REPORT: Scotland U18 42-40 Ireland U18
It was a fast and furious encounter against Ireland at Kingsholm this morning, as Scotland U18 finished their U18 Six Nations campaign on a high (42-40).
It was a fast and furious encounter against Ireland at Kingsholm this morning, as Scotland U18 finished their U18 Six Nations campaign on a high (42-40).
In a highly entertaining meeting for the crowd, the Scots edged out Ireland in breathless second-half which culminated in a last gasp try by Finlay Callaghan while the clock was in the red.
Scotland U18 Head Coach, Ross Miller, said: “The players work rate in the heat today was phenomenal. The group has come together well over the past few months and obviously we faced a few challenges against Italy and Wales from a performance perspective but we really tightened the group up.
“The guys are obviously really pleased with the result but as always it’s about what key learning we can take from the experience. The character and effort from the group can’t be faulted today.”
It was a scrappy opening period as both sides looked eager to assert authority, however the teams struggled to get a foothold in the game following a series of costly errors.
After ten minutes, Ireland were the first on the scoreboard as an initial break by Chris Cosgrave provided the perfect platform for Harry O’Riordan to scurry in under the posts, with Cosgrove adding the extras (0-7).
The Scots frantically tried to regain composure but Ireland were soon back on the attack and were able to extend their early lead following a successful penalty by Chris Cosgrove (0-10).
Scotland began to pile on the pressure deep within the Irish territory and the side’s patience brought reward as the pack trundled over the opposition line from a well-worked driving maul, with Scott Clelland grounding the ball. Harry Paterson added the extras to narrow Ireland’s early lead (7-10).
The Irish quickly retaliated when Chris Cosgrove slotted through another penalty with ease (7-13).
Moments later Alex Soroka – who looked dangerous whenever he had possession of the ball – crossed over the line to extend Ireland’s lead once again (7-20).
Scotland battled valiantly towards the end of the second-half, and a blistering break from Matt Currie saw the centre weave his way through the opposition defence before offloading to Scott King who put his foot on the gas to score (12-20).
Paterson was successful with the conversion to pull the side back into contention again (14-20).
HALF-TIME: Scotland U18 14-20 Ireland U18
It was a brighter start from the Scots in the first-half, as several breaks and numerous phases lifted the crowd again for a concerted period of pressure.
Following a number of hard carries from the pack, Ben Muncaster pushed his way past the Irish defence to score, with Paterson adding the extras to put Scotland in the lead for the first time in the game (21-20).
The momentum of the game continued to swing, as Ireland were back in the lead as Shane Jennings darted through the defence to score, to which Cosgrove converted (21-28).
The tables turned two minutes later when Dan Gamble picked a great line to cruise past the defence before offloading to Ben Muncaster who went over for his second score, with Paterson successful with the conversion (28-27).
A further frantic couple of minutes ensued as Ireland retook the lead following a drop goal by Cian Wholley’s and a further penalty by Cosgrove (28-33).
The crowd erupted when Cameron Furley displayed guile, power and pace to win the footrace to the line, with Paterson bringing the game to a two-point lead (35-33).
Ireland were relentless, however, and looked to have the final word when Whooley sprinted under the posts (35-38)
It appeared all over for the Scots, but the side battled courageously in the last moments of the game and were able to creep their way deep into the Irish territory.
Ireland were rueing costly errors when they were reduced to 14-men at a crucial point of the game following a series of infringements within their 22, which provided the perfect impetus for the Scots who were buoyed by the roar of the crowd.
In a dramatic conclusion to the game, Finlay Callaghan spotted space on the right as he raced over the line to score (40-40).
A successful kick was required to clinch victory and Paterson kept his cool to slot over the tricky conversion and seal the victory for the Scotland (42-40).
Image credit: http://www.capturetheevent.com
FULL-TIME: Scotland U18 42-40 Ireland U18
Scotland U18: Nathan Sweeney*; Harry Paterson, Matt Currie*, Scott King*, Cameron Furley; Alex Harley, Cameron Scott*; Cole Lamberton, Scott Clelland*, Dan Gamble*, Alex Samuel*, Jamie Campbell, Gregor Brown, Harri Morris, Ben Muncaster
Replacements: James Johnstone*, Ben Mace, Jamie Drummond, Struan Whittaker*, Rory Jackson*, Jamie Dobie*, Joseph Strain, Finlay Callaghan, Josh King*, Jordan Craig, Tom Jones
*Fosroc Scottish Rugby Academy supported player
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