Scotland fell short in a frantic eight-try match at Hive Stadium, as a Charlie Molony hat-trick helped Ireland to a 15-33 victory in the second round of the Under-20s Six Nations.
Despite coming up short on the night, there were plenty of positives for the Scots to take from the evening, including some flashes of brilliance and a number of impressive performances. Four quickfire first-half tries set the visitors well on their way to victory as they secured their first win of the campaign, taking all five points back to Dublin.
A penalty came the visitors’ way straight from kickoff after Scotland failed to roll away in the tackle. From the resultant lineout, they mauled on the right before moving through the phases, with Dan Green providing the inside pass for Charlie Molony to race between the posts. Fly-half Sam Wisniewski converted to give the visitors an early lead (0-7, 2 mins).
Scotland settled after the early Irish score. They were close to carving a way through when Matthew Urwin’s cross-field kick headed for Nairn Moncrieff. Cruelly, at the crucial moment, the winger lost his footing on the turf as he came off the wing, preventing him from making a clear dart for the line.
Molony breached the gainline for the second time after a flurry of strong carries in the home 22. From the ruck, Wisniewski fired a pinpoint kick into the right corner, where Molony plucked it from the sky before dotting down. Again it was converted for a maximum score (0-14, 14 mins).
Ireland upped the intensity further after Scotland conceded two successive penalties. A couple of quick phases later, Alex Mullan’s sharp offload allowed second-row Billy Corrigan to burry through the crowd and across the try line. Green added the extras (0-21, 18 mins)
The bonus point came on 22 minutes as Charlie Molony secured his hat-trick at the end of a slick team move. Eanna McCarthy’s quick hands saw him move on a low pass on the run. Two passes later the line was breached by Molony to charge clear. This time Green’s kick missed the mark (0-26, 22 mins).
A well-crafted and executed move got Scotland on the board just moments later. It started with Reuben Logan’s burst which made strong yards in the middle. As the ball emerged from the ruck, an intricate link-up between captain Ventesei and Jack Brown saw the latter provide the offload for Fergus Watson, who emerged on a perfectly time support line to acrobatically score. Urwin’s conversion was unsuccessful (5-26, 26 mins)
Ireland continued to probe and enjoyed quick visits to the home 22. In the first instance, Scotland’s Billy Allen successfully ripped the ball away for an impressive turnover. However, the second time around, Scotland was penalised for a deliberate knock-on. From the lineout, the Irish maul drove strongly, with hooker Henry Walker seemingly adding the fifth try after breaking away. However, after a TMO review, the visitors were denied for obstruction by Bobby Power- a good spot from the officials.
Persistent rain began to make handling all the more challenging towards the end of the half, with both sides losing the ball forward before referee Tomas Bertazza brought the first 40 to a close with Ireland U20 leading 26-05.
Scotland came flying out of the traps at the start of the second half with fresh legs off the bench. Replacement scrum-half Hector Patterson took the ball from the ruck quickly several times, allowing the hosts to build quick phases and move the ball side to side. His pass out to Moncrieff nearly got Scotland to the line, but Bobby Power provided prompt cover.
The next play came from the Scottish lineout, with Christian Lindsay at the heart of the rolling maul. As it steamrolled towards the gain line, hooker Joe Roberts broke free for Scotland’s second score by the right corner flag. Urwin’s kick was wide (10-26, 45 mins).
Hector Patterson was certainly making an impact. He thought he had crossed for a try of his own, but it was ruled out following a TMO review for a knock-on in the build-up. Despite the score being ruled out, nothing could take away from the fluent build-up involving Urwin and Ventesei. Scotland was coming without all guns blazing and imposing themselves on their opponents.
Following a strong opening ten minutes in the second half from Scotland, Ireland appeared to have weathered the storm and began building the phases in their opponents' half. After a quick tap and go following a penalty, Green knocked on as he looked destined for the line, and Scotland was awarded a scrum on their own five-metre line- a deserved reward for a strong defence.
Ireland’s fifth try came in the simplest of fashions as Oisin Minogue scored with his first touch. Seconds after being introduced, he ghosted in and took the short lineout in his stride to stroll over unchallenged. Green’s kick was dead centre to collect the extras (10-33, 59 mins).
Scotland were never going to lie down and replied with their third score through the impressive Hector Patterson- who was not to be denied for a second time. A strong Scotland tackle saw the ball break loose in their own 22. Up stepped the Edinburgh man to play his own game of kick and chase, running virtually the whole length of the pitch before dotting down. The lung-busting run and the fact that Patterson didn’t knock on while chasing were equally as admirable. Urwin’s conversion missed the mark.
That would prove to be the end of the scoring. The hosts couldn’t build on that score to secure a bonus point, as the game ebbed and flowed following Patterson’s moment of brilliance. Despite some positive phases, the final piece was missing for the elusive fourth try.
Ireland thought they had finished with a flourish as they pushed for a sixth try with the final play of the encounter. A strong home rearguard prevented captain McCarthy from crossing the whitewash, and as the ball gained some traction it was lost over the line, bringing a breathless match to a conclusion.
Scorers:
Scotland U20:Tries: Fergus Watson, Joe Roberts, Hector Patterson.
Ireland U20: Tries: Charlie Molony (3), Billy Corrigan, Oisin Minogue. Conversions: Daniel Green (4).
Teams:
Scotland U20: 15 Jack Brown, 14 Guy Rogers, 13 Johnny Ventisei, 12 Kerr Yule, 11 Fergus Watson, 9 Noah Cowan, 8 Reuben Logan, 7 Billy Allen, 6 Christian Lindsay, 5 Dan Halkon, 4 Charlie Moss, 3 Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, 2 Joe Roberts, 1 Oliver McKenna. Replacements: 16 Seb Stephen, 17 Jake Shearer, 18 Jamie Stewart, 19 Bart Godsell, 20 Oliver Duncan, 21 Hector Patterson, 22 Ross Wolfenden, 23 Nairn Moncrieff.
Ireland U20: 15 Daniel Green, 14 Charlie Molony, 13 Gene O’Leary Kareem, 12 Connor Fahy, 11 Ciarán Mangan, 10 Sam Wisniewski, 9 Clark Logan, 8 Éanna McCarthy (c), 7 Bobby Power, 6 Michael Foy, 5 Billy Corrigan, 4 Mahon Ronan, 3 Alex Mullan, 2 Henry Walker, 1 Billy Bohan. Replacements: 16 Connor Magee, 17 Paddy Moore, 18 Tom McAllister, 19 David Walsh, 20 Oisin Minogue, 21 Will Wootton, 22 Dylan Hicks, 23 Eoghan Smyth.