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Ireland U-20 Squad Named For World Rugby U-20 Championship 17 May 2017 12:35 Head coach Peter Malone has named the Ireland Under-20 squad, sponsored by PwC, for June’s World Rugby U-20 Championship in Georgia.

The tournament takes place from May 31 to June 18, with the Ireland Under-20s playing their pool games in Kutaisi, before moving to Tbilisi for the knock-out stages.

Ireland share Pool B with Italy, New Zealand and Scotland.

The 28-man squad will be captained by Gorey native and Lansdowne back rower Paul Boyle (pictured below).

There are some new faces in the squad, with Under-19 players Jordan Duggan, Angus Curtis, David McCarthy, Alan Tynan and Michael Silvester all included for the tournament.

On confirmation of the squad, Peter Malone said: “It’s an exciting time for these players as they will all be experiencing a World Championship for the first time. It’s a great opportunity for them to go out and pit themselves against their peers from around the world.

“We’ve lost a number of players who were involved during the U-20 Six Nations through injury, so it’s very unlucky for those guys not to be involved, but it gives other players the chance to wear the green jersey on the world stage.

“We’re in a really strong pool with Italy and Scotland who made us work really hard for wins during the Six Nations, and then New Zealand who will have a number of players back from last year’s tournament so they will be a huge test for us.” At the squad announcement, Feargal O’Rourke, Managing Partner, PwC, commented: “As a long time sponsor of Irish Rugby, we’re delighted to support the Under-20 team in this year’s World Rugby U-20 Championship. “Talent, teamwork and a pursuit of excellence are the hallmarks of this team, following in the footsteps of their predecessors, and it is these shared values that have

made our partnership with the IRFU so successful over the last 11 years.

“The team are great ambassadors for the country, for Irish Rugby and for PwC Ireland and we wish them the best of luck in Georgia in the upcoming games.”

The Ireland U-20s will open their campaign against Six Nations rivals Italy on Wednesday, May 31 in the Kutaisi Stadium. They will then meet Scotland on Sunday, June 4, and their final Pool B game takes place against New Zealand, whom Ireland defeated for the first time during last year’s Championship, on Thursday, June 8.

Ireland’s Pool B fixtures will be shown live on eir Sport.

The tournament will also be shown on ITV and streamed via the World Rugby website.

IRELAND UNDER-20 Squad (2017 World Rugby Under-20 Championship, Kutaisi & Tbilisi, Georgia, May 31-June 18): Backs (12) - Angus Curtis (Queen’s University/Ulster) * Conor Dean (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) *Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster) Colm Hogan (Dublin University/ Munster) Jack Kelly (Dublin University/Leinster) David McCarthy (Garryowen/Munster) * Gavin Mullin (UCD/ Leinster) Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster) Jack Stafford (Shannon/Munster) Jonny Stewart (Queen’s University/Ulster) Michael Silvester (Dublin University/Leinster) * Alan Tynan (Young Munster/Munster) * Forwards (16) - Paul Boyle (Lansdowne/Leinster) (capt) Charlie Connolly (Dublin University/Leinster) Joey Conway (UL Bohemians/Munster) Gavin Coombes (Young Munster/Munster) Peter Cooper (Belfast Harlequins/ Ulster) Caelan Doris (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) Oisin Dowling (Lansdowne/Leinster) Jordan Duggan (Naas/ Leinster) * John Foley (Shannon/Munster) Ronan Kelleher (UCD/Leinster) Sean Masterson (Corinthians/Connacht) Tadgh McElroy (Lansdowne/Leinster) Greg McGrath (Lansdowne/Leinster) Marcus Rea (Queen’s University/ Ulster) Jack Regan (UCD/Leinster) Fineen Wycherley (Young Munster/Munster) Unavailable due to injury: Cillian Gallagher, Bill Johnston, Jordan Larmour, Robert Lyttle, Johnny McPhillips, Tommy O’Brien IRELAND U-20s’ World Rugby Championship Fixtures: Pool B Ireland v Italy, Ireland v Scotland, Ireland v New Zealand

‘Italy deserved it’ - Malone wants Ireland U20s to learn painful lessons Updated / Thursday, 1 Jun 2017 Peter Malone: ‘We let them get an early foothold in the game which was the one thing we didn’t want to do.’

Peter Malone: ‘We let them get an early foothold in the game which was the one thing we didn’t want to do.’

Ireland U20 head coach Peter Malone had no complaints after the gut-wrenching opening World Championship defeat to Italy in Georgia, and said his team paid for an “average” first half.

Massimo Cioffi brilliantly converted his own 76th-minute try at the Kutaisi Stadium to nudge the Azzurri 22-21 ahead, with Ciaran Frawley’s missed long-range penalty leaving Malone’s charges devastated at the final whistle.

They now face games against Scotland and the All Blacks in Pool B with progression looking an enormous ask, but Malone said his team will learn from their errors as they look to salvage some positives.

“We dominated possession in the first 15 or 20 minutes but they got two breakaway tries and that put us under pressure. I thought the lads took the foot off the pedal towards the end of the first half.

“They refocused a lot, I thought we’d then done enough but in fairness to Italy, they deserved it. They stayed in the game, they got their chance and they took it in the last minute. We’re disappointed; there’s a lot to learn from that game. “We were pretty average at times in that first half so we’ll really learn from that and see what we can do better against Scotland because we know they are a serious team.”

Frawley was inconsolable after seeing his kick miss the target from the Italy 10-metre line.

The Leinster fly-half pulled his effort slightly to the right but Malone said the burden of defeat is by no means on Frawley’s shoulders.

“It was a tough miss but he’d just nailed the previous one five minutes earlier to put us ahead so that’s the way the game goes,” he stressed.

“He was unlucky; he actually struck it well. We’d hold nothing against Ciaran. We left enough chances behind us to win that game. It’s a 15-man game, a 28-man squad, and coaches management and all have to take responsibility.”

Ireland U-20s Lose To Scotland In Exciting Eight-Try Encounter 4 June 2017, 01:11 pm :: Match Report The Ireland Under-20s succumbed to their second defeat at the World Rugby U-20 Championship in Georgia, going down 32-28 to Scotland in a hugely entertaining eight-try contest. Scotland’s ambition with ball in hand and infectious attacking style was rewarded with five tries in sunkissed Kutaisi. Having erased a 10-point deficit, tries from Ross McCann and Fraser Renwick had the Scots 12-10 ahead at half-time and further touchdowns from influential backs Darcy Graham, Connor Eastgate and Robbie Nairn guided them to a well-earned bonus point.

Injury-hit Ireland showed a lot of tenacity, particularly in the second half when they twice got it back to a twopoint game and also cut the deficit to four points late on, but Jack Kelly’s brace of tries - adding to Shannon scrum half Jack Stafford’s earlier score on his first start - was not enough in the end. Ireland’s other 13 points were kicked

by Conor Dean and Alan Tynan, and as Peter Malone’s youngsters come to terms with a frustrating second loss in Pool B, they must rally for a big final push against leaders New Zealand at the same venue on Thursday (kick-off 3.30pm local time/12.30pm Irish time). Having slipped up against Italy in midweek, Ireland were determined to get back to winning ways and they were chasing their second victory of the season against Scotland whom they edged out 20-19 in Cumbernauld at the start of the U-20 Six Nations.The Scots, who lost 42-20 to the Baby Blacks, looked to stretch Ireland early on, winning Blair Kinghorn’s kick-off and moving the ball at pace in a frenetic opening. They had the first sight of the try-line but number 8 Matt Fagerson dropped the ball in contact.Kinghorn overcooked a subsequent penalty, kicking it dead, and although there were unforced errors from both sides in the 26-degree heat, winger Kelly lifted Ireland with some excellent defensive play, getting to Eastgate’s kick through and winning a penalty which moved his side up towards halfway. Having got into the Scottish half, Ireland used the platform of a scrum to launch their backs with quick hands. Calvin Nash did well to keep the attack going and centre Gavin Mullin went close to scoring from a neat grubber kick with the ball unfortunately not sitting up for

him. An overthrown Scottish lineout allowed Malone’s charges to keep the pressure on and after Ciaran Frawley was just held up on the right, out-half Dean lobbed a 17th minute penalty through the posts to punish his opposite number Eastgate who was caught offside. Four minutes later, Ireland had their first try as quick thinking from Stafford saw him tap and go and force his way over from five metres out. His forwards, who were enjoying a mini purple patch, had set up the opportunity with a couple of wellworked mauls and Dean converted for a sudden 10-point advantage. Scotland struck back by the half hour mark, though, as a classy counter attack - led by the Scotland Sevens-capped Graham from his own 22 via a brilliant offload from Stafford McDowall - saw centre McCann collect the winger’s pass off the deck to scamper in by the posts. Eastgate’s simple conversion close the gap to three points. The Scots held onto the momentum approaching the interval and Ireland captain Paul Boyle was warned about his side’s discipline as they leaked successive penalties. Scotland turned down two kickable shots and those decisions eventually paid off, the stubborn Irish defence folding in the 39th minute as hooker Renwick scored from the back of a maul - 12-10. Ireland restarted in promising fashion, an intercept in midfield by replacement Gavin Coombes launching the backs but Kelly was forced into touch. Yet, the Scots’ quick-witted attack soon found holes again at the other end, with Eastgate’s 47th-minute penalty duly extending their lead. A powerful charge from hooker Ronan Kelleher, the pick of the forwards along with Fineen Wycherley and Coombes, got Ireland back on the move and into scoring range. A Scottish offside allowed Dean to make it a two-point game once more.

However, Kinghorn capitalised on loose Irish kicking and poor follow-up defence to make a full 40 metres, and a quick recycle saw speedster Graham claim Scotland’s third try of the afternoon, converted by Eastgate. Nonetheless, Ireland’s resilience came to the fore yet again, the talismanic Kelly picking a great line to burst onto replacement Angus Curtis’ inviting pass and evade two defenders for a 57th minute try. Debutant Curtis had replaced Dean at out-half and full-back Tynan took over the kicking duties, nailing the conversion to set up a fascinating final quarter at 22-20. Scottish captain Callum Hunter-Hill popped up twice in another potent attack which teed up a five-pointer

out wide for Eastgate with 61 minutes gone. Ireland, who duly sent four replacements on, hung in there at 27-23 thanks to a crisp penalty strike from Tynan. Try number five arrived barely a minute later for the Scots, who made a mammoth 681 metres over the course of the game and beat 33 defenders. Nairn joined his wing colleague Graham on the scoresheet after McCann drew the final defender to set up the Harlequins clubman. Eastgate missed the conversion, but Scotland were within reach of their first win over Ireland in six U-20 Championship meetings.

Ireland showed plenty of character to hit back with their third try, making Scotland sweat in the final few minutes with their lead cut to four points. Jack Regan’s 75th-minute turnover and a pacy break from fellow replacement Michael Silvester had the Scots scrambling back before Kelly showed good strength to reach over in the right corner via a Tynan offload. The latter could not convert, however, and a last-minute knock-on from Caelan Doris as he attempted to take a quick tap brought Ireland’s challenge to an end.

Now looking to match the heroics of the 2016 team’s victory over the Baby Blacks, Ireland U-20 captain Boyle, who was a tireless performer in the back row, said afterwards: “Scotland are a good physical side and they just came out on top in the end. That’s two losses in a row, but we believe we can regroup and beat New Zealand again.”

TIME LINE: 17 minutes - Ireland penalty: Conor Dean 3-0; 21 mins - Ireland try: Jack Stafford - 8-0; conversion: Conor Dean - 10-0; 28 mins - Scotland try: Ross McCann 10-5; conversion: Connor Eastgate - 10-7; 39 mins - Scotland try: Fraser Renwick - 10-12; conversion: missed by Connor Eastgate - 10-12; Half-time - Ireland 10 Scotland 12; 47 mins - Scotland penalty: Connor Eastgate - 10-15; 51 mins - Ireland penalty: Conor Dean - 13-15; 53 mins Scotland try: Darcy Graham - 13-20; conversion: Connor Eastgate - 13-22; 57 mins - Ireland try: Jack Kelly - 18-22; conversion: Alan Tynan - 20-22; 61 mins - Scotland try: Connor Eastgate - 20-27; conversion: missed by Connor Eastgate - 20-27; 67 mins - Ireland penalty: Alan Tynan - 23-27; 68 mins - Scotland try: Robbie Nairn - 23-32; conversion: missed by Connor Eastgate - 23-32; 75 mins Ireland try: Jack Kelly - 28-32; conversion: missed by Alan Tynan - 28-32; Full-time - Ireland 28 Scotland 32 Referee: Dan Jones (Wales)

Ireland Under-20s Have No Answer To Ruthless Baby Blacks

8 June 2017, Match Report The New Zealand Under-20s avenged last year’s World Rugby U-20 Championship defeat to Ireland in emphatic style by romping to an eleven-try 69-3 victory in sweltering Kutaisi. Running riot at times in their third bonus point win of the tournament, the Baby Blacks used their size advantage and greater pace, execution and experience to dish out a demoralising defeat to Peter Malone’s Ireland youngsters who will meet Samoa in the 9th-12th place play-offs in Tbilisi next Tuesday (kick-off 1pm local time/10am Irish time). Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan scored two tries apiece and Braydon Ennor also dotted down as the Pool B winners streaked into a 31-3 half-time lead, with Conor Fitzgerald’s penalty having given Ireland an early lead.

The Ireland U-20s have had an awful luck with injuries this season, arriving in Georgia without a number of their first choice players, and they suffered another setback when stand-in captain Jack Kelly hobbled off with an ankle injury on the half hour mark. Determined to banish memories of that 33-24 loss to the Irish in Manchester twelve months ago, the semi-final bound New Zealanders, who advance as top seeds, failed to ease up on the resumption as early tries from Tom Christie and Ereatara Enari stretched their lead out to 40 points. Even with Kiwi second rows Isaia Walker-Leawere and Sam Caird in the sin-bin, tiring Ireland could not force a try of their own and a record defeat at this level was confirmed by further tries from hat-trick heroes Clarke and Jordan, replacement Josh McKay and out-half Tiaan Falcon who also landed seven conversions. Head coach Malone said afterwards: “Credit to New Zealand, it was a super performance and they fully deserved their victory. We couldn’t live with them. We thought we’d try and upset them with our line-speed but we didn’t. We’re disappointed. We thought we’d give it a good crack and might get a bit closer, but it was all about New Zealand today. “Next week will be a massive game for us against whoever we are playing. Results have been disappointing, but we’re a good group and we have worked hard and I think the guys will be able to regroup and get themselves mentally right.”

Malone had made wholesale changes from last Sunday’s fourpoint loss to Scotland, handing debuts to U-19 backs David McCarthy and Liam Coombes while six players, in all, made their first starts at U-20 level - including front rowers Adam Moloney and Greg McGrath. An early scrum penalty would have pleased the latter pair, and having kicked to the corner, Ireland retained possession, drew an offside in front of the posts and Shannon clubman Fitzgerald kicked them into a fourth-minute lead. Falcon missed a penalty in response and Gavin Coombes’ brilliant work at the breakdown broke up a threatening New Zealand attack. However, the Irish defence was unlocked in

superb fashion by Clarke in the 10th minute, the big winger bursting through a gap off a lineout and then getting away from Michael Silvester to cross the whitewash. Falcon converted from the left for 7-3. Ireland ended the opening quarter with a 12-3 deficit, full-back Jordan becoming the second member of New Zealand’s back-three to touch down with centre Ennor haring through a gap out wide and providing the scoring pass. Midfield duo Orbyn Leger and Ennor then combined for a 21st minute score, the latter’s return pass giving Ennor an easy run-in behind the posts and Falcon converted. Jordan registered the bonus point barely two minutes later, another terrific passing move unleashing the full-back and he left a number of Irish players trailing in his wake. Ireland spent the next ten or so minutes on the attack, the hard-working pack pressing from a rolling maul in the New Zealand 22. Despite doing well to keep it tight and recycle quickly, a try remained frustratingly out of their reach.

They were not helped by referee Jaco van Heerden’s decision not to use his yellow card after four penalties in quick succession by the Kiwis. Ireland’s mood darkened further when Clarke sped clear up the left touchline for his second try after slick handling from the Baby Blacks, including a great catch off his bootlaces by talented number 10 Falcon. The conversion was missed, leaving 28 points between the sides at the break. New Zealand mercilessly resumed on the front foot, flanker Christie scoring off the back of a maul and scrum half Enari tagging on a quickfire second try thanks to hooker Asafo Aumua’s barnstorming charge through midfield as he bounced off John Foley’sattempted tackle and shrugged off a couple more defenders. Even the loss of Walker-Leawere and Caird to the bin failed to put Craig Philpott’s super-charged side off their stride. Ireland hammered away at the line but had no try to show for their valiant efforts up front, eventually leaking a turnover penalty. The narrow and increasingly leggy green-shirted defence was duly punished

by Clarke’s hat-trick score from 30 metres out. A miserable afternoon for the Ireland U-20s was compounded by three more tries from McKay, Falcon and Jordan in the final 13 minutes, the latter two coming while lock Coombes was in the bin. A telling statistic was that the Baby Blacks made over 160 tackles, showing their fierce determination to shut out Ireland even when down to 13 players.

Full-time - Ireland 3 New Zealand 69 Ireland U-20s Get Back On Track With Impressive Eight-Try Victory 13 June 2017, Match Report Hooker Ronan Kelleher helped himself to two tries as the Ireland Under-20s powered their way to a 52-26 win over Samoa

in today’s 9th-12th place play-off at the World Rugby U-20 Championship in Georgia. The morale-boosting result for Peter Malone’s injury-ravaged squad will see them compete for ninth place in Sunday’s final round, with hosts Georgia providing the opposition at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi (kick-off 1pm local time/10am Irish time). It was Ireland’s first victory of the tournament after pool defeats to Italy, Scotland and New Zealand, and the first time an Ireland U-20 side has scored 50 or more points since a 53-23 success against Scotland in 2010.

Tries from forwards Kelleher, Peter Cooper, Fineen Wycherley and Oisin Dowling underlined Ireland’s dominance up front as they built a 26-5 half-time lead. Out-half Conor Dean landed three conversions and then added three more after the break.

The ill-disciplined Samoans, who had two players sin-binned, came more into it in the second half but 31-12 is as close as they got. Calvin Nash’s third try of the tournament was followed by efforts from Kelleher, Ciaran Frawley and Caelan Doris, making it eight tries in all as Ireland rebounded well from their three pool defeats. Needing a win to avoid a relegation play-off at the weekend, Ireland’s organisation, strength and drive up front was the difference between the sides in an opening quarter that produced three tries. With the wind behind them, the 1/7 pre-match favourites attacked hard off a scrum on halfway and after a series of pick and goes, Kelleher powered over for a fourth minute try converted by Dean. With number 8 Doris looking back to his best, Ireland turned down two kickable penalties and continued to attack hard around the fringes. After going to the corner and securing the lineout, the pack pressed close in and tighthead Cooper marked his first start of the tournament with a seven-pointer. Samoa then enjoyed a better spell of play, tidying up their defence and discipline, however full-back Ricky Ene missed a penalty in the windy conditions and they were soon behind their own posts again. Gavin Coombes and Dowling were to the fore of another ground-gaining set of carries from the Irish pack, with the latter’s second row partner Wycherley barging into a couple of defenders and using his big frame to reach in under the posts at the 20-minute mark. The Samoans built some decent phases in response, getting their offload game going, and lock Theodore Solipo seized his change from 30 metres out having not been held in the tackle. He touched down despite the best efforts of the covering Alan Tynan and Michael Silvester, but Ene hit the post with the conversion - his third miss off the tee.

Ireland ended the first half as they had started it - with a try. The Baby Manu lost scrum half Howard Tagoai to a yellow card for not being back 10 metres from a quick tap penalty, and the Irish front row earned the plaudits again as they won a five-metre scrum against the head with a great shove and Dowling was fed from a subsequent ruck to score. Dean’s third successful con-

version put 21 points between the sides at the break. Malone’s charges began the second half with a bang, Dean’s well-weighted grubber kick giving the onrushing Nash the opportunity to turn the Samoan defence inside and out with some lovely footwork and a classy finish near the left corner. It was one-way traffic as Ireland continued to stretch Samoa’s defence with captain Paul Boyle, Tynan and scrum half Jack Stafford all going close. Credit to Samoan replacement Pupi Ah See for two key tackles close to his own line which denied Tynan and Stafford, who was the picks of the backs along with elusive winger Silvester and halftime replacement David McCarthy. It was then Ireland’s turn to feel a bit of heat, Dowling seeing yellow for not rolling away and Samoan prop Setu Enoka crossed for a 57th-minute converted try. However, Kelleher completed his brace barely three minutes later, Coombes making the initial break, skilful U-19 centre McCarthy doing well to keep the attack going and captain Paul Boyle carrying strongly in sight of the line. With Boyle again making good yards close in, a lovely offload out of the tackle from influential flanker Coombes put centre Frawley over for try number seven, the score coming just after Samoan centre Tanielu Tele’a was sin-binned for kicking out on the ground. Scrum half Ah See, who impressed off the bench, got a deserved try when burrowing over from a metre out. Samoa’s try count was four by the finish with prop Afioga Ielemia crashing over in the final seconds, but before that Ireland had hit the half-century mark thanks to a deserved try from the excellent Doris, who forced his way over after replacement Adam Moloneyhad been held up.

Notably, Instonians’ promising winger Mark Keane came on for final quarter of an hour, almost marking his U-20 debut with a try late on. Giving his reaction afterwards, Ireland skipper Boyle said: “It’s a great feeling. We’ve worked hard in training for the past few months but especially in the last week after the few defeats, and we’re delighted to get the win. There were a few harsh words after the first few games and we really stepped it up today.

“Samoa are the good side, they’re big and physical and they’ve a few very good players - and their backs can play as well, so we never underestimated Samoa. We got our stuff right today and we came out on top. “For the final round we’ll be looking for a performance first and foremost but to get the win. We need a win to finish. We haven’t shown all what we can do but hopefully we have given a good glimpse and now we can push on in the last game.”

Full-time - Ireland 52 Samoa 26 Ireland U-20s Battle Past Hosts For Back-To-Back Wins 18 June 2017, Match Report Conor Dean’s 73rd-minute penalty edged the Ireland Under-20s to a 24-18 win over hosts Georgia in a pulsating 9th-10th place

play-off at the World Rugby U-20 Championship in Tbilisi. A two-try burst at the start of the second half from Caelan Doris and captain Paul Boyle also proved crucial for Peter Malone’s ninth-place finishers who ended a difficult but character-building tournament on a high thanks to back-to-back play-off victories. Their injury jinx continued when Calvin Nash - Ireland’s top try scorer in Georgia - was forced off in the sixth minute, and Guram Gogichashvili’s try cancelled out an Alan Tynan effort for the Junior Lelos to lead 10-7 at half-time. Although those scores from Doris and Boyle, who were both in talismanic form, saw Ireland assume control at 21-10, impish scrum half Gela Aprasidze scored a superb solo try and kicked a penalty to put Georgia back within three points. Yet it was out-half Dean who had the final say, drawing a penalty over before the reinforced Irish defence wore the home side into submission. It was a helter-skelter start with Georgia launching a number of kick chases in the punishing mid-afternoon sun, but Ireland had the first scoring opportunity. Tynan’s sixth-minute grubber kick was reached first by Nash, however the Munster-capped youngster was held up by his opposite number Davit Meskhi and injured himself in the process. Georgia’s scrum, which was dominant against Argentina, won an early penalty against the Irish eight, although loosehead Gogichashvili was clearly not driving straight - a consistent feature of their set piece. Mark Keane, Nash’s replacement on the wing, got a chance to stretch his legs via some slick passing out to the left, the Instonians clubman then chasing his own kick to put Georgia back towards their 22. Handling errors and turnovers blighted both sides’ attacks, with a lengthy injury stoppage for centre Beka Gavashelishvili? culminating in him being stretchered off. It was difficult to build momentum but Ireland finally made the breakthrough at the midpoint of the half. David McCarthy, Ronan Kelleher and Boyle carried strongly off an Oisin Dowling-won lineout, and when play was transferred back to the left, full-back Tynan evaded the clutches of Levan Papidze to make it over in the corner. Dean ignored the chorus of boos from the home crowd to fire over a terrific conversion from the touchline. The Junior Lelos responded five minutes later, a scrum penalty allowing the multi-talented Aprasidze to squeeze his kick just inside the left hand post for a 7-3 scoreline. Michael Silvester had to react quickly to prevent a try after the otherwise impressive McCarthy was smashed in a midfield tackle, with Keane also covering back behind his try-line. Despite conceding a free-kick at the resulting scrum, the Georgians hit back with a fast-paced 11-phase attack which ended up with Gogichashvili crashing over by the posts from a short pass by Tedo Abzhandadze. Aprasidze added the extras and the three-point gap remained in place up to the interval, Ireland having to defend for long spells but excellent maul defence

from skipper Boyle and John Foley forced a crucial turnover with half-time in sight. Georgia were thwarted on the resumption by good breakdown work from Fineen Wycherley and Boyle, and off a lineout on the hosts’ 22, replacements Gavin Coombes and Jonny Stewart made an immediate impact. There was plenty of pace and power to the subsequent move, hooker Kelleher barging up close to the posts before Boyle’s skip pass put number 8 Doris over just to the right of the posts. Dean converted and also tagged on the extras to Boyle’s try only five minutes later. The Gorey man timed his run to perfection, bursting onto a Stewart pass to score from five metres out. Silvester had led the attack, breaking a tackle and stretching Georgia on the right wing before Gavin Mullin and Dean also gained ground closer in.

Ireland were now dictating, using the kick chase to good effect off a 70% share of possession. However, Aprasidze, who could play at his third U-20 Championship next year, conjured up a wonder try from his own half to raise Georgian hopes again.

He scampered through a gap and brilliantly stepped away from Silvester and Tynan, leaving them both on the ground, to run in a scintillating unconverted score. The hosts, who are an exciting side with bright futures ahead of them, were suddenly enjoying a purple patch, using an overthrown lineout from Kelleher to pick holes in the Irish defence. Defending in his 22, Doris was caught offside playing the ball and Aprasidze slotted the straightforward penalty to close the gap to 21-18 on the hour mark.

After an overcooked kick from Tynan, Ireland regained territory with Coombes putting pressure on the Georgian lineout and the hungry Irish pack turning over the maul. A number of Georgian scrum infringements had been missed by the match officials, including ‘boring in’ and short binds, but Argentinian referee Pali de Luca finally pinged replacement loosehead Ushangi Tcheishvili for coming in at an angle having previously warned him. Dean mopped up with the three points and his kick proved to be the match-winning one. Ireland initiated a well-executed maul from the restart, drawing a penalty near halfway, and they were able to pin Georgia back in their own half for the remainder, forcing a final handling error with captain Boyle booting the ball to touch to confirm a very hard-fought victory. Boyle said afterwards: “Georgia have a really big, physical pack and a few backs who can play as well - their 9 and 10 are very strong ball players. So we just did our best to negate that by coming up hard and getting our detail right which I think we did today. “We got over the gain-line a bit more too than we have been and we were allowed play ball. It was tough start (to the tournament) but we got it together in the end - a good win against Samoa and a good win there against Georgia - so we’ve delighted to finish off with a win.”

Full-time - Georgia 18 Ireland 24

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Ireland U20s Schools

Angus Curtis, Conor Dean, Ciaran Frawley, Colm Hogan, Jack Kelly, David McCarthy, Gavin Mullin, Calvin Nash, Jack Stafford, Jonny Stewart, Michael Silvester, Alan Tynan, Paul Boyle (capt), Charlie Connolly, Joey Conway, Gavin Coombes, Peter Cooper, Caelan Doris, Oisin Dowling, Jordan Duggan, John Foley, Ronan Kelleher, Sean Masterson, Tadgh McElroy, Greg McGrath, Marcus Rea, Jack Regan, Fineen Wycherley gpfoto my photos, your story gerry@gpfoto.ie +353 (087) 2424123 © All rights reserved