The Ireland U20s’ Junior World Championship campaign began with defeat to England on Saturday, despite a spirited late comeback in Tbilisi.
Andrew Browne’s side got off to a dream start, with two tries from Daniel Ryan in the opening seven minutes, but it was not long until England took control of the game.
By the break, England were 12 points clear, with Ireland failing to score again in the first half after their opening salvo.
They repeated their fast start after the break, with another try from Ryan completing his hat trick after 43 minutes, but England responded with a try of their own minutes later.
A late double of tries from Noah Byrne and Jack Deegan saw Ireland threaten a dramatic comeback, but England ultimately ran out victorious by 34-27.
A pair of losing bonus points is consolation for Ireland, but it leaves them facing an uphill battle to reach the semi-finals of the World Championship as they did in 2023 and 2024.
There were a few positives to take for head coach Andrew Browne, though – chief among them the brilliance of hat-trick hero Ryan.
Daniel Ryan scores hat-trick for Ireland U20s
Daniel Ryan of Connacht was the clear star for the Ireland U20s even in defeat to England on the opening day of the Junior World Championship.
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The 19-year-old wing was electric in the back three alongside Charlie Molony and fellow try scorer Noah Byrne.
Ryan came up through the ranks with Corinthians in Galway, and was a star of Ireland’s U20 Six Nations campaign, scoring a brace of tries in the mega fourth-round win over Wales.
He went one better on Saturday against England.
His first try came after just over a minute had been played, as he showed his brilliant pace to latch onto a clever chip through from Charlie O’Shea.
Five minutes later came another, but the pick of the bunch was his third, scored in impressively acrobatic fashion in the corner just after half-time.
Already a highly-rated star in Connacht, Ryan has properly announced his arrival with his superb showing for the Ireland U20s on the global stage on Saturday afternoon.
Ireland’s campaign continues on Thursday, when they face Argentina in their second pool stage game.
The other game in Ireland’s group saw Argentina beat the USA on Saturday, putting them top of the group on points difference over England.
Thursday’s game is now simply a must-win for the Ireland U20s. A win could see them leapfrog Argentina in the table, but defeat would mean an end to their hopes of World Championship glory.
Only the group winners will progress to the semi-finals, with the runners-up progressing to the 5th place playoffs and the third-placed teams playing off for 9th overall.