Ireland ready for the next level, says Dardis

One imagines Nigel Carolan and the rest of his U20s management team have spent many an hour poring over footage of England’s opening Six Nations loss to Wales in Colwyn Bay this last two weeks.

Few expected the news from Eirias Park that evening; England, reigning world champions and perennial front-runners in the Six Nations, downed by a respected but far from fearsome Welsh outfit in the opening round.

England now pitch up to Donnybrook tonight on the back of a nine-try punishment beating of Italy, but their hosts have shown, in defeats of the Azzurri and France, that they are unlikely to stand on such ceremony.

“The win against the French was the highlight of our tournament so far,” full-back Billy Dardis told Irish Rugby TV. “Everyone turned up and put their ‘A’ game on. We have moved on from that now. We reviewed that last week and everyone has moved on to the English game.

“It’s a massive test, the next level. They have a great pack up front, really physical and they can shift it. The backs are really quick, they can really move it with two wingers in (Howard) Packman and (George) Perkins who can really cause trouble.”

It’s no surprise that Dardis, a full-back, should name-check opponents in the English back three. Much of the attention this evening will be on the flair players on both sides on a 4G pitch tailor-made for fast and furious rugby.

Ireland will lean heavily on the experienced (for this level) half-back pairing of Ross Byrne and Nick McCarthy at 10 and nine and aim to bring the likes of fellow UCD and Leinster centre Garry Ringrose and Dardis into play as often as possible.

Carolan has espoused a ‘heads-up’ style of play that paid rich dividends with 11 tries in the opening two rounds, but the DVD recording of the Welsh forwards standing up to a physically brutish English pack at the start of the month will set the tone.

The artificial surface will make for a very different canvas from the one in Italy, that was left sticky with mud after heavy snow, and the turf in Dubarry Park where the Ireland scrum struggled badly before adapting and finishing with some degree of comfort.

“It can change things,” said Leinster Academy and Ireland U20s scrum coach John Fogarty, who is part of a ticket that has the luxury of working with an unchanged side this week, after prop Jeremy Loughman recovered from a minor injury.

“We were in Athlone last week and there was a bit of give in the ground, whereas this week we can be more assured of our footing so we can probably keep our feet up a little bit and stay stronger down through the scrum. There should be a nice competition this week.”

England coach Jon Callard has made half-a-dozen changes to the side that accounted for Italy and their latest XV reflects a team that still boasts World Cup-winning experience while attempting to blood a new generation.

Out-half Oliver Bryant is pitched in for his first appearance at this level — away to the tournament’s only unbeaten side. His half-back partner James Mitchell makes a first start, as do prop Ciaran Parker and flanker Joe Batley.

Against that, there is the return of full-back Aaron Morris and centre Nick Tompkins, bringing to six the number of players in this English side who featured in last summer’s World Cup final defeat of South Africa.

Ireland, for their part, have a half-dozen of the squad that lost 42-15 to England in that tournament’s semi-final, memories of which should instil caution among a crowd eager to witness a flamboyant Irish victory.

IRELAND: B Dardis (UCD/Leinster); J Owens (QUB/Ulster), G Ringrose (UCD/Leinster), S Arnold (Ballynahinch/Ulster), S Fitzgerald (Shannon/Munster); R Byrne (UCD/Leinster), N McCarthy (UCD/Leinster); J Loughman (UCD/Leinster), Z McCall (QUB/Ulster), O Heffernan (Terenure/Leinster); D O’Connor (St Mary’s/Leinster), A Thompson (QUB/Ulster); J Murphy (UCD/Leinster), R Moloney (Buccaneers/Connacht), L Dow (QUB/Ulster).

ENGLAND: A Morris (Saracens); G Perkins (Saracens), J Marchant (Harlequins), N Tompkins (Saracens), H Packman (Northampton Saints); O Bryant (Leicester Tigers), J Mitchell (Sale Sharks); E Genge (Bristol Rugby), J Walker (Yorkshire Carnegie), C Parker (Sale Sharks); K Treadwell (Harlequins), C Ewels (Bath Rugby); J Batley (Gloucester Rugby), W Owen (Leicester Tigers), J Chisholm (Harlequins).