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Ireland U19s beaten by France Under-20s in pulsating encounter

Couple of purple patches for French proved important in match at Queen’s University Belfast

Ireland's captain Mikey Yarr. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho

John O'Sullivan
Thu Apr 4 2024 - 17:16

Ireland Under-19s went down 28-26 to a France Under-20 Development side in a pulsating encounter at Queen’s University Belfast ground, Dub Lane. Having played England last weekend, the French showed the benefit of that extra game-time together with a couple of key purple patches during which they scored a brace of tries in each half.

The Kieran Hallett-coached Irish side led by hooker Mikey Yarr have plenty of positives to take into Sunday’s second match between the countries at Templeville Road (2.30).

The home side scored first thanks to winger Ciaran Mangan, who won the race to his kick through and cross for a try. France responded with two converted tries through Mathis Boureau d’Argonne and Geoffrey Malaterre, the latter an intercept, that enabled the visitors to lead 14-5 at half-time.

Ireland enjoyed the better of the third quarter, with UCC number eight Éanna McCarthy rumbling over before his interception paved the way for tighthead prop Niall Smyth to make it 19-14.

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Replacement Bartholomé Sanson and Mathis Ibo both crossed for tries to give France a nine-point buffer with as many minutes remaining. Replacement hooker Henry Walker, who played during the recent U-20 Six Nations, made it four tries apiece, but Ireland fell short of a late victory.

Hallett’s well-drilled team gave an early glimpse of their attacking capabilities when Gene O’Leary Kareem blocked a French kick and used the breaking ball to slip Oisin Minogue into space. Todd Lawlor was up in support, but his attempted kick through was thwarted by Ibo.

The first few scrums were evenly contested, while CBC Cork’s Conor Kennelly got up to disrupt a French lineout in the eighth minute. Both defences were proving tough to break down, with the Irish outside backs pressing with kicks out wide.

Fullback Lawlor was soon breaking the defensive line, darting past halfway via a well-timed Evan Moynihan pass. Ireland were playing with a penalty advantage when Mangan spotted the space in behind, prodding through a perfectly-weighted kick from 35 metres out and winning the race to touch the ball down.

France had their first sniff of a try with the hosts guilty of knocking on and then conceding a penalty. Yanis Lux was held up, but prop Boureau d’Argonne crashed over from Simon Daroque’s quick tap feed.

Aurélien Barreau converted and also added the extras to Malaterre’s opportunist score just a couple of minutes later. He charged down a kick from Wisniewski and regathered the ball just outside the Irish 10-metre line, breaking clear to make it 14-5.

The hosts, who got back on the front foot thanks to scrumhalf Will Wootton putting Michael Foy through a gap, turned down a central kick at the posts. Early in the second half, a couple of penalties, including one at scrum time, had Ireland building momentum.

Wisniewski got every inch out of a kick to touch, and McCarthy powered over from close range after an initial maul and then an assist from Billy Bohan. Wisniewski’s crisp conversion made it a seven-pointer and it got even better for Hallett’s charges in the 54th minute. Having intercepted a pass from Barreau, McCarthy was hauled down short before tighthead Smyth picked from the ruck to score right under the posts.

The extras from Wisniewski gave Ireland a five-point lead (19-14). Sanson found enough space to go over just to the left of the posts, with Pacome converting this time to snatch the initiative back for the visitors and push them into a 21-19 lead.

An eight-nine move off a scrum set up the onrushing Ibo to get past Andre Ryan’s tackle and touch down out wide. Pacome also split the posts from the left. That turned out to be a crucial conversion from the French skipper, as Ireland hit back swiftly. Walker controlled a strong maul before a series of carries led to a penalty, from which the Ulster Academy front rower barged over with support from Emmet Calvey.

Fellow replacement Dylan Hicks converted with four minutes remaining, but the hosts were unable to engineer another scoring opportunity, leaving France to take the spoils with a mouth-watering rematch to come in Dublin this weekend.

IRELAND U-19: Todd Lawlor (Newbridge College/Leinster); Andre Ryan (Belvedere College/Leinster), Gene O’Leary Kareem (PBC Cork/Munster), Evan Moynihan (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Ciaran Mangan (Newbridge College/Leinster); Sam Wisniewski (Clontarf FC/Leinster), Will Wootton (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby); Billy Bohan (Newbridge College/Leinster), Mikey Yarr (Lansdowne FC/Leinster) (capt), Niall Smyth (Blackrock College/Leinster), Conor Kennelly (CBC Cork/Munster), Michael Foy (CBC Cork/Munster), Tommy Butler (Blackrock College/Leinster), Oisin Minogue (St. Munchin’s College/Munster), Éanna McCarthy (UCC RFC/Munster).

Replacements: Henry Walker (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster), Emmet Calvey (Shannon RFC/Munster), Alex Mullan (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Mahon Ronan (St. Mary’s Diocesan School Drogheda/Boyne RFC/Leinster), Aaron O’Brien (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Dylan Hicks (Garryowen FC/Munster), Clark Logan (Coleraine Grammar School/Ulster), Zack Hopkins (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Jonny Scott (Banbridge RFC/Ulster), Jack Angulo (Blackrock College/Leinster), David Walsh (St. Michael’s College/Leinster).

FRANCE U-20 DEVELOPMENT: Ugo Pacome (US Colomiers) (capt); Yannick Lodjro (Stade Français Paris), Clément Barthes (Castres Olympique), Diego Jurd (Stade Rochelais), Mathis Ibo (Stade Français Paris); Aurélien Barreau (Montpellier HR), Simon Daroque (Stade Toulousain); Loïc Varenne (Stade Toulousain), Baptiste Narmand (Lyon OU), Mathis Boureau d’Argonne (Racing 92), Charles Kante Samba (Stade Rochelais), Yanis Lux (Stade Français Paris), Antoine Deliance (Lyon OU), Geoffrey Malaterre (CA Brive Corrèze), Jean-Jacques Cassio (Stade Montois).

Replacements: Quentin Algay (CA Brive Corrèze), Sascha Mistrulli (FC Grenoble), Thomas Marceline (Lyou OU), Giani Callegari (US Carcassonne), Bartholomé Sanson (Lyon OU), Rémi Loop (Castres Olympique), Antoine Chalus-Cercy (AS Clermont Auvergne), Thibaut Motassi (Stade Français Paris), Titoan Rouvelet (Montpellier HR), Johan Wasserman (USO Nevers), Oliver Cowie (RC Toulon).

John O'Sullivan

John O'Sullivan

John O'Sullivan is an Irish Times sports writer

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