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England and Eire clashed in a fiercely bodily encounter in the course of the pool levels of the World Rugby U20 Championship in Paarl, leading to a uncommon draw, solely the second within the event’s historical past.
The match was characterised by bone-crunching collisions and intense battles between the 2 heavyweight packs. The physicality led to a complete of three playing cards being proven, together with a yellow card to gamers from each side and a late pink card to Eire’s middle, Hugh Cooney.
The result of the sport remained unsure all through, with missed kicks at objective by Eire’s fly-half, Sam Prendergast, proving essential to the ultimate outcome. Prendergast managed to transform solely two of Eire’s 5 tries, whereas his counterpart, Connor Slevin, was flawless in his kicking, efficiently slotting all 5 of his makes an attempt. A late surge from England, together with two tries from substitute Jacob Cuslick, created an exciting comeback. Nonetheless, it was Eire who managed to carry on in the long run.
Slevin drew first blood with a penalty in the fourth minute, but Ireland dominated much of the first half. They crossed the try line twice through Prendergast and prop George Hadden. However, England found a glimmer of hope through a remarkable individual effort from loose-head Asher Opoku-Fordjour, who powered through two defenders with his sheer strength to score a sensational try. Slevin’s conversion leveled the scores at 10-10.
Both teams had defensive heroics and missed opportunities before Ireland capitalized on possession just before halftime. Number eight James McNabney touched down from a tap penalty, extending Ireland’s lead. Despite being outscored three tries to one, England remained within reach, trailing by only five points at halftime due to Prendergast’s third missed conversion.
The second half witnessed a shift in momentum as England’s dominant scrum began to assert control. Ireland struggled to exit their own 22, and their difficulties were compounded when flanker Diarmuid Mangan was sin-binned for impeding play at the ruck. England capitalized on the advantage, with Rekeiti Ma’asi-White and Chandler Cunningham-South making crucial contributions. They were awarded a penalty try, and Jacob Cusick crossed the line in the corner to bring England back into contention.
The thoughts of head coach Mark Mapletoft following the thrilling 34-all England draw with Ireland in the opening round of the Junior World Championship, w/Liam Heagney ?? #WorldRugbyU20s #ENGvIRE pic.twitter.com/tzdRXlafBe
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 24, 2023
Not to be outdone, Ireland responded with tries from Ruadhan Quinn and Henry McErlean, the latter scored while Greg Fisilau was in the sin bin. John Devine and Hugh Cooney combined for a try, with Prendergast successfully converting, giving Ireland a double-figure lead with 15 minutes remaining.
England’s captain, Ollie Chessum, demonstrated composure under pressure by opting for a penalty kick, which Slevin expertly converted. Cusick’s try in the same corner, accompanied by Slevin’s magnificent touchline conversion, leveled the scores at 34-34. Despite Ireland being down to 14 players, both teams were unable to break the deadlock in the final moments, making mistakes in their pursuit of a winning score.
Ireland boss Richie Murphy reacts to his team’s 34-all draw in a Junior World Championship classic in Paarl, w/Liam Heagney ?? #WorldRugbyU20s #ENGvIRE pic.twitter.com/lkPiPVKz3w
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 24, 2023
Argentina made the most of an early red card to Italy’s Destiny Aminu to win 43-15 in Paarl, while at Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch, two-time defending champions France began with an emphatic 75-12 victory against Japan.
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