England U20 defeated by Ireland in Cork
England U20 men finished their Six Nations campaign with a 36-24 defeat to Grand Slam winners Ireland U20 at Musgrave Park.
Tobias Elliott crossed to give England the lead in a competitive first half but the award of a yellow and red card after the break saw the momentum swing firmly Ireland’s way.
They initially cashed in on their numerical advantage, with three tries in seven minutes before England made it a one-score game through tries from Joe Jenkins and Elliott but a late Ireland score put pay to any hopes of a dramatic turnaround.
A deep kick-off put England under immediate pressure and Ireland kept them boxed in before regaining possession and moving wide to allow Hugh Gavin to dot down in the corner.
A second very nearly followed after a succession of offloads but a superb last-ditch tackle from centre Joseph Woodward denied Fintan Gunne a score.
After weathering the early storm, England hit back with a wonderfully worked try of their own.
From a lineout on the edge of Ireland's 22, a delayed pass from Monty Bradbury set up wing Elliott for a simple finish under the posts and Sam Harris added the extras.
Ireland then worked their way forward before kicking to the corner from a penalty before No.8 Brian Gleeson powered over to score. Sam Prendergast’s conversion was successful and Ireland led by five at the half hour mark.
They again went to the corner with half time closing in, but an excellent hand from captain Lewis Chessum brought the attack to a halt, allowing England to clear and remain just five points adrift at half time.
It was then England’s turn to fly out the traps after the interval. From the first phase of the second period, lock Chessum charged down Gunne’s attempted box kick and latched onto the loose ball ahead of the retreating Prendergast.
After a close inspection by the TMO, Chessum was adjudged to have knocked on while attempting to ground the ball, meaning Ireland’s 12-7 lead remained unaffected.
The hosts rallied and were soon back inside the England 22. Elliott was sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knock on and despite another brilliant intervention from Chessum, George Hadden was soon over for Ireland’s third.
Bradbury was then shown a red card for dangerous a tackle on full-back Henry McErlean which saw England temporarily then down to 13.
Harris added a three-pointer but it was one way traffic with Gleeson and Gavin both adding a second try to their personal hauls.
With time running out, Jenkins burst through under the posts before Elliott touched down in the corner for his fifth try of the Championship to leave England just seven points short with three minutes to play.
But hopes of a sensational 14-man comeback were put to bed by a late score from scrum-half Gunne, as Ireland made sure of the Slam.
Teams
England
Starting
1. Archie McArthur (Gloucester), 2. Finn Theobald-Thomas (Gloucester), 3. Afolabi Fasogbon (London Irish), 4. Danny Eite (Gloucester), 5. Lewis Chessum (C) (Leicester Tigers), 6. Finn Carnduff (Leicester Tigers), 7. Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs), 8. Chandler Cunningham-South (London Irish), 9. Charlie Bracken (Saracens), 10. Monty Bradbury (London Irish), 11. Tobias Elliott (Saracens), 12. Joseph Woodward (Leicester Tigers), 13. Rekeiti Ma'asi-White (Sale Sharks), 14. Cassius Cleaves (Harlequins), 15. Sam Harris (Bath Rugby).
Replacements
16. Nathan Jibulu (Harlequins), 17. Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks), 18. Tim Hoyt (Leicester Tigers), 19. Robert Carmichael (Leicester Tigers), 20. Tristan Woodman (Sale Sharks), 21. Nye Thomas (Sale Sharks), 22. Sam Worsley (Bristol Bears), 23. Joe Jenkins (Bristol Bears).
Ireland
Starting
15. Henry McErlean (Terenure/Leinster), 14. James Nicholson (UCD/Leinster), 13. Hugh Cooney (Clontarf/Leinster), 12. John Devine (Corinthians/Connacht), 11. Hugh Gavin (Galwegians/Connacht), 10. Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster), 9. Fintan Gunne (Terenure/Leinster), 1. George Hadden (Clontarf/Leinster), 2. Gus McCarthy (UCD/Leinster)(captain), 3. Paddy McCarthy (DUFC/Leinster), 4. Diarmuid Mangan (UCD/Leinster), 5. Conor O’Tighearnaigh (UCD/Leinster), 6. James McNabney (Ballymena/Ulster), 7. Ruadhán Quinn (Old Crescent/Munster), 8. Brian Gleeson (Garryowen/Munster).
Replacements
16. Danny Sheahan (UCC/Munster), 17. George Morris (Lansdowne/Leinster), 18. Fiachna Barrett (Corinthians/Connacht), 19. Joe Hopes (Queen’s University/Ulster), 20. Liam Molony (Dublin University/Leinster), 21. Oscar Cawley (Naas/Leinster), 22. Harry West (Buccaneers/Connacht), 23. Andrew Osborne (Naas/Leinster).
Fixtures & Results
Ireland v England
