It was a double serving of comfortable wins for Irish rugby as Ireland A saw off Spain 61-24 in Leganes.
It was a rocky start from Collie Tucker’s side as they didn’t fully click early on, and they only led 7-5 in the opening stages after Darragh Murray’s opener.
However, Ireland’s class showed out as tries from Postlethwaite, two from Robert Baloucoune, Shayne Bolton, Ben Murphy, a Paul Boyle double, and Michael Milne saw off what was a weak opposition in the Madrid suburbs.
Harry Byrne of Ireland A. Photo by Alberto Gardin/Sportsfile
Harry Byrne
The man of the moment in terms of the Ireland A team, Byrne, has been in scintillating form since his return after a loan spell in Bristol. He could arguably feel hard done by not being in the main squad for this month, but he didn’t do his Ireland hopes any harm in Leganes.
He was pulling the strings throughout the game, and eight of nine from the tee, it was as good a game as it could be for Byrne. He’ll be pushing Sam Prendergast for the starting 10 jersey at Leinster if he can keep up this form.
Photo by Alberto Gardin/Sportsfile
Darragh Murray
The Roscommon lock showed his physical talents throughout the contest in Madrid. He got the scoring underway with a great try, running a line off Byrne and stretching over.
The 6-foot-7 lock has a real engine and covers some amount of ground. He earned two full caps over the summer, but he’ll surely earn some more in the near future.
8 November 2025; Jude Postlethwaite of Ireland A in action against Ekain Imaz of Spain during the representative fixture rugby union match between Spain and Ireland A at Estadio Municipal de Butarque in Leganés, Spain. Photo by Alberto Gardin/Sportsfile
Jude Postlethwaite
Ulster are in a transition period at the moment as they look to blood in youth, and in Jude Postlethwaite, they have a potential gem. The centre is a physical specimen, but he balances his size with great skills, too.
He got on the end of a lovely offload from Byrne for his first-half score, and he showed off his best Sonny Bill Williams skills for Ben Murphy’s second-half score. With Ireland’s worrying age profile at the centre, the 23-year-old should become an option for Andy Farrell in the future.