Partick Horgan’s side followed up wins over Scotland U20 and Italy U20 to give themselves a fighting chance of becoming U20 Six Nations Champions for 2008, but with England U20 enjoying a 100% record, Horgan’s side will have to hope for an English slip-up either against Scotland U20 on Saturday or Ireland U20 next weekend.
Wales U20, however, did what was asked of them on Friday evening. After a frantic first half that saw the home side run in leading 6-5, two second half penalties from Leigh Halfpenny meant that Horgan’s side won the match by the narrowest on margins with an 6-11 scoreline. But were it not for dogged defending on their own line as the clock ticked down, the outcome for Patrick Horgan’s side would have been very different.
The home crowd at Dubarry Park willed their side on in the dying seconds and an increased tempo in the last five minutes stretched Wales U20 to near breaking point. Eric Elwood’s side will look at the video this week and ask themselves why they didn’t raise their game to that level much earlier and especially in the first half when Wales U20 looked comfortably the better side at points. It was a frenetic end in which Ireland U20 were desperately trying to level a match that had trickled away from them through Halfpenny’s accurate kicking.
Ireland U20 almost landed the try they were looking for in the final minutes of normal time, when centre Eoin O’Malley drove over with a pile of bodies on his back brought hope to the expectant crowd. When the Italian referee sought the help of the TMO, the score was discounted leaving Ireland U20 still six points adrift and the minutes ticking away. In the end they ran out of time pressing Wales U20 but all too late and desperate to swing the score line.
Although it was Ireland U20 that went into the break leading 6-5, it was the Welsh that would have felt they had the lion’s share of the attacking play in the first forty minutes. Few would argue. Certainly the vast amount of the first forty minutes was spent in the Irish territory with Wales U20 launching wave after wave of attack and the Irish line largely holding. When the breach did finally arrive it took a long skip pass and an awkward bounce to defy the closing Irish defence.
No doubt Wales U20 will look on the opening spell as one where they had comprehensive territorial advantage, although not enough to show for it, although No.8, Lloyd Philips, did show a burst of pace to get the touchdown. That arrived after Irish outside-half, Martin Dufficy landed a penalty to give Ireland a 3-0 lead on ten minutes as the teams found their way. Almost immediately after that score Wales U20 were on the Irish line pushing for points.
As the pressure mounted against Irish defence, it seemed inevitable that Wales U20 would harvest something for their industry. That harvest arrived on 26 minutes as a sweeping move down the left was redirected and from the centre a lopping ball was thrown wide right with the Irish defence stretched. Cochrane was up to meet Phillips but the ball bounced before meeting both of them and just clever enough for the Welsh back row to scoop into his hands and break for the line.
The conversion missed gave Wales U20 just a 3-5 advantage. To their concern they also gave way two kickable penalties leading in to the closing of the half, one of which Dufficy pulled left from 40 metres and the other he landed for Ireland to once again take the lead at 6-5. Ireland U20 noticeably increased the pace in the second half playing into the wind but it was Halfpenny on 56 minutes that gave Wales U20 the lead with a penalty from under the posts. Leading 6-8, Ireland U20 had their chance to kick ahead but Dufficy was wide with his effort before Halfpenny stepped up once again to stretch the Welsh lead to 6-11 on 70 minutes.
It was only then when Ireland U20 realised that the probability was that they were going to lose this match having beaten Scotland U20 so well last time out, that they threw all into attack, but the bigger Welsh team held and their collective defence was sound enough to inflict the Irish with a disappointing home defeat.
Ireland U20 6 – 11 Wales U20
Scoring sequence:
10 mins M Dufficy pen 3-0
26 mins L Philips try 3-5
35 mins M Dufficy pen 6-5
40 mins Halftime
56 mins L Halfpenny pen 6-8
70 mins L Halfpenny pen 6-11
Ireland U20: D Kearney; S Scanlom, E O’Malley, C Cleary, C Cochrane; M Dufficy, D Moore; P Karayiannis, J Harris-Wright, , B Barclay, D Nolan, E Sherriff, K Essex, P Mallon, P Ryan Replacements: T Connelly (for Essex 57), I Madigan (for Dufficy 70); S Douglas (for Barclay 72); S Archer (for Harris-Wright 73)
Wales U20: D Evans; L Halfpenny, J Davies, C Owen, N Rees; D Biggar, R Webb; R Bevington, R Lawrence, P Palmer, H Pugh, J Groves (Capt), J Turnbull, L Phillips, N Cudd Replacements: R Prosser (Palmer 58), R Williams (for Pugh 75); S Hobbs (for Lawrence 76)
Referee: S Falzone (Italy)
