England under-20s 33 Ireland under-20s 10
Hannah Clarke showed her footballing skills to strike for a closing 70th-minute try as the Ireland Under-20 Women gave a very good account of themselves against an experienced England team in Parma.
This was the first international match played by the Ireland under-20s women, who are coached by 2013 Grand Slam winner Niamh Briggs, and with England being one of the standard bearers at this age-grade, it was always going to a difficult challenge.
The inaugural Women’s Six Nations Summer Series kicked off in sweltering Italian heat. Led by two-try captain and player-of-the-match Lilli Ives Campion, England built a 26-5 half-time lead.
UL Bohemian duo Kate Flannery and Chisom Ugwueru combined for a slick 21st-minute score, with the winger, one of three U-23 players permitted in the matchday squad, displaying her Energia All-Ireland League-honed finishing abilities.
Ireland had a number of purple patches in the second half, and the full squad contributed to a fine effort which saw them score through Clarke to cancel out an earlier Lia Green score.
Flannery, Ugwueru, Ruth Campbell, and Ivana Kiripati, who all have experience of the Ireland senior set-up, led by example, and there were bright moments from some of the Under-19-eligible players, including Beth Buttimer, Clarke and Kelly Burke, who won a late turnover penalty.
While disappointed with the lopsided scoreline, the collective performance augurs well for the rest of the tournament which sees Briggs’ youngsters play hosts Italy next Tuesday (kick-off 9am Irish time), and Scotland in the final round on Sunday week.
Scoring sequence: 1 minute – England try: Tori Sellors – 5-0; conversion: Lia Green – 7-0; 17 mins – England try: Lilli Ives Campion – 12-0; conversion: Lia Green – 14-0; 21 mins – Ireland try: Chisom Ugwueru – 14-5; conversion: missed by Kate Flannery – 14-5; 31 mins – England try: Reneeqa Bonner – 19-5; conversion: missed by Lia Green – 19-5; 40+1 mins – England try: Lilli Ives Campion – 24-5; conversion: Lia Green – 26-5; 56 mins – England try: Lia Green – 31-5; conversion: Lia Green – 33-5; 70 mins – Ireland try: Hannah Clarke – 33-10; conversion: missed by Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton – 33-10
ENGLAND U-20: Lia Green; Sophie Hopkins, Millie Hyett, Carmela Morrall, Reneeqa Bonner; Amelia MacDougall, Tori Sellors; Chloe Flanagan, Lucy Calladine, Hannah Sams, Tyla Shirley, Lilli Ives Campion (capt), Anna Richardson, Joia Bennett, Annabel Meta. Replacements: Ellie Roberts for Meta (50 mins), Amelia Williams for Flanagan, Millie David for Hopkins (both 53), Samantha Shiels for Bonner (54), Jorja Battishill for Shirley (59), Shirley for Richardson, Niamh Swailes for Calladine, Kira Leat for Sams (all 64), Alex Wilkinson for Sellors (67).
IRELAND U-20: Robyn O’Connor; Hannah Clarke, Lucia Linn, Ellen Boylan, Chisom Ugwueru; Kate Flannery, Jade Gaffney; Hannah Wilson, Beth Buttimer, Sophie Barrett, Ruth Campbell, Jane Neill (capt), Brianna Heylmann, Éadaoin Murtagh, Ivana Kiripati. Replacements: Clíodhna Ní Chonchobhair for Murtagh (34 mins), Grainne Burke for Wilson, Aoibheann Hahessy for Heylmann, Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton for Boylan (all 55), Niamh Gallagher for Clarke (57), May Goulding for Gaffney (61), Lily Morris for Barrett (64), Kelly Burke for Buttimer (68), Murtagh for Kiripati (72).
Referee: Berenice Bralley (France)
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