Sport

Under-19s get blown away in early onslaught from Schools

Rugby/Representative match: Irish Schools 20 Irish Under-19s 5

Thu Dec 30 2004 - 00:00

Rugby/Representative match: Irish Schools 20 Irish Under-19s 5. Despite a good second half showing from the Irish Under-19s, their opponents prevailed in this entertaining encounter at Lakelands Park yesterday.

With the wind a big factor, the game was decided in the first half when the Irish Schools, with the aid of a stiff breeze, posted 20 points without reply.

Throughout that opening period they had worked off phased ball while back rows Rory Hamilton and captain David Pollock rarely allowed the Under-19 back division to settle.

The Irish Schools had gone in front after five minutes when, after stealing possession in the lineout in the Under-19s' 22, they then set up a ruck.

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The end result saw front row Cian Healy score in the left hand corner.

Outhalf Brian Collins, who gave an accomplished display, added the conversion, and then landed a drop goal from distance.

And as the Irish Schools continued to apply the pressure, Collins added a penalty on 20 minutes before suffering an uncustomary lapse in front of the posts with a missed attempt shortly afterwards.

But just short of the half hour the Irish Schools went over for their second try. The move was started in midfield before scrumhalf Adam Bartholomew launched a diagonal ball into the corner. The bounce deceived the cover and there to pounce for an opportunist try was wing Vasya Artemiev.

The Under-19s took the game to their opponents after the break, but spilled ball denied them an early score following a fine break by full back Robert Kearney.

But five minutes into the second half wing Max Rantz-McDonald had forced a five-metre scrum. And although the Under-19s were twice stopped short of the line, they finally went over through front row David Ryan.

Scorers - Irish Schools: C Healy, V Artemiev try each, B Collins pen, drop goal, 2 cons. Irish Under-19s: D Ryan try.

IRISH SCHOOLS: L Fitzgerald (Blackrock College); K Corrigan (Methodist College, Belfast); M McCrea (Belfast High School), D Cave (Sullivan Upper School), Vasya Artemiev (Blackrock College); B Collins (Castleknock College) A Bartholomew (Royal School Armagh); C Healy (Belvedere College), C Culleton (Blackrock College), R Burke Flynn (St Michael's College); D O'Reilly (Blackrock College), Conor McInerney (St Mary's College); R Hamilton (Methodist College, Belfast), B O'Mahony (Crescent College Comprehensive), D Pollock (Royal School Dungannon).

IRISH UNDER-19s: R Kearney (UCD); M Rantz-MacDonald (Mount Temple); E Ryan (UCC), F McFadden (Clongowes), D Black (Portadown); K Lett (UCD) D Williams (UCC); G Walsh (UL Bohemians), P Crossley (Wasps), D Ryan (Highfield); D Toner (Lansdowne), J Cornett (Queen's); N Lysaght (Blackrock College RFC), W Falloon (Royal School Armagh), C Smyth (Terenure College RFC). Replacements: C Kennefick (UCC) for Cornett (10 mins), J Sherry (Ard Scoil Ris) for Falloon (37 mins), K Maloney (Blackrock College) for Walsh (42 mins), M D'Arcy (Dublin University) for Duncan (50 mins), J Power (Blackrock College) for Ryan (55 mins), P Duncan (Roscrea) for Lett (62 mins), D Bowes (Malone) for Crossley (62 mins), S Marshall (Banbridge) for Kennefick (63 mins), K Griffin (Shannon) for Ryan (65 mins).

Referee: P Haycock (IRFU).