Noel McNamara: We can learn from French experience

Noel McNamara believes his Irish U20 side can build on a hugely positive second-half showing against the French last Friday evening as they face into the rest of their Six Nations campaign.

The visitors were poor in the first period in Bordeaux. Loose defensively, they committed a string of errors with ball in hand and compounded all that with ill-discipline. France took full advantage by sweeping in to a 22-3 half-time lead.

The restart saw a much- improved Ireland. A third-quarter blitz took them to within three points of the hosts, who pulled away again to win 34-24 and leave Ireland with no championship points.

“There was an element of it being their first game,” said McNamara for whom it was also a first fixture in charge at the grade for an international . “You try and prepare as best you can, but the reality is that nothing prepares them for that until they experience it.

“There were times in that first-half when we caused ourselves problems, as well as France causing us problems. When you put the two of those together, you see the consequences of it at half-time.”

As always with the French, it proved a physical encounter and McNamara and his coaching staff will wait a few more days to see how players recover before deciding on the 23 to face Italy in Donnybrook on Friday. Aaron Hall was withdrawn at half-time with a shoulder injury, but a prognosis on the Ballynahinch flanker has been delayed due to his attendance at a funeral for a family member. Fellow Ulsterman, James Hume, is among a handful called up to the squad this week.

For Ireland, as with all players at this last level, the trick is in learning fast. Errors cost more now than before and decision-making is something even the impressive captain Tommy O’Brien needs to improve on. A highly-rated Leinster centre, O’Brien is a keen participant in whatever ruck he can find, but McNamara admits that there may be times when the youngster finds that discretion could be the better part of valour.

“Tommy is abrasive. That’s the way he plays the game. It is part of his character. It’s one of the things that marks him out as a player, although it is important for him in his growth as a player that there may be times when it is not the right decision to attack those breakdowns.

“That goes for everybody. There were times when we didn’t understand the consequences of our errors. When you play at that level against players of the quality of [Romain] Ntamack, they recognise the pictures very quickly and they capitalise on those errors.”