Click:CNC machining
IS THERE ANOTHER James Ryan on show? Who’s the next Peter O’Mahony? Is there a Conor Murray-esque figure among this crop?
Michael Milne, David Hawkshaw, Conor Phillips, Harry Byrne and Jonathan Wren. Source: James Crombie/INPHO
Watching the Ireland U20s is always an interesting experience, with the potential of those involved very clear, but with no guarantees for where rugby will take them after age grade rugby.
The latest crop of U20s delivered another performance that showed their potential on Friday night, with three tries securing a win against Scotland in Galashiels.
Clearly, any player good enough to feature in an Ireland U20s squad is on the brink of making it but those who have turned underage international promise into senior rugby success have had to work tirelessly for it.
With this year’s U20s, there isn’t too much concern about them potentially easing off the pedal. They’ve got two wins from two in the Six Nations following Friday’s victory over the Scots but they’re far from satisfied yet.
The feeling after their surprise [on the outside, not within the group] win over England in Cork was that there was plenty more left in the team. Even after scoring three tries to win away from home in difficult conditions in Scotland, the sense was very much the same.
“There are lots of elements of the performance that we’ll be frustrated with,” said head coach Noel McNamara in summing up how his players felt at not securing a bonus-point. “Frustrated is probably the word.
“You’ve got to balance that out over the course of the game and say that Scotland made it very, very difficult for us – you’ve got to give them credit for a pretty obstinate defensive performance and they frustrated us.
Back row Martin Moloney celebrates. Source: James Crombie/INPHO
“On the balance of it, we’re two from two. We came away with four points when a lot of
Irish teams have struggled to get a result here in the past. We’d be happy enough but frustration is a word that keeps coming back to me.”
Hooker Dylan Tierney-Martin, number eight John Hodnett and left wing Jonathan Wren were Ireland’s try-scorers in Galashiels, while Harry Byrne kicked nine points off the tee.
McNamara expressed happiness with the defensive performance and noted how neither team had managed to fully harness a “howling” wind on the night.
The victory leaves Ireland top of the U20 Six Nations table with a visit to Italy to look forward to on Friday 22 February, but McNamara says this mature squad aren’t getting carried away with themselves.