HAVING HAD TO make do with a place on the bench last Saturday, today was the day Brian Gleeson exploded onto the stage at the U20 World Championship in South Africa.
One of Ireland’s star performers during the Grand Slam run earlier this year, the back rower was exceptional as Richie Murphy’s side powered to a 20-point win against the Junior Wallabies.
In the rain and mud at Paarl Gymnasium, the Ireland U20s took a while to settle into their second Pool B fixture but slowly took control to deliver a supremely impressive result, with the forward pack supplying three of Ireland’s four tries.
Paddy McCarthy impressed as he switched across to loosehead, flanker Ruadhán Quinn brought huge energy and Ronan Foxe handled a testing debut well.
Yet Gleeson, who scored Ireland’s second try, was the outstanding performer as the Munster player delivered an exhibition in backrow play.
Born in Tipperary, Gleeson was a talented GAA player growing up, representing the county in hurling at underage level.
He learned his trade with the oval ball at Thurles and Rockwell College, where he counted former Munster great Denis Leamy among his coaches, before moving on to join Garryowen.
After a superb Six Nations campaign, where Gleeson started all five fixtures, the number eight came into the U20 World Championship recovering from an injury, so started Saturday’s draw against England on the bench, coming in for the final 20 minutes.
With a five-day turnaround between games, head coach Richie Murphy was always going to try rotate his squad and the decision to hold Gleeson back paid off against Australia, with his ball-carrying central to Ireland’s win.
Having played a more open, attacking style of game during the Six Nations, Murphy had indicated Ireland may need to adjust their approach to suit the conditions and heavy grass pitches in South Africa, and that move allowed Gleeson’s qualities come to the fore today.
As Ireland settled into the game after a slow start, the forward pack began to trouble the Junior Wallabies and Gleeson started to hit his stride, making some important contributions as Australia applied the early pressure, including a turnover after the Ireland scrum had been shoved back in the first quarter.
The Tipperary man is already a big, physically imposing unit, but he’s much more than a battering ram.
He showcased good handling skills and also used his footwork to keep himself from being brought to ground through a series of dynamic carries.
It soon became clear his ability to constantly get over the gainline could reap big rewards for Ireland, and he increasingly became an option off the shoulder for out-half Sam Prendergast. Unsurprisingly, he finished as Ireland’s top carrier (13).
He then put his size and strength to good use in scoring Ireland’s second try, with a powerful leg drive getting him over the line from close range. Throughout the season, Gleeson has proved to be a scoring threat, with today’s try his fifth in just seven appearances for the Ireland U20s.
𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐆𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐒𝐎𝐍! 🟢
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) June 29, 2023
A massive try from the @Munsterrugby man!
Prendergast adds the extras!
🇦🇺 10-18 ☘️ #WorldRugbyU20s pic.twitter.com/rYf4Uwk00A
The score came at a crucial stage – arriving just minutes after Australia winger Tim Ryan had spilled the ball with the tryline in his sights, and his team trailing by just one point.
Another key factor was Australia losing their impressive tighthead, Massimo de Lutiis, to injury at the end of first half. With his power gone, Ireland began to dominate at scrum time and saw their maul hammer through the Australians, with Gleeson again getting through huge work here.
In the end, Ireland finished well on top of their opponents and finally pounced for the bonus-point score which could prove crucial to their hopes of now making a semi-final.
If Gleeson and his fellow Ireland forwards can build on today’s fine performance, they’ll be hard to stop.
And the good news for Ireland is that at just 19, Gleeson will be eligible to play U20s rugby again next season. With the all-action number eight also set to step up to the Munster Academy programme next season, Gleeson is on the right track to a bright future in the sport.
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