Under-19s Qualify For 5th-6th Place Play-Off

…Belvedere prop Cian Healy carries forward against Argentina…

Ireland qualified for Friday’s 5th-6th place play-off at the IRB Under-19 World Championship after surviving a second half fightback from Argentina in Sharjah.

IRB UNDER-19 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP:
6TH-7TH PLACE PLAY-OFF: Monday, April 17

IRELAND 19 ARGENTINA 13, Sharjah Wanderers

Scorers: Try: Gerard Slattery; Con: Brian Collins; Pens: Collins 4

Argentina: Try: Ignacio Mieres; Con: Mieres; Pens: Mieres 2

Coach Charlie McAleese hailed his side’s “great heart” after they held on for a 19-13 victory – their third of the tournament.

Pumas out-half Ignacio Mieres scored 13 points – a converted try and two penalties – in a devastating 10-minute spell in the second half, but the Irish were not to be denied despite late drop goal and penalty attempts by Mieres.

Argentina lost centre Gustin Vaccari and flanker Juan Pablo to the sin bin in the first half and the Irish crucially made them pay. Hooker Gerard Slattery piled over for a 28th-minute try, which Brian Collins converted. Castleknock out-half Collins added a penalty on 33 minutes, adding to an earlier effort, for a 13-0 Irish lead at the break.

However, Belvedere prop Cian Healy was yellow carded nine minutes into the second half and, restored to 15, the Argentinians clawed their way back into contention.

Mieres landed a 46th-minute penalty, a converted try four minutes later and another penalty on 55 minutes.

Collins, now the second top-scorer in the tournament with 45 points, had sandwiched a penalty in on 48 minutes, enabling Ireland to hold onto the lead.

Five minutes from time, Collins kicked his fourth penalty to send Ireland into a play-off for fifth against Wales on Friday afternoon (Dubai Exiles RFC, kick-off 3.15pm Irish time).

Coach McAleese said afterwards: “I think the team played with great heart again – in the first half we played some dangerous rugby. We were creating a lot of opportunities. But credit to Argentina, they put us under great pressure.”

Openside flanker and captain David Pollock added: “We deserved our victory, we played some super rugby. Our defence was outstanding. There wasn’t much in it in the second half – we tackled well and that saw us through.”

TIME LINE: 5 minutes – Ireland penalty: Brian Collins – 3-0; 25 mins – Argentina yellow card: Agustin Vaccari; 27 mins – Argentina yellow card: Juan Pablo Ruiz; 28 mins – Ireland try: Gerard Slattery – 8-0; conversion: Brian Collins – 10-0; 33 mins – Ireland penalty: Brian Collins – 13-0; Half-time – Ireland 13 Argentina 0; 44 mins – Ireland yellow card: Cian Healy; 46 mins – Argentina penalty: Ignacio Mieres – 13-3; 48 mins – Ireland penalty: Brian Collins – 16-3; 50 mins – Argentina try: Ignacio Mieres – 16-8; conversion: Ignacio Mieres – 16-10; 55 mins – Argentina penalty: Ignacio Mieres – 16-13; 66 mins – Ireland penalty – Brian Collins – 19-13; Full-time – Ireland 19 Argentina 13

IRELAND: Sean Carey (St. Joseph’s College, Garbally); Shane Monahan (Dublin University), Keith Earls (St. Munchin’s College), Ian Whitten (Queens University Belfast), Michael Barker (Queens University Belfast); Brian Collins (Castleknock College), David Drake (Instonians RFC); Cian Healy (Belvedere College), Gerard Slattery (St. Munchin’s College), Richard Sweeney (University College Dublin), Thomas Anderson (Queens University Belfast), Conor McInerney (University College Dublin), Tommy O’Donnell (UL Bohemians), David Pollock (Queens University Belfast) (capt), Kevin Sheahan (University College Dublin).

Replacements used: Ruaidhri Murphy (Castleknock College) for O’Donnell (44-55 mins), Andrew Browne (Galwegians) for McInerney (51), Ian Keatley (University College Dublin) for Whitten, Ruaidhri Murphy for Sweeney, Thomas Walsh (Castleknock College) for O’Donnell (all 56), James Gethings (Gonzaga College) for Murphy (67). Not used: David Gilchrist (University College Dublin), Paul O’Donohoe (Belvedere College), Niall O’Connor (Limavady Grammar School), Aidan Wynne (Blackrock College), Ivan Dineen (Christian Brothers College Cork), Jonathan Graham (Ballynahinch RFC).

ARGENTINA: Francisco Rhorer; Miguel Perandones, Francisco Cuneo (capt), Agustin Vaccari, Joaquin Garcia; Ignacio Mieres, Patricio Roan; Alberto Pordi, Tomas Cubas, Nicolas Basile, Juan Sebastian Medica, Ezequiel Suarez, Juan Pablo Ruiz, Antonio Ahualli, Tomas Cristian Leonardi.

Replacements used: Guillermo Roan for Suarez, Juan Guillermo Figallo for Pordi, Belisario Agulla for Rhorer, Hector Osvaldo Lopez Rios for P Roan, Facundo Orive for Cubas (all half-time), Joaquin Maria Dominguez for Vaccari (53 mins), Nicolas Azorin for Ruiz (56). Not used: Bruno Postiglioni, Cristian Dario Carabajal, Gabriel Ascarate.

Sin Bin: A Vaccari (Argentina) (25 mins), JP Ruiz (Argentina) (27), C Healy (Ireland) (44).

Referee: Dean Richards (England)