A LATE TRY proved costly, as Ireland U20s lost out 20-15 at the IRB Junior World Championship at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch, despite leading for large portions of the match against England.
Ireland had hoped to repeat their surprise 23-19 win over South Africa, and looked on course for another victory as they led 15-3 at one point, in a game that was mired by adverse pitch conditions.
However, following a Shane Buckley sin binning, relentless pressure eventually told as their English opponents registered two tries to win the match late on.
Tries from JJ Hanrahan and Kieran Marmion had initially put Ireland in the driving seat, as they capitalised on England going down to 13 men, with both George Merrick and Will Addison receiving yellow cards.
Two penalties from Tom Heathcote kept England in the game, before a penalty try and another score from Kyle Sinckler earned England a hard-fought win.
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