disappointed (with the result).”
– ON IRELAND’S LINEOUT –
“The lineout again was good for us and it’s a weapon we’ll hopefully continue to use both offensively and defensively in this tournament.”
…St. Munchin’s centre Keith Earls – Ireland’s try scorer in the win over England last week…
– ON SAMOA, IRELAND’S NEXT OPPONENTS –
“We haven’t had a lot of time to look at the Samoan team. All the teams in this tournament play with a distinctive and very different style – as I’ve said, it’s a matter of being flexible and versatile.
“We certainly have a lot of mental powers in our team and we have good decision makers and we can adapt and change to meet the challenge that the Samoan team will present – no doubt that will be a physical one.”