Argentina end Ireland U21s’ cup hopes

IRELAND’S hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the IRB U21 World Cup ended on Saturday when they were beaten 30-19 by Argentina, at Oxford.

The Irish looked to be in command at the interval after tries from Richie Lane, Ciaran Potts and Niall Ronan had helped build a 19-12 lead with an all important bonus point just one more try away.

Had the Irish managed that last score, they would have progressed to the final four of the prestigious competition. However, the bigger and more powerful Argentine pack took control and dominated the second half as the Irish failed to score again.