Ireland get back on track after 11-try thriller

Ireland put themselves back into contention for an Under-20 Six Nations title challenge with a bonus point victory over Italy at Donnybrook last night, but they very nearly let the game slip away from them in an 11-try thriller.

There will be tougher games to come, and significant improvement will be needed as they struggled to put a determined 14-man Italy to the sword; indeed the visitors got themselves two bonus points with four tries and by finishing within seven points.

Italy snatched the initiative with an unconverted intercept try from winger Tommaso Coppo but James McCarthy responded quickly with an Irish try to level matters afterfive minutes.

Fast forward three minutes and Italy were down to 14 men, flanker Jacopo Bianchi sent off for a tip tackle on Irish second row Jack Dunne.

That clearly affected the Italians, who conceded two converted tries in a four-minute period, Hugh O’Sullivan and Cormac Daly dotting down and Harry Byrne tacking onthe conversions for a 19-5 lead.

Antonio Rizzi responded with a penalty and Italy grabbed an injury time try from Niccolo Cannone that Rizzi converted. However, Ireland had already raced away with two further tries from James McCarthy and Peter Sullivan, one converted by Byrne for a 31-8 lead before that late try left the half-time score 31-15.

Byrne converted another try early in the second half from Jack Aungier before Damiano Mazza grabbed Italy’s third in 53 minutes to leave the score 38-20.

Then Rizzi got another try – the Italian’s fourth – and converted to cut the deficit to 11 points.

Italy finished with a flourish, an 80th minute try from substitute Edoardo Iachizzi that Rizzi converted to leave Ireland in serious danger of losing. They survived….just.

IRELAND U20: M Silvester (Leinster); P Sullivan (Leinster), T O’Brien (Leinster, captain), A Curtis (Ulster), J McCarthy (Munster); H Byrne (Leinster), H O’Sullivan (Leinster); J Duggan (Leinster), E Clarke (Leinster), J Aungier (Leinster); C Daly (Leinster), J Dunne (Leinster); S Masterson (Connacht), M Agney (Ulster), J O’Sullivan.

Replacements: R Foley (Leinster), D Barron (Munster), C Dean (Leinster), J French (Munster), T O’Toole (Ulster), C Ryan (Leinster), R Foley (Leinster), P Patterson (Leinster), A Kernohan (Ulster).

ITALY U20: A Rossi (Padova); S Cornelli (Toscana), M Biondelli (Viadana), D Mazza (Accademia Nazionale), T Coppo (Padova); A Rizzi (Padova), N Casilio (Calvisano); D Fishetti (Calvisano), M Luccardi (Calvisano), M Mancini-Parri (Accademia Nazionale) ; N Cannone (Padova), M Canali (Colorno); M Lamaro (Padova, captain), j Bianchi (Fiamme Oro), L Manni (Mogliano).

Replacements: G Romano (Colorno), N Taddia (Accademia Nazionale), A Fusco (Accademia Nazionale). ), F Di Marco (Accademia Nazionale), E Ghigo (Accademia Nazionale), ), E Iachizzi (Perpignan).

Referee: D Jones (Wales).