Ireland U-18 Schools 12 England U-18 Schools 29:THE DISCREPANCY in physique is a traditional hurdle for an Ireland team at this age grade, and yesterday, for all the home side's gritty obduracy, it was one they ultimately couldn't surmount. Two late tries, one converted for the visiting team, suggests an unfair final margin, but in truth it offered a more realistic reflection of the gulf between the sides.
If the England replacement halfbacks, James Lightfoot-Brown and Henry Slade, along with another substitute, twinkle-toed centre Mitch Tamiau, had started the game, then the scoreboard might have enjoyed an even rosier hue. They brought greater vision and a more pragmatic, heads-up outlook that punished Irish turnovers emphatically.
Prior to their arrival the English had bossed the physical collisions, the scrum and for the most part the aerial duels, but they played a heavily patterned game, oblivious at times to whopping numerical advantages out wide.
Ireland’s defensive alignment and structure had a charmed life at times, and a lack of cohesion and communication was understandable given the short time the team had to prepare.
Ireland, though, threatened to make the visitors pay for such profligacy for two-thirds of the contest. The home side were wonderfully streetwise at rucks in turning over possession and earning penalties, and also managed to nick a couple of lineouts.
They were also far more adept at running lines behind the scrum and were unfortunate not to grab a third try, when wing Mark Roche had to check slightly in controlling a pass and in doing so allowed the English cover to bundle him into touch at the corner flag.
Ireland had several outstanding performers, none more so than flanker Dan Leavy; his tackling was thunderous, his ball-carrying aggressive and his timing of the offload exquisite.
Indeed the entire backrow emerged with honours against much bigger opponents. Secondrows Seán McCarthy and Jerry Sexton also excelled, while scrumhalf and captain Luke McGrath produced a brilliant display in adversity.
The home side’s three-quarter line had a better appreciation of space than their counterparts, and in centre Chris Farrell had a player who mixed it physically with and without the ball.
England dominated the opening 20 minutes territorially, and even though the home side forced errors, the Irish scrum conceded two penalties and were shunted off their ball twice on their first four scrums.
Yet for all their bluster it took the English 14 minutes to register the game’s first try, a sweeping, long-range attack that culminated in left wing Anthony Watson forcing his way over. Will Hooley kicked a fine conversion.
Irish flanker Jack O’Neill had a try disallowed, called back for an infringement at a lineout, before the home side legitimately crossed the English line when McGrath cleverly scampered over untouched from a ruck five metres out. Stephen Crosbie couldn’t land the touchline conversion on an afternoon when the place-kicking return from an Irish perspective – Roche managed one from four – was a single success from six attempts.
Hooley kicked a penalty for the visitors shortly after the interval, but Ireland responded with a try from prop Edward Byrne, who demonstrated good hands in barging his way over after Leavy’s surge and offload. Roche kicked the conversion and the home side were ahead 12-10 after 54 minutes.
The Irish side began to tire and, on foot of several turnovers, the English grabbed tries from their brilliant fullback, Jack Nowell, Lightfoot-Brown and Mark Jennings.
The victory means England will be among the top seeds for a France-based European tournament next March, while Ireland will be included in the second tier.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 14 mins: Watson try, Hooley conversion, 0-7; 23: McGrath try, 5-7. Half-time. 37: Hooley penalty, 5-10; 54: Byrne try, Roche conversion, 12-10; 59: Nowell try, Slade conversion, 12-17; 66: Lightfoot-Brown try, Slade conversion, 12-24; 71: Jennings try, 12-29.
IRELAND SCHOOLS: J Fitzpatrick (Gonzaga College); R Scholes (Campbell College), S Glynn (PBC Cork), C Farrell (Campbell College), M Roche (Blackrock College); S Crosbie (St Gerard’s School), L McGrath (St Michael’s College, capt); E Byrne (Clongowes Wood College), A Murphy (St Michael’s College), A Boland (Blackrock College); J Sexton (St Mary’s College), S McCarthy (Rockwell College); D Leavy (St Michael’s College), J O’Neill (Castleknock College), R Murphy (PBC Cork). Replacements: B Scott (PBC Cork) for Murphy (22-27 mins, 69 mins); C McEllin (Blackrock College) for Fitzpatrick (40 mins); T Ferrari (Sligo Grammar School) for Byrne, C Taylor (Wallace High School) for Boland (both 58 mins); G Thornbury (Blackrock College) for Sexton, J Creighton (Campbell College) for Crosbie (both 67 mins); R Scannell (PBC Cork) for Scholes, S Hooks (Royal School Armagh) for McCarthy (both 69 mins).
ENGLAND SCHOOLS: J Nowell; J Arnott, M Jennings, S Hill, A Watson; W Hooley, A Day; L Cowan-Dickie, N Morris, D Herriott; D Barow, T Jubb; J Clifford, M Hankin, D Sisi (capt). Replacements: J Lightfoot-Brown for Day, H Slade for Hooley, T Smallbone for Herriott (all 47 mins); M Crumpton for Morris, G Sandford for Jubb (both 55 mins); M Tamiau for Hill (58 mins); G Jones for Hankin (60 mins).
Referee: C Marchat (France).
