Ireland U20s set up Triple Crown tilt with turnaround win over Wales

Ireland fell 12 behind early in the contest at Virgin Media Park but stormed back

Daniel Ryan of Ireland scores his side's sixth try during the U20 Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and Wales at Virgin Media Park in Cork. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

U20 Six Nations: Ireland 48 Wales 33

Ireland Under-20’s Six Nations campaign took another big step forward in Cork on Saturday night as they came from behind to score an impressive bonus-point victory over Wales.

First-half tries from wing Daniel Ryan, flanker Josh Neill, No.8 Diarmaid O’Connell and scrum-half Christopher Barrett wiped out a strong start from the Welsh, who had taken a 12-0 lead after just seven minutes.

It laid the foundations for a third successive victory in the competition and sets up a Triple Crown bid against Scotland in eight days on Sunday week back at Virgin Media Park.

Second-half tries from hooker Lee Fitzpatrick, a stunning 80-metre intercept from player of the match Ryan and a seventh by replacement hooker Duinn Maguire sealed the win with Wales contributing to the entertainment throughout and claiming a try bonus point of their own through Tom Bowen and two apiece from Tom Bowen and Caio James.

Both sides had recorded their best results of the 2026 championship in their previous outings, Ireland building on their narrow second-round victory at home to Italy with a milestone 31-21 win over England in Bath, while Wales had registered their first win at home to Scotland.

Duinn Maguire of Ireland is congratulated by teammates after scoring his side's seventh try during the U20 Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and Wales at Virgin Media Park in Cork. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

The visitors had looked to have best carried their momentum into this penultimate- round fixture as they took advantage of back-to-back penalties conceded by the Irish to drive over a lineout maul in the third minute, hooker Tom Howe the scorer of the unconverted try.

Wales struck again four minutes later with a scrum on halfway their platform, No.8 Evan Minto hacking upfield as wing Tom Bowen won the foot race, fly-half Lloyd Lucas converting for a 12-0 lead.

Ireland’s handling had been poor in the early stages but they finally clicked into gear in emphatic style with three tries in an eight-minute spell from the quarter-hour mark. Ryan grabbed the first of them in the left corner as the home side struck from a lineout on the far side inside their own 22.

A second followed on 20 minutes after Wales lost centre Osian Darwin-Lewis to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on. From the five-metre tap penalty, Neill continued his rich form by powering over from short range.

Fly-half Tom Wood had missed his first conversion from the left touchline but made no mistake with his second to level the scores and the Munster academy playmaker was calling for the kicking tee once again three minutes later after Ireland swept forward from a scrum inside their own half. Full-back Noah Byrne made significant ground before passing onto Ryan, who carried to the Welsh tryline, from where O’Connell forced his way over for the try. Woods’ conversion made it 19-12 and there was more to come as the lively Barrett claimed his side’s try bonus point four minutes before the break, a further two points from his fly-half’s left boot making it 26-12 at the interval.

Ireland wasted no time stretching their lead after half-time, as hooker Lee Fitzpatrick finished smartly in the corner from a lineout drive 90 seconds into the second period to make it 31-12.

Wales had not given up the fight and when Ireland prop Max Doyle was yellow carded in the 48th minute, they wasted little time scoring their third try, from flanker Caio James touching down as another maul reaped dividends.

The pressure continued as Ireland defended with a man short but it was relieved in spectacular fashion as Ryan intercepted a pass under his posts and sprinted the full 80 metres to score in the left corner for his second try of the game in the 54th minute, Wood’s replacement Charlie O’Shea converting for a 38-19 lead.

Back came Wales, claiming their try bonus point as James grabbed his second try inside 10 minutes, replacement fly-half Carwyn Leggatt-Jones kicking his second conversion to make it 38-26 as Doyle completed his spell in the bin.

The tries kept flowing with Ireland back to their full complement as replacement hooker Duinn Maguire scored his team’s seventh of the night in the 66th minute with Bowen replying four minutes later with his second of the game for Wales, both converted by their respective replacement fly-halves.

An O’Shea penalty in the 72nd minute provided an unexpected break from the pattern of the game as Ireland stretched their lead to 48-33 to conclude an entertaining night’s rugby with Andrew Byrne’s side now turning their attention to a Triple Crown bid back in Cork in eight days against Scotland..

IRELAND U20: N Byrne (J O’Dwyer, 71); D Moloney, R Carney, J O’Leary (J O’Sullivan, 61), D Ryan; T Wood (C O’Shea, 46), C Barrett; M Doyle, L Fitzpatrick (Duinn Maguire, 58), S Bishti – captain (B McClean, 67); J Finn, D McNeice (Donnacha McGuire, 68); J Neill, B Blaney (C Foley, 53-58 FR YC repl; B Hayes, 59), D O’Connell.

Yellow card: M Doyle 48-58 WALES U20: R Cummings; D Scott, O Darwin-Lewis, S Emanuel – co-captain, T Bowen (B Cutts, 71); L Lucas (C Leggatt-Jones, 48), S Davies (C Pritchard, 71); G Tuckley (G Leyland, 62), T Howe (O Thomas, 71), J Pritchard (Y Cook, 56); L Evans (O Rees, 67), O Williams; D Gwynne – co-captain, C James, E Minto (D Kossuth, 24).

Yellow card: O Darwin-Lewis 20-30 Referee: Kevin Bralley (France).