Defending champions England end Ireland's unbeaten home record in Cork

There was a record crowd of 8,800 supporters at Virgin Media Park to see England win in Ireland for the first time since 2017

SIX NATIONS OPENER: Ireland come up short against England in their opening game in the U20 2025 Six Nations. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

U20 Six Nations: Ireland 3 England 19

Ireland’s unbeaten home record in Cork was brought to end on a rainy Thursday night as defending champions England started their U20 Six Nations title defence with a hard-fought victory.

The visitors survived both a 20-minute red card following the 15th minute dismissal of flanker Junior Kpoku and a yellow card for captain Tom Burrow while keeping Ireland tryless in front of 8,800 supporters at Virgin Media Park. They also claimed a second-half penalty try to add to the first-half penalties of number 10 Ben Coen with his Ireland counterpart Sam Wisniewski scoring his side’s only points with a penalty in the 31st minute.

Ireland had come into this opening fixture of 2025 unbeaten in 15 U20 Six Nations matches having won 13 in a row before round-four draw with England last season. Richie Murphy’s team got back to winning ways in the final round, beating Scotland back in Cork to extend a 13-game winning run on home soil in the championship stretching back to 2018. It was not enough to seal a third title success in a row, though, England edging them out on points difference.

Ireland also lost to the English in the World Rugby U20 Championship semi-final in Cape Town last summer and with the visitors fielding five of their matchday 23 from that July 14 fixture in Cork as added English Premiership experience across their 23, there was no doubting Ireland’s strong home record was at risk.

Yet England seemed determined to diminish their chances in the first half, Racing 92 flanker Junior Kpoku sent off after 15 minutes for a shoulder high on Ireland centre Eoghan Smyth with captain Tom Burrow then yellow carded for slapping opposition scrum-half Clarke Logan’s hand at the base of a ruck.

That reduced the visitors to 13 men although Kpoku’s offence allowed England to replace the red-carded player after 20 minutes under the current World Rugby law trials. Regardless, Ireland did not take advantage of their numerical supremacy. They had trailed 3-0 having conceded a 13th minute penalty kicked by Ben Coen and the Exeter Chiefs kicked two more during his captain’s temporary absence, Ireland’s only reply coming through a 30th minute Sam Wisniewski penalty, despite several visits to the English 22, three times crossing the five-metre line with no reward.

When Burrow returned, soon after the introduction of back-rower George Timmins for the red-carded Kpoku, England were 9-3 to the good and they maintained that lead to the half-time break and beyond.

Wisniewski had the chance to narrow the deficit on 54 minutes after a deliberate knock-on as Ireland applied pressure on the edge of England’s 22 but his kick faded. It was a stressful few minutes for the fly-half after he misjudged a crossfield kick pass to the right wing and found only opposition wing Charlie Griffin with the home side forced to backpedal and defend on their own tryline. It produced the first of a couple of significant defensive turnovers inside Ireland’s five-metre line as England were thwarted in their attempts to extend their lead. The pressure eventually told, however, with Ireland conceding a penalty try on 67 minutesas they defended a lineout drive, newly-introduced lock replacement Oisin Minogue sin-binned in the process as England jumped out into a 16-3 lead.

Ireland needed a spark and they did apply pressure on the England line but to no avail, the champions dealing admirably with the storms, both literal and metaphorical to leave Cork with a first away win on these shores since 2017, Coen adding an extra three points with a final-minute penalty.

IRELAND U20: C Molony; D Moloney, C Fahy, E Smyth (G O’Leary Kareem, 54), C Mangan; S Wisniewski (D Green, 61), C Logan (A Doyle, 67); A Usanov (B Bohan, 15), H Walker (C Magee, 50), A Mullan (T McAllister, 50); M Ronan (D Walsh, 67), B Corrigan; M Foy, B Power (O Minogue, 66), É McCarthy (c).

Yellow card: O Minogue 67-77 mins 

ENGLAND U20: J Kinder (J Bellamy, 71); J Bracken, A Hall, N Allison (N Lilley, 75), C Griffin; B Coen, A McParland (L Friday, 26); R McEachran (O Scola, 78), K Tuipulotu (L Gulley, 74), V Sela; O Sodeke (T Raymont, 78) T Burrow (c); J Kpoku G Timmins, 35), H Pollock, K James.

Yellow card: T Burrow 26-36 

Red card (20 mins): J Kpoku 15 mins 

Replacement not used: A Ainsworth-Cave 

Referee: Jérémy Rozier (France)