CAPTAIN CHARLIE RYAN had to break his poker face eventually during his cliche-ridden post-match interview.
But while he did finally crack a smile before his umpteenth ‘all the focus is on the next game,’ there were streaks of truth in his straight-laced pivot towards Australia.
Naturally, beating England is an event that merits more celebration than Ryan offered this evening. But the group he led to Argentina for this World Rugby U20 Championship didn’t travel just to have another cut off England. Just as they didn’t enter today’s contest licking prideful wounds with a lengthy injury list after their brilliant Grand Slam success.
Craig Casey walks through England's guard of honour post-match. Pablo Gasparini / INPHO
Pablo Gasparini / INPHO / INPHO
Victory over this tournament’s perennial finalists is a sensational way to open a tournament in which Noel McNamara’s group won’t see a limit to what they can achieve.
It was more than fitting that John Hodnett should get the score that capped the 42-26 victory. Because the UCC man was at the heart of everything for Ireland.
Shortly after Ireland barged back into the game after England’s efficient start, Hodnett’s interventions were vital in ensuring there would be no immediate reprisals. Having shone as a number eight during the Six Nations, he looked every bit the openside as he forced big turnover penalties in the 13th and 16th minute. And five minutes later he connected a solid wrap to stop Ted Hill dead in his tracks just as the full England international looked set to blow an unpluggable hole in Ireland’s chances.
Perhaps it was just that sort of intervention that had Alfie Barbeary pre-loaded with frustration at the Corkman even before the replacement hooker brainlessly flipped the Hodnett to earn the most blatant of red cards in the 66th-minute.
Ireland's supporters watch on in Santa Fe. Pablo Gasparini / INPHO
Pablo Gasparini / INPHO / INPHO
Azur Allison’s impact was unfortunately curtailed due to injury, but Ryan Baird – absent for the first half of the Six Nations through injury – made up for lost time at this level with a string of powerful carries.
On and on through the XV, areas that some feared would be weak due to the calibre of missing men proved to be formidable.
Stewart Moore gave the midfield attack a different dimension with his physicality, with the ever-excellent Liam Turner outside. Jake Flannery struggled as any 10 would with the early pressure applied by England at the breakdown, but he found a way to influence the game from deep, from the restart and while he was somewhat fortunate not to see his try chalked off his kicking from seriously tough conversion angles was flawless. And when England were issued the first of three cards, he quickly flicked the switch and took the ball to the line with flat passes and offloads.
As ever, the tale of this Ireland U20 group is the unwillingness to accept a bad hand. In Cork in February, they trailed England by 11 points twice and reeled them in for victory. Without a raucous home crowd they went 10 down, harangued their way back into a half-time lead and then slipped off the pace briefly to trail 14-21 before gritting their teeth back together and finding a way to win. This time it was through the maul.
Ryan is a far bigger personality than he is willing to let on during his stonewall post-match commitments for the TV cameras. His gutsy block and subsequent line-out steal paved the way for Ireland’s opening score and the Leinster lock ensured the line-out ran like clockwork all day to lay the platform for David McCann’s crucial second-half brace.
Ryan walks off a winner again. Pablo Gasparini / INPHO
Pablo Gasparini / INPHO / INPHO
The maul will surely be weaponised again when the Six Nations champs do head into their next game against Australia on Saturday. The Junior Wallabies looked in impressive form while tearing apart Italy today, but even after a momentous effort, McNamara will have fresh options to turn to to take the edge off a tight four-day turnaound.
Sean French showed a glimpse of his dazzling talent off the bench, while Ben Healy’s 11-point haul will have him leading the queue to break into the back-line.
Whoever McNamara selects, in whatever combination, we can be sure they will be well-drilled for the jobs they have to do, but also imbued with an invaluable level of flexibility if the match veers outside the parameters of plan A.
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Hodnett shines as Ireland U20 again show off invaluable flexibility
CAPTAIN CHARLIE RYAN had to break his poker face eventually during his cliche-ridden post-match interview.
But while he did finally crack a smile before his umpteenth ‘all the focus is on the next game,’ there were streaks of truth in his straight-laced pivot towards Australia.
Naturally, beating England is an event that merits more celebration than Ryan offered this evening. But the group he led to Argentina for this World Rugby U20 Championship didn’t travel just to have another cut off England. Just as they didn’t enter today’s contest licking prideful wounds with a lengthy injury list after their brilliant Grand Slam success.
Victory over this tournament’s perennial finalists is a sensational way to open a tournament in which Noel McNamara’s group won’t see a limit to what they can achieve.
It was more than fitting that John Hodnett should get the score that capped the 42-26 victory. Because the UCC man was at the heart of everything for Ireland.
Shortly after Ireland barged back into the game after England’s efficient start, Hodnett’s interventions were vital in ensuring there would be no immediate reprisals. Having shone as a number eight during the Six Nations, he looked every bit the openside as he forced big turnover penalties in the 13th and 16th minute. And five minutes later he connected a solid wrap to stop Ted Hill dead in his tracks just as the full England international looked set to blow an unpluggable hole in Ireland’s chances.
Perhaps it was just that sort of intervention that had Alfie Barbeary pre-loaded with frustration at the Corkman even before the replacement hooker brainlessly flipped the Hodnett to earn the most blatant of red cards in the 66th-minute.
Azur Allison’s impact was unfortunately curtailed due to injury, but Ryan Baird – absent for the first half of the Six Nations through injury – made up for lost time at this level with a string of powerful carries.
On and on through the XV, areas that some feared would be weak due to the calibre of missing men proved to be formidable.
Stewart Moore gave the midfield attack a different dimension with his physicality, with the ever-excellent Liam Turner outside. Jake Flannery struggled as any 10 would with the early pressure applied by England at the breakdown, but he found a way to influence the game from deep, from the restart and while he was somewhat fortunate not to see his try chalked off his kicking from seriously tough conversion angles was flawless. And when England were issued the first of three cards, he quickly flicked the switch and took the ball to the line with flat passes and offloads.
As ever, the tale of this Ireland U20 group is the unwillingness to accept a bad hand. In Cork in February, they trailed England by 11 points twice and reeled them in for victory. Without a raucous home crowd they went 10 down, harangued their way back into a half-time lead and then slipped off the pace briefly to trail 14-21 before gritting their teeth back together and finding a way to win. This time it was through the maul.
Ryan is a far bigger personality than he is willing to let on during his stonewall post-match commitments for the TV cameras. His gutsy block and subsequent line-out steal paved the way for Ireland’s opening score and the Leinster lock ensured the line-out ran like clockwork all day to lay the platform for David McCann’s crucial second-half brace.
The maul will surely be weaponised again when the Six Nations champs do head into their next game against Australia on Saturday. The Junior Wallabies looked in impressive form while tearing apart Italy today, but even after a momentous effort, McNamara will have fresh options to turn to to take the edge off a tight four-day turnaound.
Sean French showed a glimpse of his dazzling talent off the bench, while Ben Healy’s 11-point haul will have him leading the queue to break into the back-line.
Whoever McNamara selects, in whatever combination, we can be sure they will be well-drilled for the jobs they have to do, but also imbued with an invaluable level of flexibility if the match veers outside the parameters of plan A.
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adapt to survive charlie ryan Ireland U20 U20 World Cup