U20 Six Nations Championship

England 21

Ireland 31

JOSH NEILL DELIVERED a player of the match display for the second game in succession at The Recreation Ground in Bath this evening as Ireland came from behind to earn a magnificent bonus point triumph over England in the U20 Six Nations Championship.

The standout player when they overcame Italy at Virgin Media Park in Cork seven days earlier, Neill was one of three second-half try-scorers for Ireland at the home of the English Premiership champions.

Having begun their campaign with a heavy reversal at the hands of title holders France, back-to-back wins have now moved Ireland to second spot in the Championship table – just behind Les Bleus on score difference, albeit with a game more played.

Despite coming under some initial pressure, Ireland burst into life during the early stages of this tie with strong carries from Rob Carney, Noah Byrne and Derry Moloney. The visitors fell short of crossing the whitewash after the latter had broken into the English ‘22’, but Andrew Browne’s side eventually broke the deadlock just past the 10-minute mark.

After fly-half Tom Wood had opted for touch off an attacking penalty, recent Leinster academy recruit Neill gathered the subsequent line-out delivery from Lee Fitzpatrick. A former student of both Cistercian College Roscrea and Newbridge College, Fitzpatrick broke off the resulting maul to sprint over for an opening try.

Wood was then on hand to add the extras, and while England regained a foothold inside the opposition half, a series of impressive turnovers kept Ireland in the ascendancy, moving towards the second quarter.

Yet Andy Titterrell’s hosts (who included Seb Kelly, brother of Munster centre Dan Kelly, in their starting 15) were looking to make it three wins from three in this year’s tournament and were back on level terms by the 24th minute. Following a superb catch from full-back James Pater, Leicester Tigers winger George Pearson was released on the left wing for a clinical try.

There was a sense England were gathering momentum as a result of restoring parity, and they squeezed in front when team captain Connor Treacey burst over the Irish line.

Finn Keylock added the extras for the second time in the half, and even though Ireland threatened to claim a second try of their own, the Sami Bishti-led outfit trailed by seven points (14-7) at the interval.

Ireland had shown plenty of intent in the opening period, however, and re-emerged from the dressing rooms in a rejuvenated fashion. Though it wasn’t originally awarded in their favour, the away team secured an attacking line-out close to the opposition posts following a well-executed 50/22 from outside centre Rob Carney.

This brought them within touching distance of an additional try and, having already crossed over in their previous encounters with France and Italy, the South African-born Neill added to his seasonal tally with a strong finish on 52 minutes.

Another successful Wood conversion helped to wipe out the England lead, and it wasn’t long until the son of Munster, Ireland and Lions legend Keith was back up to the kicking tee.

Capitalising on excellent approach work by Carney and Byrne, Daniel Ryan slid over the whitewash under pressure on the left flank for his side’s third try of an engrossing contest.

Wood superbly split the uprights from the touchline off his latest bonus kick, and having started the tournament in frustrating style, Ireland were suddenly within reach of a massive victory.

Byrne had been one of Ireland’s brightest performers from full-back, and he managed to get downward pressure to his own kick beyond the English line for a try with a little over 10 minutes remaining.

This latest effort ensured the Irish would come away from this outing with a bonus point to their name, but the concession of a converted score to Nick Lilley at the opposite end of the pitch meant a win wasn’t yet assured in the Somerset venue.

However, Ireland held firm and an outstanding penalty from halfway by Charlie O’Shea – moments after his introduction – ultimately sealed all five points in advance of a disallowed try for England in stoppage time.

England scorers:

Tries – George Pearson, Connor Treacey, Nick Lilley

Conversions – Finn Keylock [2 from 2], Ollie Davies [1 from 1]

Ireland scorers:

Tries – Lee Fitzpatrick, Josh Neill, Daniel Ryan, Noah Byrne

Conversions – Tom Wood [4 from 4]

Penalties – Charlie O’Shea [1 from 1]

ENGLAND: James Pater; Tyler Offiah, Nick Lilley, Victor Worsnip (Ollie Davies ’63), George Pearson; Finn Keylock (Will Knight ’53), Lucas Friday (George Newman ’78); Oliver Scola (Oliver Spencer ’70), Jimmy Staples (Jerold Gorleku ’70), Ollie Streeter (Sonny Tonga’uiha ’60); Elliot Williams, Patrick Hogg (Tate Williams ’53); Aiden Ainsworth-Cave, Seb Kelly (George Marsh ’60), Connor Treacey.

IRELAND: Noah Byrne; Derry Moloney (Johnny O’Sullivan ’57), Rob Carney, James O’Leary, Daniel Ryan; Tom Wood (Charlie O’Shea ’74), Christopher Barrett (James O’Dwyer ’63); Max Doyle (Christian Foley ’70), Lee Fitzpatrick (Rian Handley ’29), Sami Bishti (Blake McClean ’70); Joe Finn, Donnacha McGuire (Sean Walsh ’57); Josh Neill, Billy Hayes (Ben Blaney ’62), Diarmaid O’Connell.

Referee: Morgan White (Hong Kong).