Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

England and Ireland play out brutal draw at World Rugby U20s

Asher Opoku-Fordjour of England during the World Rugby U20 Championship 2023, Pool B match between England and Ireland at Paarl Gimnasium on June 24, 2023 in Paarl, South Africa. (Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images for World Rugby)

England and Ireland clashed in a fiercely physical encounter during the pool stages of the World Rugby U20 Championship in Paarl, resulting in a rare draw, only the second in the tournament’s history.

ADVERTISEMENT

The match was characterized by bone-crunching collisions and intense battles between the two heavyweight packs. The physicality led to a total of three cards being shown, including a yellow card to players from both sides and a late red card to Ireland’s center, Hugh Cooney.

The outcome of the game remained uncertain throughout, with missed kicks at goal by Ireland’s fly-half, Sam Prendergast, proving crucial to the final result. Prendergast managed to convert only two of Ireland’s five tries, while his counterpart, Connor Slevin, was flawless in his kicking, successfully slotting all five of his attempts. A late surge from England, including two tries from substitute Jacob Cuslick, created a thrilling comeback. However, it was Ireland who managed to hold on in the end.

Video Spacer
Video Spacer

Slevin drew first blood with a penalty in the fourth minute, but Ireland dominated much of the first half. They crossed the try line twice through Prendergast and prop George Hadden. However, England found a glimmer of hope through a remarkable individual effort from loose-head Asher Opoku-Fordjour, who powered through two defenders with his sheer strength to score a sensational try. Slevin’s conversion leveled the scores at 10-10.

Both teams had defensive heroics and missed opportunities before Ireland capitalized on possession just before halftime. Number eight James McNabney touched down from a tap penalty, extending Ireland’s lead. Despite being outscored three tries to one, England remained within reach, trailing by only five points at halftime due to Prendergast’s third missed conversion.

The second half witnessed a shift in momentum as England’s dominant scrum began to assert control. Ireland struggled to exit their own 22, and their difficulties were compounded when flanker Diarmuid Mangan was sin-binned for impeding play at the ruck. England capitalized on the advantage, with Rekeiti Ma’asi-White and Chandler Cunningham-South making crucial contributions. They were awarded a penalty try, and Jacob Cusick crossed the line in the corner to bring England back into contention.

Not to be outdone, Ireland responded with tries from Ruadhan Quinn and Henry McErlean, the latter scored while Greg Fisilau was in the sin bin. John Devine and Hugh Cooney combined for a try, with Prendergast successfully converting, giving Ireland a double-figure lead with 15 minutes remaining.

ADVERTISEMENT

England’s captain, Ollie Chessum, demonstrated composure under pressure by opting for a penalty kick, which Slevin expertly converted. Cusick’s try in the same corner, accompanied by Slevin’s magnificent touchline conversion, leveled the scores at 34-34. Despite Ireland being down to 14 players, both teams were unable to break the deadlock in the final moments, making mistakes in their pursuit of a winning score.

Argentina made the most of an early red card to Italy’s Destiny Aminu to win 43-15 in Paarl, while at Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch, two-time defending champions France began with an emphatic 75-12 victory against Japan.

Related

ADVERTISEMENT

Boks Office | Episode 36 | Six Nations Round 3 Review

England A vs Ireland A | Full Match Replay

HSBC SVNS Vancouver | Men's Day Three Highlights

HSBC SVNS Vancouver | Women's Day Three Highlights

"I would love to play with Siya Kolisi" | HSBC Life on Tour | Vancouver

Kubota Spears vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | JRLO 2024/2025 | Full Match Replay

Behind the Scenes with the Stars of the Kenya Rugby Sevens Team | HSBC SVNS Embedded | Episode 7

O2 Inside Line: This Rose | Episode 3 | France Week

Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

5 Comments
R
Rob 612 days ago

The ref was generally poor on both teams

Load More Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

S
SarahStewart 55 minutes ago
'Statement of ambition' Ross Byrne signing announced by Gloucester

It all started when I woke up one morning to find my crypto wallet drained—every last Bitcoin I’d invested in was gone. Months of careful trading, wiped out in an instant. I’d fallen victim to a slick phishing scam that tricked me into handing over my private keys. Devastated, I thought it was over. That’s when a friend mentioned Alpha Spy Nest, a shadowy group of crypto recovery specialists who’d helped him out of a similar mess.Skeptical but desperate, I reached out. Within hours, a voice on the other end—calm, confident, and anonymous—told me they’d take the case. They called themselves “Nest operatives,” and they didn’t waste time. First, they asked for every detail I could remember: the suspicious email, the fake login page, the moment I realized I’d been had. I handed it all over, expecting nothing but a polite “we’ll try.”What I didn’t know was that Alpha Spy Nest was already on the move. Their team—part hackers, part detectives—dived into the blockchain like bloodhounds. They traced the stolen Bitcoin as it bounced through a dizzying maze of wallets, each one a little more obscure than the last. Most people would’ve given up, but not them. They had tools I’d never heard of, scraping data from dark web forums and piecing together clues like a digital jigsaw puzzle.Days later, they called me back. “We’ve got a lead,” the voice said. They’d tracked the thief to a sloppy exchange account tied to a poorly hidden IP address. The operatives didn’t stop there—they cross-referenced the wallet activity with chatter on underground crypto channels and found the culprit bragging about his haul. With that, they flipped the script. Using a mix of social engineering and what I can only assume was some next-level tech, they baited the thief into moving the funds again—right into a trap wallet Alpha Spy Nest controlled. Few days after I’d lost everything, I got a final message: “Check your account.” There it was—my Bitcoin, back where it belonged, minus a modest fee for their trouble. I never met the team, never even learned their real names. All I knew was that Alpha Spy Nest had turned my nightmare into a miracle, and I’d never click a shady link again.Contacts: Email: Alphaspynest@mail.com, WhatsApp: ‪+14159714490‬

1 Go to comments
R
RegineIsaksen 58 minutes ago
Tickets for record-breaking Women’s Rugby World Cup go back on sale

Sometimes life gives you signs-you just got to be paying attention. One night, deep in an Uber ride, I struck up a conversation with the driver. The topic of Bitcoin came up, and he mentioned that he once lost his wallet containing $50,000.

I thought this would be the end of the story-something like regret, lessons learned, and moving on. But then he said something that stuck with me: "Thankfully, I found Lee Ultimate Hacker. They got everything back." I nodded, really interested but unconcerned. After all, I was so very careful with my wallet security. I thought, That's rough, but it could never happen to me. A week later, it happened to me. I lost the wallet holding $300,000 while overhauling my crypto storage system. In one wrong move, my funds became completely unreachable. I retraced passwords, checked backups, tried everything that normally works, but nothing worked. Panic kicked in. My mind was racing, trying to figure out my next move. And then, I remembered the Uber driver's story.

I didn't waste a moment and contacted Lee Ultimate Hacker. Right upon connecting to their team, I could feel my nerves calm down. They did not right away get to work but also asked questions, analyzed my situation, and explained how the recovery would go. It was next-level professionalism; they didn't just work on how to return my money but also how to make me understand what happened and how I could avoid it in the future. Finally, after what felt like the longest wait of my life, came the message that I had been waiting for: My wallet was recovered successfully.

Relief doesn't even begin to describe my feeling at that moment. That $300,000 wasn't just money; it was years of careful investments and strategic planning. And in an instant, it was all back where it belonged. In retrospect, I owe more than a five-star rating to that Uber driver. His story gave me a lifeline which I didn't know I needed. Lesson learned: Pay attention to those random conversations-you never know when they might save you a fortune.

LEEULTIMATEHACKER @ AOL . COM

telegram: LEEULTIMATE

wh@tsapp +1 (715) 314 - 9248

0 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Beaten but unbowed, Welsh rugby shows a defiance that suggest brighter times lie ahead Beaten but unbowed, Welsh rugby shows a defiance that suggest brighter times lie ahead
Search