Relton features in England victory

By Mark Stevens
2/7/21

England Under-20s head coach Alan Dickens was full of praise for his side as they made it three wins from as many games in this season’s Six Nations Championship with a 24-15 victory over Ireland at the Cardiff Arms Park.

On a sunny, warm evening in the Welsh capital, the two teams came into the game as the only unbeaten sides left in the competition, but England - who again included Exeter Chiefs youngster Arthur Relton on the wing - now sit top with a perfect record.

The men in green enjoyed the majority of possession in the opening exchanges, but it was England who took the lead in the 17th minute when Bath’s Nahum Merigan crossed from a powerful driving maul off a short-range lineout, and Worcester fly-half Fin Smith added the conversion.

Those were the only points scored in a tight first half which saw defence on top and England’s forwards imposing themselves on the opposition as they held a 7-0 lead at the break.

Nathan Doak got Ireland’s first points four minutes in the second half with a long distance penalty, but some consistent England pressure with ball in hand eventually saw Bath flanker Ewan Richards cross on the right wing.

Richards grabbed his second, and England’s third, when the blind-side flanker hacked forward a loose ball on the floor and he raced through the 22 to gather and score.

However, the England No.8 was given a yellow card on the 58th minute for a high tackle, and Ireland got their first try of the game when Alex Soroka finished a rolling maul.

Despite being a man down, England’s forwards again produced a stunning driving maul and Harlequins hooker Sim Riley was the beneficiary with Ireland unable to deal with the forward power – Smith adding the extras to the bonus-point try.

Ireland replacement Eoin de Buitlear wriggled over in the closing stages but England had already done enough to move top of the table after round three.

The victory ends Ireland’s 10-game winning run in the Under 20 Six Nations and England now move on to face Wales on Wednesday (8pm).

Post-game, Dickens said: "We played three games and I've been extremely proud of the boys in all three. We knew the Irish were going to come hard and I think we met them today, we were solid in defence, very, very physical and the effort from the whole squad was outstanding.

"I've learnt how tight they are. Some of these boys have played with each other since Under 16 and they grow close to each other and have bonds. If we put our game plan on the pitch the score will take care of itself."