On semi-final day England played Ireland and South Africa played New Zealand to see who would progress to the final.
But there were ratings games on also. Australia played Samoa in a virtual semi-final of the four teams finishing between fifth and ninth place to get a more favourable ranking for their country in the 2015 tournament.
England 42 – Ireland 15
by “Bardon”
Coming into this one England would have been confident having already handed Ireland a bit of a hiding in the U20 Six Nations this year. Given their pool draw and opening defeat against Six Nations Grand Slam champions France, Ireland may have just felt lucky to be in a semi-final.
As the teams came on to the field the difference in size was very noticeable with England’s monsters dwarfing their Irish counterparts.
First half
England started confidently, stealing the ball from an Ireland lineout. England then knocked on but from the subsequent scrum the Ireland pack disintegrated under immense pressure from the England eight. Burns got the first score of the game with a 40 metre penalty to make it 3-0.
When they got another penalty Burns kicked for the corner but good work from Dooley disrupted the England maul.
The opening pressure from England told when a good run by Hill committed defenders close to the line and Sloan picked a good path to go over close to the posts. Burns duly added the extra for a 10-0 lead within the opening 10 minutes.
From the restart Ireland won a lineout but Jones stole it for England who got back into the Ireland 22 and forced a penalty. Burns slotted from right in front to make it 13-0. Ireland looked shell-shocked by the powerful start by England.
Ireland finally got their hands on the ball and after a quick tap and some good stepping from Gaffney got Ireland within a few metres. An English infringement lead to an Ireland penalty from in front. Byrne slotted to make it 13-3 and get Ireland on the scoreboard after 20 minutes.
After the restart a quick tap from a penalty got England within scoring distance. England’s props Hill and Hobbs-Awoyemi combined to great effect with the latter rumbling over from 5 metres out for England’s 2nd try. Burns converted and the score was 20-3 after 21 minutes.
Peter Dooley grabs the ankles of Nick Tompkins
Ireland needed to respond but handling errors were costing them dearly and preventing them from getting any momentum in the game.
Earle made a great run into the Ireland half after being stopped in his 22. England recycled from a ruck quickly and Burns put in a pin-point cross-field kick to Packman who did well to gather and then step inside Gaffney to score under the posts. Again Burns added the extras 27-3 to England after just 28 minutes.
Five minutes later a good kick forced Ireland to carry the ball over the line for a five-metre lineout to England. The well-drilled England pack drove the maul and Woolstencroft scored from the back. Burns converted again and it was 34-3 after just 33 minutes and that was the score at half-time.
England’s powerful forwards combined with quick service from Taylor created a lot of space for England’s backs to exploit, especially out wide. Ireland looked timid in defence and England’s aggressive work at the breakdown and good line speed saw them dominate the first half territory and scoreboard.
Second half
Ireland made a number of changes at half time in an effort to shore up their creaking set piece and spark a response.
It looked as though the changes were working but England finally got going in the second half in the 47th minute as Packman slotted a drop goal from right in front. 37-3 to England.
Ireland hit back almost immediately: with England pegged on their line, a deft kick from Byrne in behind the England defence allowed Ringrose to dot down behind the posts. Byrne converted to make it 37-10. Even with 30 minutes to go Ireland’s try had consolation written all over it.
Howard Packman tackles Garry Ringrose – but he scored a try
Ireland began to play with more heart and England’s intensity dropped off until they repeated their first half lineout drive This time it was Jones at the back with the same result. The conversion missed and it was 42-10 England.
Ireland were throwing the ball around but their attack was too predictable as players were taking the ball well behind the advantage line. Finally in the 68th minute Ireland found some cutting edge with a Heffernan burst. A switch to the other wing allowed Wootton to score in the corner. The conversion missed to make it 42-15.
Ireland’s replacements were making an impact with Foley looking busy at scrum half and Ireland beginning to dominate at scrum time. As they settled into the game Ireland got their intricate passing game working, but it was all too little too late.
Final score was 42-15 to England who advance to the final.
Alex Wootton try scorer – grabbed by Nathan Earle
The teams
Ireland
Ireland were too passive in defence and had no answer for England’s pace and power. All the damage was done in the first half as England wrapped up their final spot but there was a noticeable drop in intensity in the second half as the bench was cleared.
In contrast Ireland’s subs acquitted themselves well and the team can be proud of their second half performance. The final score belies a number of outstanding performances from Ireland, especially in the back three.
This was Ireland’s first appearance at the semi-final stage of the Junior World Cup and the players should be proud of their tournament. The step up in intensity at this stage was a little too much for them.
They’ll find it tough again in the 3rd/4th place play-off against a New Zealand team who will exploit their defence if they’re as passive again on Friday.
England
England will go into the final full of confidence. In the first half their set piece was dominant and they took their tries well. The drop off in performance in the second half will be a worry, especially if they are relying on an impact from the bench, against a very tough SA side, in the final.
Also some basic errors made when under no pressure will be of concern as one mistake could make all the difference.
