Ireland's U-20s make it two wins out of two

ITALY U-20s 23 IRELAND U-20s 29

The Ireland Under-20s chalked up their second win in the RBS U-20 6 Nations Championship but they were pressed all the way by a gutsy Italian side in Piacenza.

The sides shared four tries - hooker Thomas Sexton and replacement winger Ronan O'Mahony crossed for the Irish - and penalty goals from Conor Murray (3) and Ian McKinley (2) proved crucial for Allen Clarke's men.

Sexton touched down off a close range drive on the half-hour mark, helping the visitors to a 13-9 half-time lead.

But Ireland could not turn possession into points and Italy, who had Denis Majstorovic and Carlo Fazzari sin-binned in either half, squared the game at 16-16 before Clarke's youngsters pulled away.

In the 78th minute, centre Eamonn Sheridan made the initial break before O'Mahony's angled run past two players led to him going over behind the posts.

Ian Madigan converted for a 29-16 Irish lead and although the game was effectively over, Italy had the final say when lock Joshua Furno touched down in injury-time after a charged down kick.

Scorers:

Italy U-20: Tries: Giovanbattista Venditti, Joshua Furno; Cons: Tommaso Benvenuti 2; Pens: Tommaso Benvenuti 3

Ireland U-20: Tries: Thomas Sexton, Ronan O'Mahony; Cons: Conor Murray, Ian Madigan; Pens: Conor Murray 3, Ian McKinley 2