CHURCHILL CUP Ireland A 12 England Saxons 34: IT WOULD be possible to cavil with the final margin on the scoreboard based primarily on territory and possession over the 80-plus minutes but Ireland A lacked the ruthless quality that was so evident in their opponents' finishing to exploit opportunities and therein lay the difference at Fletcher's Field, Ontario.
Being competitive is a noble quality but as the Irish team discovered there has to be an end product if victory is to be achieved. For most of this Churchill Cup match they played with a gutsy diligence but simply could not convert chances and that allowed the Saxons to escape on several occasions.
Such charity was never going to go unpunished.
The English side were appreciably more accurate when they were presented with opportunities, sometimes of their own creation but on a couple of occasions tries came as a result of Irish errors.
It's also important to note the England outhalf Ryan Lamb kicked just one conversion from eight attempts with the placed ball.
Ireland worked hard in the set-pieces and there was a noticeable improvement out of touch - hooker Seán Cronin contributed in every facet of the game - while in the scrums they managed to upset their heavier opponents on more than one occasion.
Cian Healy had another fine game, so too Mike Ross and Donnacha Ryan. And the all-Ulster back row of Neil Best, David Pollock and Roger Wilson were especially combative.
Indeed the Irish pack, driven by captain Bob Casey, deserve credit for the platform they provided for the backs.
Unfortunately it was not exploited as well as it might have been despite another outstanding performance from the young Munster centre Keith Earls. He grabbed a brace of tries and in scoring those showed his excellent balance and power and also intelligent lines of running.
Brian Tuohy had one or two fine broken field surges while Jonathan Sexton's distribution - he missed a few chances with the boot - was again assured. Ian Keatley also impressed when he was given an opportunity midway through the second half.
Ireland took the lead on 10 minutes, Ryan doing very well to gather Sexton's up-and-under. The Ireland outhalf's beautifully weighted pass put Earls in space and the young centre glided through a gap and then stepped around another tackler to complete a fine score.
England though responded with tries from 6ft 7in Bath wing Matt Banahan and the London Irish flanker Steffon Armitage, the latter of which Lamb converted to establish a 12-5 lead.
Ireland A struck back in the 38th minute when, following a great break by Tuohy, Sexton's long pass found Kieran Lewis. The Munster centre cleverly changed angles, taking out two defenders before slipping the ball to the supporting Earls.
Sexton converted and it appeared that the sides would go in level at the interval but in first-half injury time, Ireland fell off a couple of tackles and when fullback Denis Hurley showed Ugo Monye the outside in a one-on-one duel 10 yards from the Irish line, the Harlequins wing accelerated to score in the corner.
Banahan added a second try soon after the restart to extend England's lead to 22-12.
A mix-up between replacement hooker Denis Fogarty and Gary Brown allowed Saxons centre Anthony Allen to cross for a very soft try on 61 minutes and with most of the replacement benches on the pitch at this point the match meandered to a predictable conclusion.
Six minutes into injury time Bath's Nick Abendanon, the game's outstanding performer, grabbed a deserved try, albeit that it was a largely self-inflicted Irish wound. Adrian Jarvis converted.
The Saxons will play Scotland A in the Churchill Cup final while Ireland A will take on Argentina A in the second-tier final in Chicago.
Match Statistics
Scoring sequence: 10 mins: Earls try, 5-0; 16: Banahan try, Lamb conversion, 5-7; 32: Armitage try, 5-12; 38: Earls try, Sexton conversion, 12-12; 40(+4): Moyne try, 12-17. Half-time: 12-17. 45: Banahan try, 12-22; 61: Allen try, 12-27; 86: Abendanon try, Jarvis conversion, 12-34.
IRELAND A: D Hurley (Munster); G Brown (Leinster), K Lewis (Munster), K Earls (Munster), B Tuohy (Cornish Pirates); J Sexton (Leinster), T O'Leary (Munster); C Healy (Leinster), S Cronin (Munster), M Ross (Harlequins); D Ryan (Munster), B Casey (London Irish, capt); N Best (Ulster), D Pollock (Ulster), R Wilson (Ulster). Replacements: T Court (Ulster) for Ross (47 mins); J O'Connor (Connacht) for Pollack (48 mins); I Keatley (Leinster) for Sexton (53 mins); D Fogarty (Munster) for Cronin (57 mins); D Cave (Ulster) for Lewis (61 mins); F Murphy (Leicester) for O'Leary (64 mins); R Caldwell for Casey (64 mins).
ENGLAND SAXONS: N Abendanon; U Monye, O Smith, A Allen, M Banahan; R Lamb, P Hodgson; A Clarke, G Chuter (capt), D Wilson; G Skirvington, C Jones; J Crane, S Armitage, T Guest. Replacements(all used): A Titterrell, J Forster, R Blaze, C Robshaw, L Dickson, A Jarvis, B Foden.
Referee: A MacPherson(Scotland).
