IRELAND U20S CAPTAIN Gus McCarthy has commended his teammates and coaches after a largely successful season that has yielded a Six Nations Grand Slam as well as a silver medal at the World Rugby Championship.
Ireland slumped to a disappointing 50-14 defeat in the World Rugby U20 Championship final in Athlone on Friday. They conceded seven tries in the loss, and were largely outclassed by a more powerful and clinical France outfit.
That said, they have endured a challenging time off the field in recent weeks. Greig Oliver -– the father of scrumhalf Jack and a Munster coach -– passed away in tragic circumstances on the eve of their third pool clash. In spite of that tragedy, Ireland managed to lift themselves to beat Fiji, and then South Africa in the semi-finals.
In the final, however, they were no match for France. While McCarthy and coach Richie Murphy expressed their disappointment with the result, they urged fans to view the campaign, and indeed the entire Ireland season, in context.
“We spoke to the boys after the final, and we said we can’t leave our heads down, we’ve got to hold them high,” said McCarthy.
“I’m very proud of them, and so grateful I’ve worked with such a great squad and management for the past year. It hasn’t always been easy, but we’ve always held our heads high and kept going onto the next job.”
Murphy felt that Ireland went into the final with a fighting chance, having beaten France earlier in the season.
“It’s disappointing,” he said. “When you get into a final, you only every want to win.
“Having said that, we go home with a silver medal, and we are extremely proud. France are deserved winners, and we weren’t quite at the level today.
“You ask me whether I’m proud of my team? I was proud of them before they ever came to Cape Town,” Murphy added. “They’ve built on that.
“Over the course of the year, going back to October, they started out as boys. They will leave here as mature young men.
“They’ve had an incredible experience as a group, but also from a point of view where they’ve been stretched on a regular basis and have just kept coming back with good answers. Gus and the guys have made me extremely proud.”