'We had 16 entries into their 22... ultimately you’ve got to score points'

THE SCOREBOARD ALONE is a shocking read, Ireland suffering a rare defeat to Wales at U20 level, going down 20-12 at Rodney Parade. The surprise only builds the more you dig into the fine print.

Ireland had 63% possession and 74% territory. They gained over 450 metres in attack to Wales’s 154, forcing seven line breaks compared to the Welsh figure of two. As much as the wet conditions forced countless Irish errors, this game was there to be won.

Ireland head coach Neil Doak focused on the above positives, rather than the blunt nature of his side’s attack once they earned advantageous territorial positions. “We had plenty of opportunities tonight, that’s the frustration,” acknowledged Doak.

“We arrived at the ground and the pitch was under a fair bit of water, we knew it was going to be a difficult evening to play any fluid rugby. Wales put us under enough pressure that they got two scores. 14-0 in those conditions, you’re always chasing the game a little bit.

“Credit to our guys to get back in at half-time 14-12. You look at the game as a whole, we had 16 entries into their 22, we had two [tries]. Ultimately in rugby you’ve got to score points.”

Unsurprisingly, Doak laments Charlie Molony’s disallowed try – chalked off for a knock-on – as well as a number of carriers being held up over the line. “Listen, a couple of things might go our way, maybe Charlie’s disallowed try early on, on another night the TMO might think there’s no separation between the ball and his arm and it’s a score.

“We’re held up over the line three times. Little things in difficult conditions. It’s just unfortunate for our guys tonight.”

Given the difficulty of handling the wet ball, Ireland’s halfbacks overplayed in the first half when forced to chase the game after a penalty try only three minutes. This didn’t help the error count. Wales added their second try thanks to a dropped ball which was kicked through.

The set-piece was also a concern, given Wales had the upper hand at the maul and scrum. Ireland missing a number of bigger bodies doesn’t help. They could have done with the likes of Alex Usanov and Alan Spicer.

“We’ll have a look at that,” said Doak of the set-piece. “A couple of things that we felt went against us that we feel we didn’t deserve but those are the things on the night. It was a huge effort on both sides in difficult conditions.”

Yet for all the talk of positives, Ireland’s attack looked incapable of turning meaningful territory into try-scoring chances when the game was on the line. Mikey Yarr came closest when held up over the line but even that came from a botched Wales lineout. That’s twice in two games this side has struggled for an attacking edge.

“It’s not that we’re playing in the wrong end of the field, it’s just that we’re not accurate in there,” said Doak. “That was the frustration this evening. Fair credit to Wales, they put us under pressure and got into the lead, got their noses in front and we weren’t capable of getting ourselves in front and forcing them to chase the game.”