DAN MCFARLAND WASN’T short of silver linings to choose from after his makeshift Ulster side managed to run up a feisty try-scoring bonus point to take the sting out of a 54-42 loss away to Leinster over Christmas.
However, the debut outing of Ethan McIlroy was chief among them.
The Ulster boss highlighted that the 19-year-old was just about six months out of school and there he was “marking Rob Kearney this year and he was terrific.”
Fittingly enough, it all seemed to happen rather fast for McIlroy.
“It was a bit of a surprise being in the 23,” he says after sitting for a chat in the IRFU’s Abbottstown base this week. And the surprises kept coming. A nasty one for Rob Lyttle meant McIlroy was summoned from the bench with just 25 minutes on the clock.
“I got on pretty early and I wasn’t expecting that either. That was a bit of a surprise as well.
“All the lads supported me through it… obviously it’s a step up in physicality, size and speed. Apart from that it wasn’t too bad.
“You can’t really switch off in those sort of games, because everyone’s such a good standard they’ll pick you apart.”
McIlroy is the only player in Noel McNamara’s Ireland U20 squad to have sampled senior pro rugby and he clearly brought the same brand of wary intent into his opening night performance against Scotland three weeks ago.
“Didn’t get too much ball in attack,” he laments, but his other contributions were exceptional. Winning battles in the air while making big statements with early tackles to stop Scottish progress dead when they tried to move the ball wide.
He shifts the praise for those moments directly on to his team-mates.
“You have to make good decisions, but people inside you are really helpful. If they go well, they make your job so much easier.
“You just want to play the best for your team and put in some big shots if you can.”
A bout of the mumps kept McIlroy out of the win over Wales, but like Hayden Hyde, he returns for tonight’s clash with fellow unbeaten side England in Franklin’s Gardens (kick-off 19.35, Sky Sports Mix).
McNamara has been able to name the same back-line that started the Championship with Jack Crowley and Lewis Finlay at half-back, Dan Kelly continuing outside Hyde while Oran McNulty and Andrew Smith complete the back three with McIlroy.
The Ulster flyer will hope to take lessons learned by Leinster men of a different pedigree into tonight’s match in Northampton. He was fit enough to run out for the U20s in their training session against Andy Farrell’s seniors last week. While the session was not the physical hit-out of years past, standing opposite Andrew Conway, he was quickly given a positional schooling by Jonathan Sexton.
“First play, I moved the wing up into the line and (Sexton) spots it straight away where you’re vulnerable and puts the ball there.”
Gloucester’s George Barton will be decent, but less daunting opponent in that role tonight for England with centre Charlie Watson winning his first cap alongside him.
“A feature of our opening two games has been the squad’s ability to be clinical and control the game at key periods,” says England boss Alan Dickens.
That clinical streak will be more difficult to attain with six changes made to the side, many due to players being recalled to their Premiership clubs.
Even so, Ireland will face a highly physical young English pack and will need the quintet of year two veterans in the pack to pave the way for the light-footed Crowley, McIlroy and Smith to punch holes.
McNamara set up last year’s U20 crop to face England three times, winning twice and losing the third meeting to an 80th-minute try.
If they can dig a result out of Franklin’s Gardens, then they might just have to start considering another Grand Slam.
Ireland U20
15. Oran McNulty (Millfield School/Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht)
14. Ethan McIlroy (Methody College/Queens University RFC/Ulster)
13. Dan Kelly (Kirkham Grammar/Loughborough University/IQ Rugby)
12. Hayden Hyde (Cranleigh School/Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster)
11. Andrew Smith (St. Michael’s College/Clontarf FC/Leinster)
10. Jack Crowley (Bandon RFC/Cork Constitution FC/Munster)
9. Lewis Finlay (Down High School/Malone RFC/Ulster)
1. Marcus Hanan (Clane RFC/Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)
2. John McKee (Campbell College/Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)
3. Thomas Clarkson (Blackrock College/Dublin University FC/Leinster)
4. Thomas Ahern (Waterpark RFC/Shannon RFC/Munster)
5. Brian Deeny (Wexford Wanderers RFC/Clontarf FC/Leinster)
6. Alex Soroka (Belvedere College/Dublin University FC/Leinster)
7. Sean O’Brien (Blackrock College/UCD RFC/Leinster)
8. David McCann (RBAI/Banbridge RFC/Ulster) (Capt)
Replacements:
16. Tom Stewart (Belfast Royal Academy/Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster)
17. Harry Noonan (Greystones RFC/Old Wesley RFC/Leinster)
18. Charlie Ward (Tullow RFC/Clontarf FC/Leinster)
19. Joe McCarthy (Blackrock College/Dublin University FC/Leinster)
20. Cian Prendergast (Newbridge College/UCD RFC/Leinster)
21. Ben Murphy (Presentation College Bray/Clontarf FC/Leinster)
22. Tim Corkery (Kilkenny RFC/Lansdowne FC/Leinster)
23. Max O’Reilly (St Gerard’s School/Dublin University FC/Leinster)
England U20
15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)
14. Gabriel Hamer-Webb (Bath Rugby)
13. Connor Doherty (Sale Sharks)
12. Charlie Watson (Saracens)
11. Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks)
10. George Barton (Gloucester Rugby)
9. Sam Maunder (Exeter Chiefs) Capt
1. Sam Crean (Saracens)
2. Theo Dan (Saracens)
3. Luke Green (London Irish)
4. Hugh Tizard (Harlequins)
5. George Hammond (Harlequins)
6. Richard Capstick (Exeter Chiefs)
7. Josh Gray (Gloucester Rugby)
8. Rusiate Tuima (Exeter Chiefs)
Replacements:
16. Ben Atkins (London Irish)
17. Emmanuel Iyogun (Northampton Saints)
18. Harvey Beaton (Saracens)
19. Chunya Munga (London Irish)
20. Rob Farrar (Newcastle Falcons)
21. Blake Boyland (Bristol Bears)
22. Will Haydon-Wood (Newcastle Falcons)
23. Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby)
