Superb Six-Try Salvo Sees Ireland Under-20s Over The Line In Santa Fe

Captain Charlie Ryan praised the collective efforts of his Ireland Under-20 side as they repeated their Six Nations heroics with a brilliant 42-26 bonus point win over England on the opening day of the World Rugby U-20 Championship in Santa Fe.

The Grand Slam champions capitalised on England’s indiscipline – Aaron Hinkley and Manu Vunipola were sin-binned in both halves and replacement hooker Alfie Barbeary saw red with a reckless 67th-minute challenge on John Hodnett – as they closed out an impressive performance with clinching tries from Ben Healy, who starred off the bench, and Hodnett.

Noel McNamara’s youngsters scored six tries in all, their first two from Jake Flannery and debutant Stewart Moore giving them a 14-13 half-time lead. England led 10-0 and 21-14 at different stages, with winger Ollie Sleightholme touching down twice, but David McCann’s brace in the third quarter, coupled with a 13-point haul from out-half Healy, steered Ireland home.

Second row Ryan said afterwards: “We’re delighted with the win. We’re going to enjoy today, review it and look forward to Australia on Saturday. Four more games to go. It was a super game to play in, privileged to be a part of it and really happy with the performance from the boys.

“Really proud of everyone out on the pitch. They put in a huge shift but we have plenty of things to improve on. We’ll analyse Australia, who had a good (36-12) win themselves against Italy, and just keep the heads on and keep working hard.”

It was Ireland’s second win of the season over England at this grade, following up on their four-try 35-27 triumph in Cork on the opening night of the Six Nations. Looking back at recent clashes, Ireland’s only previous U-20 Championship victory in six meetings with England came in a 5th-8th place play-off in Cape Town in 2012.

Playing with a stiff breeze at their backs, England burst out of the blocks with number 10 Vunipola landing an initial long-range penalty and converting Sleightholme’s well-worked ninth-minute try. The English backs created some space wide on the left before the ball was moved back to the right where Tom Seabrook’s long pass put his fellow winger over.

However, Ryan inspired Ireland’s response with a charge-down and a follow-up lineout steal, the latter leading to eight phases of the forwards punching it up close to the try-line. It was Craig Casey’s crisp pass which sent his half-back partner Flannery over for a converted score just to the right of the posts.

Openside Hodnett’s breakdown skills saw him win a penalty and a subsequent turnover, but a knock-on from debutant number 8 Azur Allison foiled some promising phases. Despite losing the luckless Allison to injury, the Irish forwards continued to show a strong physical edge with Ryan Baird and hooker Dylan Tierney-Martin to the fore.

Following a Vunipola penalty for a 13-7 lead, a leaping Tierney-Martin brilliantly won the restart and Ireland had England scrambling back to their try-line via a nicely-judged kick from Moore. Indeed, it was the Ulster Academy centre who cleverly dived in from an onside position to touch the ball down at the back of an English ruck. With TMO confirmation of the try, Flannery’s superb conversion nudged his side in front.

However, Ireland were held scoreless during Hinkley’s 34th-minute sin-binning for a dangerous tackle on Angus Kernohan. Replacement Ronan Watters lifted his team-mates with a strong carry and a turnover-winning tackle, while some lovely interplay between Flannery, Moore and Liam Turner showed a glimpse of what the Irish back-line’s threats.

Once more it was pre-match favourites England who quickly got up to speed on the resumption. Unbeaten in the pool stages since 2015, they gained serious momentum with a Vunipola penalty and Sleightholme’s second try from skipper Fraser Dingwall’s cross-field kick. It was centres Dingwall and Cameron Redpath who had made the initial incision in the Irish defence.

Back came Ireland in swift fashion, Vunipola’s yellow for a high shot on Iwan Hughes handing them a gilt-edged opportunity, which they took when a strong maul effort led to flanker McCann expertly twisting and burrowing his way over. Healy’s conversion levelled it at 21 points apiece – only for deft handling from Dingwall, Hinkley and Tom de Glanville to put Seabrook over for five points in the left corner.

The resilience Ireland had shown earlier in the season was evident again, as Healy booted a scrum penalty to the corner and McCann, who only turns 19 on Thursday week, squeezed over against just a few phases later. Credit to Baird, Hodnett, Josh Wycherley and Watters for making the equally hard yards in the build-up.

Healy’s conversion Ireland back in front and they never looked back, Barbeary’s red for dumping Hodnett onto his shoulders at a ruck allowing Healy to attack the short side of a scrum and dive over in the corner past Ollie Fox’s despairing tackle. The Garryowen and Munster starlet’s terrific touchline kick ensured some vital breathing space at 35-26.

In an end-to-end climax to this Pool B opener, replacement Sean French did really well to deny big lock Joel Kpoku a certain try before combining slickly in attack with Casey deep in England’s 22. The Irish forwards duly piled through – replacements Michael Milne and Watters were both stopped short – and it was workhorse flanker Hodnett who deservedly sealed it with just over five minutes remaining.

TIME LINE: 3 minutes – England penalty: Manu Vunipola – 3-0; 9 mins – England try: Ollie Sleightholme – 8-0; conversion: Manu Vunipola – 10-0; 12 mins – Ireland try: Jake Flannery – 10-5; conversion: Jake Flannery – 10-7; 26 mins – England penalty: Manu Vunipola – 13-7; 27 mins – Ireland try: Stewart Moore – 13-12; conversion: Jake Flannery – 13-14; 34 mins – England yellow card: Aaron Hinkley; Half-time – England 13 Ireland 14; 43 mins – England penalty: Manu Vunipola – 16-14; 46 mins – England try: Ollie Sleightholme – 21-14; conversion: missed by Manu Vunipola – 21-14; 50 mins – England yellow card: Manu Vunipola; 50 mins – Ireland try: David McCann – 21-19; conversion: Ben Healy – 21-21; 53 mins – England try: Tom Seabrook – 26-21; conversion: missed by Tom de Glanville – 26-21; 60 mins – Ireland try: David McCann – 26-26; conversion: Ben Healy – 26-28; 67 mins – England red card: Alfie Barbeary; 67 mins – Ireland try: Ben Healy – 26-33; conversion: Ben Healy – 26-35; 75 mins – Ireland try: John Hodnett – 26-40; conversion: Ben Healy – 26-42; Full-time – England 26 Ireland 42

ENGLAND U-20: Tom de Glanville (Bath); Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints) (capt), Cameron Redpath (Sale Sharks), Tom Seabrook (Gloucester); Manu Vunipola (Saracens), Ollie Fox (Bath); Olly Adkins (Gloucester), Nic Dolly (Sale Sharks), Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers), Joel Kpoku (Saracens), Alex Coles (Northampton Saints), Ted Hill (Worcester Warriors), Aaron Hinkley (Gloucester), Tom Willis (Wasps).

Replacements used: Josh Hodge (Newcastle Falcons) for Vunipola (17-25 mins, temp sub), Arron Reed (Sale Sharks) for Seabrook (56), Alfie Petch (Exeter Chiefs) for Heyes, Rusiate Tuima (Exeter Chiefs) for Willis, Hodge for de Glanville, Alfie Barbeary (Wasps/Bloxham School) for Dolly (all 62), Richard Capstick (Exeter Chiefs) for Coles, Dolly for Sleightholme, Kai Owen (Worcester Warriors) for Adkins (all 67).

IRELAND U-20: Iwan Hughes (Ballynahinch/Ulster); Angus Kernohan (Queen’s University/Ulster), Liam Turner (Dublin University/Leinster), Stewart Moore (Malone/Ulster), Jonathan Wren (Cork Constitution/Munster); Jake Flannery (Shannon/Munster), Craig Casey (Shannon/Munster); Josh Wycherley (Young Munster/Munster), Dylan Tierney-Martin (Corinthians/Connacht), Thomas Clarkson (Dublin University/Leinster), Charlie Ryan (UCD/Leinster) (capt), Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster), David McCann (Banbridge/Ulster), John Hodnett (UCC/Munster), Azur Allison (Ballymena/Ulster).

Replacements used: Ronan Watters (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) for Allison (25 mins), Ben Healy (Garryowen/Munster) for Hughes, Sean French (Cork Constitution/Munster) for Moore (both 50), Michael Milne (UCD/Leinster) for Wycherley (68), John McKee (Old Belvedere/Leinster) for Tierney-Martin, Ciaran Booth (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby) for McCann, Niall Murray (Buccaneers/Connacht) for Baird (all 74), Charlie Ward (Clontarf/Leinster) for Clarkson (79).

Referee: Damon Murphy (Australia)