Ireland U20s bag six tires but still go down to Pumas
Ireland's Jack Deegan is tackled by Argentina's Federico Serpa Laporte. Pic: ©INPHO/Levan Verdzeuli
Ireland has never scored 40 points and lost a game in the 16 seasons that the U-20 Junior World Championship has taken place but the remarkable thing is that they never looked like winning this tie in Georgia despite scoring six tries.
They will now meet the USA next Tuesday hoping to avoid going into the relegation play-offs for the second year in a row after another extremely frustrating display.
The defeat, which at one stage looked like it would surpass the record 69-3 drubbing suffered against New Zealand in 2017 when the competition was last held in Georgia, ends Ireland’s hopes of making the semi-finals and they will now take on the Americans hoping to avoid finishing bottom of the pool.
Ireland, having opened up an early 12-0 lead to England on Saturday, this time found themselves 14-0 adrift after just ten minutes after a disastrous opening which also saw them into an early change when outhalf Tom Wood had to be replaced by Charlie O’Shea following a head injury.
By then Argentina had dotted down two tries at the Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi, the first coming from left winger Luciano Avaca from a lineout, while he then made the break from deep which was finished by outhalf Federico Laporte under the posts.
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Ireland, having sorted out their lineout and with their scrum continuing to be strong, got back in contention at the end of the opening quarter when hooker Rian Handley scored after an excellent drive off a lineout, with O’Shea’s conversion making it 14-7.
Argentina coughed up half a dozen penalties, three of them for tackles above the sternum in the new law being trialled in this competition, but they escaped with just a warning.
O’Shea failed to find touch down the right with the penalty and Argentina, superb from deep throughout, made them pay.
Winger Daniel Ryan, who scored a hat-trick against England, was binned for a deliberate knock-out which denied Argentina a linebreak opportunity and Argentina scored 17 points with the extra man.
Ireland’s poor handling, eight dropped balls in the opening half, undermined their challenge and Argentina made hay withfullback Simon Pfister, who scored three of their dozen tries against the USA, finished from deep and then captain Tomas Dande did likewise into another counter.
Remarkably, Argentina’s four tries in the opening half came from spending just 30 seconds in the Irish 22. In contrast, Ireland spent 2.04 minutes inside the Argentinian 22 and only scored one try.
The trend continued after the restart. Pfisher got his second try and after O’Shea pulled one back after centre Benjamin Yujnovsky was binned, Avaca got his second try to push the lead out to 45-14 after 53 minutes.
Ireland never gave up and at one stage a remarkable comeback was on the cards as Jack Deegan, Blake McClean and O’Shea again cut the gap to 45-35 with ten mintues remaining.
But Argentina, who finished third in the tournament last year, then struck two tries inside a minute to pull away with Josh Neill getting Ireland’s sixth try at the death.
Tries: S Pfister (2), L Avaca (2), F Laporte, T Dande, B Lescano, M Giannantonio. Cons: Laporte (8). Pens: Laporte (2).
Tries: C O’Shea (2), R Handley, J Deegan, B McClean, J Neill. Cons: O’Shea (5).
: S Pfister; B Lescano, P Coll (R Fernandez 56), B Yujnovsky, L Avaca (M Giannantonio 68); F Laporte, J Preumayr (V Reggiardo 57); B Ceroni (F Cebron 52), M Camargo (N Cambiasso 53), B Mallea (F Narvaez 74); J Viale, B Benavides; T Dande (capt) (F Hygonenq 76), J Sorondo (B Canas 560, F Torre.
N Byrne; C Molony, J Deegan, J O'Leary (R Carney 67), D Ryan; T Wood (C O'Shea 11), C Barrett (J O'Dwyer 46-54); M Doyle (A Cooper 54), R Handley (D Maguire 46), S Bishti (capt) (B McClean 54); J Finn, D McGuire (D McNeice 54); J Neill, A Lautsou (B Blaney 46), D O'Connell.
R Keane (Australia).
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