The second week of the Under 20’s Six Nations commences with a return to a high-energy Hive Stadium. The home side faced their Celtic brothers, Ireland. Both squads were determined to come out on top after facing tough defeats last week. Alex Brattesani reports:
Not even two minutes in, Ireland made a break for it, 14, Charlie Moloney darted towards the try line and finished off with the game’s first try. 15, Daniel Green successfully converted.
Prompt to the rapid start, Scotland reacted, pushing into their offensive half yet losing possession after a clumsy lineout. It’s back and forth between the sides, tensions are high. Scotland is pressing high in attack, yet a disciplined Irish defence shut down the boys in blue.
Ireland hustled and tussled in the final 22”. The visitors were patient, creating space with Billy Corrigan kicking over to Moloney on the wide-open wing, scoring the second try of the game. Green follows with a tricky conversion.
It’s deja vu with Ireland cracking Scotland’s defence. Corrigan touches over the line and gains a converted try. Despite being down, bagpipes are blaring in the crowd – there is still hope for the home side.
21 minutes in and Ireland invaded the Scottish defence, again. The blue wall stalled the opposition, yet with speed and quick passes, Ireland slipped through – Moloney scoring.
With grit and determination in the 24th minute, Scotland made a breakthrough with a fantastic transition on the wing- Fergus Watson finishing with the home side’s first try. The crowd roared with excitement.
A try under their belt, Scotland’s physical presence stuttered Ireland. Both sides project feistiness and vigour. A few minutes pass and Ireland manages to crack Scotland’s wall – Henry Walker slips through into the end zone effortlessly, yet the try is uncertain – what will TMO determine?
After a moment of suspense, the verdict of Walker’s endeavours is ‘no try’. Both sides are ravenous for another try on the scoreboard before the end of the first half.
Scotland continued to creep up the pitch, determined to cross over that golden line. 9, Noah Cowan and 10, Matthew Urwin linked strongly together and created space, yet Ireland was quick to shut the home side’s dream down by the halftime whistle.
Halftime score: Scotland 5 – Ireland 26
Continuing from their fiery energy in the last minutes of the first half, Scotland are stretching Ireland’s limits. Transitioning the ball from wing to wing, the home side are gaining momentum. With a lineout metres away from the try line, Scotland used all of their strength to achieve their second try. With no one to stop them, Joe Roberts pushes over the line – what a cracker!
Only two minutes later, the excitement doesn’t stop there – a unified and pumped-up home side is seen over the line, Hector Paterson with the finish. Yet, TMO destroys the Scottish dream of a third try. The score remains Scotland 10 – Ireland 26.
Bagpipes blare, “Flower of Scotland” is “angelically” sung by fans, yet Ireland lands in Scotland’s defensive end. The visitors are forcing offensive pressure against the sturdy blue wall. A scrum inches away from the try line spawns and Scotland is keeping the intensity high, creating difficulty for Ireland to push through. An Ireland lineout swiftly results in a try from fresh-faced replacement 20, Oisin Minogue. Green follows with a successful conversion.
The 62nd minute was like no other; an incredible and immaculate display of athletic prowess from try-hungry Paterson, dashing from the defensive end straight to attacking, controlling possession in football fashion – the energy was electric! What a glorious moment for Scotland!
It’s an “Even Stevens” passage of play but Scotland started to dominate the offensive half. Neither side is backing down, both acting sharp and reactive to every movement.
Ireland entered the attacking end for the first time in the second half. The opposition maintains possession but struggles against the solid Scottish wall.
The final whistle blows: Scotland 15 – Ireland 33.
Player of the match was awarded to well-deserved treble try scorer, Charlie Moloney of Ireland.
Coach Kenny Murray reflected on Scotland’s first half performance: “It was a really poor start, even the first try. We’d previewed stuff like that, we’d spoke about that, we knew they were going to come back in there… I just felt throughout the game, we made some errors… The consequences of errors at this level were huge. If you make an error, the consequences are massive.”
Week 3 of the Six Nations commences on Friday 21st February where Scotland faces England at Kingston Park Stadium. With two weeks off, Coach Murray is preparing the boys with high intensity training for the big match: “We’ll train with Glasgow on Tuesday, then on Thursday we’ll train with the national team. We’ve got two good days of training – that’s really good for our boys to get training at that intensity.”
2024 Autumn Nations debutant, Freddy Douglas will hopefully be returning to the U20s lineup after facing injury. Coach Murray reflects on Douglas’ impact and how this will change the young squad’s dynamic against England: “I think being around the environment now, he just brings that extra level. Everybody else lifts their game, in the forwards in particular. I’m looking forward to seeing it up.”
It’ll be an intense face-off between Scotland and England but with the two week rest period, this may be the opportunity for the home side to step it up and get some points on the table.
