England Saxons 31 Ireland A 13: Ulster wing Tommy Bowe shone at Welford Road tonight, but not brightly enough to lead Ireland A to victory over England Saxons who ran out convincing winners thanks to tries from David Paice, Tom Varndell (2) and Delon Armitage.
A first half try from Bowe, converted by Andy Dunne, and an early penalty from the latter gave Ireland a 10-8 lead at the break but three scores from the hosts in the second 40 minutes sealed the win.
England touched down first through hooker Paice after a series of errors culminated in an England scrum that led to the hooker forcing his way over the line. After scoring an earlier penalty Ryan Lamb missed the conversion.
Bowe struck back after being set free by Isaac Boss and gliding past Paice to touch down in the corner from just outside the 22. Dunne's conversion was sublime and enough for the lead.
Armitage and Dunne traded kicks early in the second half but the homeside kicked on soon afterwards and a Shane Geraghty chip seet up Varndell for his first.
Armitage missed the conversion but the his penalty just before the hour extended the lead to six.
Varndell and Armitage added two more tries but in truth Eddie O'Sullivan's blend of youth and experience looked well beaten long beforehand.
In Dubarry Park the Ireland under-20s had Martin Dufficy to thank for their narrow Six Nations win over Italy.
The outhalf scored two first half penalties in disjointed affair in Athlone.
