Ireland U20s get campaign off to a flying start

IRELAND could hardly have asked for a better start to their U20 Six Nations campaign as they brushed Italy aside with ease at Dubarry Park in Athlone last night.

Leinster winger Darren Hudson was the hero as he danced over for three tries to get the title bid off to a flying start. Ireland were on always on top against a poor Italian side, but the performance will give Allen Clarke’s men a huge boost for the tougher tasks ahead.

Ireland led 13-0 at the break but really should have been out of sight after a first-half of almost total dominance.

They got on top up front from the outset and that set the platform for victory, with centres Brendan Macken and Nevin Spence impressing.

They did not make the most of their chances in the opening period but never looked back once Hudson got in for his first try after 20 minutes.

Spence got the second seven minutes from the break and the game was over as a contest two minutes after the restart when Simon Zebo finished in the left corner and James McKinney added the touchline conversion to make it 20-0.

Hudson got his second try off a good lineout move after 53 minutes and he completed his hat-trick four minutes from time after full-back Andrew Conway had made the opening.

But the try of the night came in stoppage time when Macken crowned a fine display with a break from 10 metres which left a trail of defenders in his track before jinking his way to touch down under the posts.

Scorers for Ireland: Tries: Hudson (3), Spence, Zebo, Macken

Cons: McKinney (2), Kingston

Pen: McKinney

IRELAND: A Conway (Blackrock College/Leinster); D Hudson (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), B Macken (Blackrock College/Leinster), N Spence (Ballynahinch/Ulster), S Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster); J McKinney (Queen’s University/Ulster), J Cooney (UCD /Leinster); B Cagney (UCC/Munster), N Annett (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), J O’Connell (Lansdowne/Leinster), D O’Callaghan (UCC/Munster), B Marshall (UCD/Leinster), R Ruddock (UCD/Leinster), D Ryan (Lansdowne/Leinster), P Butler (Shannon/Munster).

Replacements: R O’Sullivan (Bective Rangers/Leinster) for Ryan, 44; E Griffin (Corinthians/Connacht) for Zebo, 57; B Kingston (Blackrock/Leinster) for McKinney, 60; D Doyle (UCD/Leinster) for Annett, 61; S Maguire (Old Belvedere/ Leinster) for O’Connell, 63; Brian Hayes (Cork Constitution/Munster) for O’Callaghan, 66; M Heaney (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) for Cooeny, 70.

ITALY: R Trevisan (Orved San Donà); G Venditti (Plusvalore Gran Parma), T Benvenuti (Benetton Treviso), S Rodwell (Giunti Firenze 1931), G Alberghini (Plusvalore Gran Parma); T Iannone (Banca Monte Parma), E Gori (Consiag I Cavalieri Prato); C Fazzari (Plusvalore Gran Parma), N Corbanese (Benetton Treviso), Francesco Pepoli (Vibu Noceto), E Targa (Petrarca Padova), L Santelli (Plusvalore Gran Parma), N Belardo (Partenope Napoli), F Ferrarini (Vibu Noceto), G Cicchinelli (Futura Park Rugby Roma).

Replacements: A Denti (MPS Viadana) for Pepoli, half-time; A Chillon (Petrarca Padova) for Gori, half-time; F Menon (Giunti Firenze 1931) for Benvenuti, half-time; F Cazzola (Livorno) for Santelli, 59; M Mortali (Plusvalore Gran Parma), for Venditti, 70; E Lubian (Femi-CZ Rovigo) for Targa, 76.

Referee: L Hodges (Wales).