After finishing the 2015 U20 Six Nations in 3rd place and failing to set the tournament alight, it is fair to say expectations were low for Ireland heading into the World Rugby U20 Championship in Manchester.
Being stuck in a pool with five-times winners New Zealand and the reigning U20 Six Nations champions Wales made qualification for the semi-finals seem an all but insurmountable challenge for the Wolfpuppies. Going into the tournament, Ireland had never beaten New Zealand at U20 level and they had suffered a home defeat to Wales just a few months previous.
Their opening game of the tournament offered them the opportunity of righting those wrongs against Wales, but a brutish start from Wales saw Ireland slip to a 17-point deficit early in the game and it looked as if for all money the Wolfpuppies’ struggles from the Six Nations were going to follow them into the U20 Championship.
A spirited comeback, spearheaded by captain James Ryan and fly-half Bill Johnston, saw Ireland turn the tables on Wales and sneak a dramatic 26-25 victory. The win for Ireland all but ensured Wales would not make it to the semi-finals of the U20 Championship but with New Zealand still lying in wait for the Wolfpuppies, their path to the semi-finals was anything but assured, albeit looking considerably more likely than it had before the tournament began.
If Ireland had been in impressive in their victory over Wales, they were in resplendent form days later when they met New Zealand. Tries from Greg Jones, Hugo Keenan and Max Deegan propelled Ireland to an historic 33-24 victory at the Manchester City Academy Stadium on Saturday and that remarkable result has made qualification for the semi-finals all but certain for this Ireland side.
Only Georgia remain in Ireland’s path and though the Junior Lelos have had a solid debut tournament thus far, suffering an expected heavy loss to New Zealand (55-0) and a valiant defeat to Wales (10-9), they are unlikely to trouble Ireland when the two meet in the last round of pool games on Wednesday.
England currently look set to secure the top overall seeding going into the semi-finals, assuming they don’t slip up against Australia on Wednesday, having taken two bonus points in their two victories so far and they sit two points clear of the other pool leaders, Ireland and Argentina. A bonus point win against Georgia would likely secure Ireland a semi-final against Argentina (who play Japan) and allow the Wolfpuppies to avoid an in-form England side. As impressive as Argentina have been to date, a 2nd/3rd seed semi-final with the South American side would be the preferred path for Ireland at this point.
The balance Ireland have found since the conclusion of the U20 Six Nations has been one of the key forces behind their rise to prominence at the U20 Championship, particularly in the front row and back three.
Ulsterman Jacob Stockdale’s move to full-back has given the Wolfpuppies a dangerous attacking threat and reliable defender at the position, with Keenan also providing plenty of elusive running ability on the left wing. Similarly, the inclusion of Ben Betts at tighthead, as a result of injuries to the Six Nations incumbents, has made the Irish pack a more formidable opponent in the scrum and has helped get the most out of talented loosehead,Andrew Porter.
From these foundations, players like Ryan, Deegan, Cillian Gallagher and Shane Daly have all excelled and from looking like an unbalanced team of individuals in the Six Nations, Ireland have morphed themselves into a cohesive unit and genuine threat to win their first ever U20 Championship.
It remains to be seen how damaging the shoulder injury to Johnston, which has ruled him out of the tournament, may be for Ireland’s hopes, but with top spot in Pool A all but wrapped up and a high seeding very possible, writing Ireland off at this point should be done at your own peril.
