Mixed fortunes for U20s Falcons
The penultimate round of the age grade RBS 6 Nations fixtures delivered mixed emotions for the members of the Falcons academy involved, with a win for Ireland U20s and losses for England and Scotland.
After making a telling contribution in the win over England and Kingston Park in February, Brett Connon’s first start for Ireland in the championship was a winning one, as Ireland fought back from a 13-6 half time deficit against Italy.
Connon scored all but five of Ireland’s 19 points in the win, which moved them up to joint third with Scotland, ahead of next weekend’s meeting between the two in Dublin.
Scotland, who included scrum half Ruaridh Dawson in their match day squad for the first time this season, missed out on the chance to go second in the table as they lost out to France in Cumbernauld.
Keeping pace with their French opponents for much of the match, Thomas Lievremont’s side managed to find the extra performance needed to take the win that kept their title chances alive.
It was also a difficult night for Callum Chick and the England side in Bristol as Wales secured their first U20s win over England at Ashton Gate.
Chick’s side were 3-28 down at one point but managed to get back within 12 points with less than half an hour to go, before their Welsh counterparts managed to regain the momentum to take a 16-42 win.
