Didn’t get any coverage of this one at all but here is the SRFU report of the U20’s match in far off Inverness. Ulster men Niall Annett and Patrick Jackson were the only scorers in a match where Ireland were also awarded a penalty try.

IMPROVEMENTS NOT ENOUGH FOR YOUNG SCOTS

Friday, 25 February 2011

Two disallowed tries meant Scotland under-20 left Inverness with nothing to show from an improved performance in their third successive 6 Nations defeat to Ireland tonight (0-15).

Ireland got the bulk of their scoring in a well-fought first-half, through a try and converted penalty try, before a solitary Irish penalty completed the scoring in a sticky second-half.

Peter Wright, Scotland under-20 head coach, said:

The Scots started brightly, with their relatively young but mobile pack interchanging deft inside passes to progress into Irish territory, with the impressive Bath number 8, James Tyas, leading the charge.

A charged down clearance kick was grubbered through by centre Harry Leonard towards the try-line, where a sliding Irish defender was adjudged to have knocked on before the ball continued to bounce over the try-line.

Scotland stand-off Stuart Edwards was first on the scene but, just before he dotted down, referee Ian Tempest stopped play prematurely, leaving the players and crowd dumbstruck as to why advantage had not been played and that crucial score not awarded.

As it was, after turning over the scrum (one of many in the match), the Irish went up the other end and got their first points on the board.

Camped on the Scots’ 5m line they repeatedly picked and went with a Munster-esque persistence and patience which was eventually rewarded when captain and hooker Niall Annett made the breakthrough.

Stand-off Patrick Jackson missed the conversion before the Scotland fought back once more, this time the mobile pack ploughed a maul forward from the Irish 22.

The impressive James Tyas drove broke out and across the try-line amidst a pile of green and blue bodies but the Scots were out of luck once more as he was adjudged to have been held up.

Jackson missed the chance to extend Ireland’s lead after a Scottish offside however another Scottish infringement, this time for collapsing a 5m scrum, cost them a penalty-try with which Jackson made no mistake, 0-12.

HALF TIME: 0-12

Half an hour of a relatively uneventful and error strewn second-half passed with no scoring as the hosts watched two Harry Leonard penalty kicks edge past the upright.

With ten minutes to go Jackson then stepped up once more to notch his and the match’s final score.

FULL-TIME: 0 – 15

Attendance: 2434

Man of the match: Ireland full-back, Michael Sherlock

SCOTLAND: Glenn Bryce, Mike Doneghan, Mark Bennett, Harry Leonard (C), Kerr Gossman, Stuart Edwards, Jamie Stevenson, Robin Hislop, David Cherry, Colin Phillips, Mitchell Todd, Robert McAlpine, Alex Spence, Hamish Watson, James Tyas. Replacements: Richard Ferguson on for Cherry (71′), George Hunter on for Phillips (55′), Andy Kirkland on for Todd (54′), Mitch Eadie on for Spence (55′), Sean Kennedy for Stevenson (60′), Craig Jackson on for Edwards (70′), Sam Atkin of for Bryce (75′)

IRELAND: Michael Sherlock; Tiernan O’Halloran, Alex Kelly, JJ Hanrahan, Andrew Boyle; Patrick Jackson , Blane McIlroy; James Tracy, Niall Annett (C), Martin Moore, Michael Kearney, Daniel Qualter, Shane Buckley, Aaron Conneely, Jordi Murphy. Replacements: David Doyle on for Annett (71′), Tadhg Furlong on for Moore (71′), Iain Henderson on for Qualter (69′), Cathal O’Flaherty on for Kearney (79′), Mark Dolan on for McIlroy (60′), Gareth Quinn McDonogh on for Jackson (80′), Colm O’Shea on for Boyle (69′)