Ireland U20s set sights on third-place clash with New Zealand at Junior World Cup

IRELAND U20s, featuring several Munster players, will face New Zealand U20s in the battle for third-place at the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa this Friday.

Ireland suffered a disappointing 31-20 World Rugby Under-20 Championship semi-final defeat to England in Cape Town on Sunday afternoon.

England’s dominant forwards laid the foundations of a hard-fought victory in this clash of Six Nations rivals.

Ireland U20s third-place play-off with New Zealand in Cape Town will kick-off at 3.30pm Irish time and is live on RugbyPass. 

Hoping to reach the final for the second year running, Ireland were missing injured captain, Limerick second-row Evan O'Connell, for Sunday's semi-final but his Munster colleague, Brian Gleeson, deputised and turned in a talismanic performance at number eight.

It was Ireland who drew first blood, scrum-half Oliver Coffey going over after centre Wilhelm de Clerk had split the English defence wide open following a lineout in the opening minute of the game.

The two sides played out a dramatic 32-32 draw in the Six Nations earlier this year, Ireland levelling with a converted try three minutes after the hooter – and they drew in the pool phase in South Africa last year.

A draw was not an option on Sunday in Cape Town. But another nip-tuck match was almost inevitable. After the early setback, England’s pack soon got on the front foot, piling the pressure time and again on a rapidly backpedalling Irish scrum. 

It took another 20 minutes, and some super phase play for England to break down Ireland’s obdurate defence. Hooker Craig Wright benefited as he stayed out wide to take the final pass after several phases.

Ollie Allen was on hand minutes later, scoring after Ioan Jones had scythed through Ireland’s defence to take England into the lead for the first time. But their advantage didn’t last, Bryn Ward using the cover of the posts to score after Ireland’s forwards had repeatedly battered at the line.

A helter-skelter first half ended with England again in front, Sean Kerr finishing a series of phases in the corner after a long pass from scrum-half Allen.

Scoring opportunities were few and far between in the second period, though the pace and intensity didn’t falter as three Kerr penalties – the last of them on the stroke of full-time – punished the Irish, as their scrum continued to struggle. 

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), Danny Sheahan (Cork Constitution FC/Munster), Patreece Bell (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby), Alan Spicer (UCD RFC/Leinster), James McKillop (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster), Sean Edogbo (UCC RFC/Munster), Bryn Ward (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster), Brian Gleeson (Garryowen FC/Munster) (capt). Replacements used:Stephen Smyth (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster) for Sheahan, Andrew Sparrow (UCD RFC/Leinster) for Bell (both 49 mins), Luke Murphy (Shannon RFC/Munster) for Spicer (54), Emmet Calvey (Shannon RFC/Munster) for Howard (58), Billy Corrigan (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster) for Edogbo, Tadhg Brophy (Naas RFC/Leinster) for Coffey, Sean Naughton (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht) for J Murphy, Sam Berman (Terenure College RFC/Leinster) for Gavin (all 69).

England: Ioan Jones; Ben Redshaw; Ben Waghorn, Sean Kerr; Alex Wills; Ben Coen, Ollie Allan; Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Craig Wright, Afolabi Fasogbon; Joe Bailey, Junior Kpoku; Finn Carnduff (capt), Henry Pollock, Nathan Michelow. Replacements: James Isaacs, Cameron Miell, James Halliwell, Olamide Sodeke, Kane James, Lucas Friday, Josh Bellamy, Toby Cousins.

Referee: Morné Ferreira (South Africa)