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The French, dotted with players making an impact at the Top 14 grade, broadly outclassed and outmuscled their less experienced opponents en route to a 22-12, bonus-point success. The scoreline flattered Ireland, however, as Les Bleus — albeit wearing white on Leeside — took their foot off the gas in the second half having dominated proceedings despite briefly being reduced to 12 men at the turnaround. Tries by Jon Echegaray, Tom Leveque, and the first of a brace by Lyam Akrab stretched France out to a three-score lead before a penalty try on half-time resulted in France’s third yellow card and gave Ireland a modicum of hope. Akrab, however, sealed the deal for the away side early in the second half, while Ireland’s hearty effort thereafter yielded a Ciarán Mangan try which added some gloss to the scoreline. The first 10 minutes saw Ireland withstand waves of French pressure, with a couple of memorable stands by the home defence. After a series of near-ish misses for the French, Irish out-half Tom Wood denied right wing Tom Leveque what appeared to be a certain try, the Munster man knocking the ball loose from the grasp of the Bayonne speedster as he attempted to dive over from a crossfield kick on pen-advantage by Luka Keletaona. While referee Griffin Colby pulled it back for the penalty, Ireland then drove the French maul backwards from the resulting lineout, eventually earning a turnover as the ball became unplayable. The 8,000-strong crowd at Virgin Media Park went nuts as Ireland made their first meaningful escape through the boot of scrum-half Will Wootton. France, though, appeared irrepressible. They came again and broke the deadlock with a sensational team score. Off a lineout launch, virtually every player in white touched the ball as they moved the scrambling Ireland from side to side, constantly gaining yardage. The dam eventually burst on the Irish five-metre line as out-half Keletaona fed fullback Jon Echegaray who waltzed through two stretched Irish defenders towards the left edge for an unconverted score. Echegaray, the 19-year-old Bordeaux back who last week scored the fastest try in Top 14 history — he struck just eight seconds into UBB’s win at Perpignan — then turned provider as France doubled their advantage. Another wonderful team move, imbued by some beautiful hands by lock Bartholome Sanson, gave Echegaray a two-on-one on the right. He fed Tom Leveque with perfect timing, and the Bayonnais wing sauntered over. Advertisement Keletaona again missed his mark from near the touchline, this time on the opposite side, but France led 10-0 on 20 minutes and Ireland had barely enjoyed a meaningful touch of the ball. They did their best to take the fight back to France to begin the second quarter, a trio of Munster men making big impacts as Eoghan Smyth produced a powerful carry, Michael Foy obliterated a French maul, and the diminutive Gene O’Leary Kareem drove giant French eight Baptiste Britz backwards five metres with a perfectly timed hit. France then cut the Irish defence to ribbons once more but it was Sale Sharks man Wootton who made the most gratifying of interventions: the beaming Noa Traversier was waltzing towards the posts having collected a gimme pass by Echegaray but the openside slowed up to showboat, allowing Ireland’s scrum-half to hammer him from behind and dislodge the ball forward out of his hands. It was a moment of remarkable arrogance by Traversier, and the Irish schadenfreude continued moments later when the same man was yellow-carded for a tip tackle on Tom Wood. Ireland’s subsequent attack came to nothing almost immediately, however, with France winning a penalty on the ground just outside their own 22′. The extraordinary Echegaray then took matters into his own hands, spotting space in the Irish backfield and battering the dead ball 70-odd metres down the left where it dribbled into touch on the Irish 5′. From there, France rolled the tiring Ireland over with ease: hooker Lyam Akrab, the joint-top try-scorer in the championship coming into the game, stretched his personal tally to five. Keletaona’s conversion came back off the post to leave him 0-from-3, but France had a three-score lead and Ireland were at breaking point after just 35 minutes. The hosts did bear their teeth before the break: one attacking maul saw France reduced to 13 men as Bartholome Sanson was binned for a cynical-looking intervention. And after battering at the French line from a five-metre lineout, Ireland initially appeared to blow their two-man advantage as a wide attack eventually — and inexplicably — resulted in a French try down the other end. But when the TMO spotted a deliberate French knock-on while they had defended their own goal-line before fly-hacking downfield, referee Colby awarded Ireland a penalty try and reduced the visitors to 12. Guilty party Echegaray, who had gone on to fry Ireland once more in the lead-up to the disallowed French score, joined Traversier and Sanson in the bin. A 20-0 French lead instead became only a 15-7 advantage at the turnaround, with Ireland roared down the tunnel having somehow gained a foothold in what had been a completely one-sided game in favour of their visitors. But France, who were brought back up to 13 men upon Traversier’s return shortly after the resumption, smothered Ireland until they were restored to full complement. There were injections of positivity by Ireland, like a half-break down the left by Leinster back Ciarán Mangan on 45 minutes, but they were unable to generate any kind of meaningful gain-line momentum against an oppressive French defence. Akrab bagged his sixth try of the tournament — and a bonus-point score on the night — when he dotted down off the back of a maul in the 53rd minute. Keletaona finally landed one to stretch the French lead out to an unassailable 22-7. As the game petered out, Ireland came close to a response from a rolling maul of their own but replacement hooker Henry Walker was just short of the line as both packs hit the floor. France were done dazzling for the evening but remained destructive as they emptied their bench. Ireland were all heart, though, and their diligence paid off with the clock red as Ciarán Mangan crossed in the left-hand corner for an unconverted consolation score after a longstanding home assault on the French line. Scorers for Ireland U20s: Tries: Penalty try, Ciarán Mangan Scorers for France U20s: Tries: Jon Echegaray, Tom Leveque, Lyam Akrab (2) Cons: Keletaona (1/4) Ireland U20s 15. Daniel Green (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster) 14. Charlie Molony (UCD RFC/Leinster) 13. Gene O’Leary Kareem (UCC RFC/Munster) 12. Eoghan Smyth (Cork Constitution FC/Munster) 11. Ciarán Mangan (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster) 10. Tom Wood (Garryowen FC/Munster) 9. Will Wootton (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby) 1. Billy Bohan (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht) 2. Mikey Yarr (UCD RFC/Leinster) 3. Alex Mullan (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster) 4. Mahon Ronan (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster) 5. Billy Corrigan (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster) 6. Michael Foy (UCC RFC/Munster) 7. Bobby Power (Galwegians RFC/Connacht) 8. Éanna McCarthy (Galwegians RFC/Connacht)(captain) Replacements: 16. Henry Walker (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster) 17. Paddy Moore (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster) 18. Tom McAllister (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster) 19. Conor Kennelly (Highfield RFC/Munster) 20. David Walsh (Terenure College RFC/Leinster) 21. Clark Logan (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster) 22. Sam Wisniewski (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster) 23. Connor Fahy (Clontarf FC/Leinster). France U20s 15. Jon Echegaray (Union Bordeaux-Bègles) 14. Tom Leveque (Aviron Bayonnais) 13. Simeli Daunivucu (Stade Rochelais) 12. Fabien Brau-Boirie (Section Paloise) 11. Nolann Donguy (Racing 92) 10. Luka Keletaona (CA Brive) 1. Samuel Jean-Christophe (RC Toulon) 2. Lyam Akrab (Montpellier HR) 3. Mohamed Megherbi (Stade Toulousain) 4. Bartholome Sanson (Lyon OU) 5. Corentin Mézou (RC Toulon)(captain) 6. Antoine Deliance (Lyon OU) 7. Noa Traversier (Aviron Bayonnais) 8. Baptiste Britz (ASM Clermont Auvergne) Replacements: 16. Quentin Algay (CA Brive) 17. Edouard-Junior Jabea Njocke (Racing 92) 18. Jean-Yves Liufau (ASM Clermont Auvergne) 19. Jacques Nguimbous (Union Bordeaux-Bègles) 20. Sialevailea Tolofua (Stade Toulousain) 21. Simon Daroque (Stade Toulousain) 22. Jean Cotarmanac’h (RC Vannes) 23. Oliver Cowie (RC Toulon) Gavan Casey View 45 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Ireland U20s outgunned by freewheeling French in Cork”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Ireland U20s outgunned by freewheeling French in Cork”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. 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