England Counties 22-23 Ireland Clubs

DAVID JOYCE HELD his nerve at the death to give the Ireland Clubs a 23-22 win against the England Counties tonight.

The Clontarf out-half kicked his sixth and final penalty deep into stoppage time to deny England in front of a crowd of almost 5,000 in Mowden Park.

It was England who fared best early on and after their strong scrum yielded a penalty try, Jim Wigglesworth crossed in the corner to give them a 12-6 lead on the stroke of half-time

Joyce’s boot kept Ireland within three points after the restart and Tom Tierney’s side then took a 14-12 lead when Lansdowne’s Mark Roche finished off a counter-attack.

Jack Adams ran in England’s third try shortly before the hour mark but two more Joyce penalties, the second of which came from near the halfway line, gave Ireland 20-19 lead as the clock ticked down.

It looked as though the visitors were to be denied when Coventry centre Luke Myring kicked a late penalty but Joyce stole the win in injury time.

Ireland's Dean Moore tackles Luke Myring INPHO / Paul Railton INPHO / Paul Railton / Paul Railton

Ireland celebrate. INPHO / Paul Railton INPHO / Paul Railton / Paul Railton

ENGLAND COUNTIES (Squad): Backs - Jack Adams (Cinderford), Richard Bolt (Exmouth), Chris Briers (Fylde), Chris Johnson (Fylde) (capt), Stefan Liebenberg (Old Albanians), Cameron Mitchell (Darlington Mowden Park), Luke Myring (Coventry), Ben Rath (Fylde), Sean Taylor (Preston Grasshoppers), Jim Wigglesworth (Cambridge).

Forwards - Rob Baldwin (Wharfedale), Ollie Cooper-Millar (Old Albanians), Jamal Ford-Robinson (Cambridge), Mark George (Stourbridge), Ben Hilton (Launceston), Gavin Jones (Blaydon), Robbie Kalbriaer (Blaydon), Adam Lewis (Fylde), Johnny Matthews (Sedgley Park), Brett McNamee (Old Albanians), Pierce Phillips (Darlington Mowden Park), Tom Stradwick (Blackheath), Chris Wearmouth (Blaydon).

IRELAND CLUB: Daniel Riordan (Old Belvedere RFC); Michael McGrath (Clontarf FC), Stuart Morrow (Ballynahinch RFC), Mark Roche (Lansdowne FC), Cian Aherne (Lansdowne FC); David Joyce (Clontarf FC), Gerry Hurley (Cork Constitution FC) (capt.); Colm McMahon (St. Mary’s College RFC), Tyrone Moran (Lansdowne FC), Declan Lavery (Old Belvedere RFC); Dean Moore (Old Belvedere RFC), Fergal Walsh (Terenure RFC); Willie Earle (Lansdowne FC), Charlie Butterworth (Lansdowne FC), William Ryan (Cork Constitution FC).

Replacements: Andrew O’Driscoll (Cork Constitution FC), Ian Hirst (Clontarf FC), Hugh McGrath (Young Munster RFC), Sean Walsh (Cashel RFC), James Ryan (Cork Constitution FC), Neil Cronin (Garryowen FC), Ritchie McMaster (Queen’s University RFC), Barry Daly (UCD RFC).

Some of your favourite Munster players look very, very different this evening