England 45
Ireland 21
A hugely impressive Harry Mallinder steered a powerful English outfit past an out of sorts Ireland to World Cup glory at the AJ Bell stadium this evening.
It seemed nothing could stop the Rosebuds from winning the U-20 World Cup on home soil, as they ran in six tries in front of a raucous crowd at Leicester Tigers stadium.
After a historic campaign in which they reached their first ever U-20 final and beat the Baby Blacks for the first time ever, it was a disappointing end for Ireland as they were powerless to prevent an irresistible English side.
It was a disastrous first-half from the Wolfpuppies as they conceded three tries to an utterly dominant English side, with Ireland rarely leaving their own 22'.
The tone was set when Joe Marchant danced past three defenders from a standing start in the 13th minute to waltz in under the posts, and with Mallinder's conversion England were seven points ahead.
Much like the senior side today, the Irish u20's scrum was struggling to get any momentum, even conceding a penalty on their own feed, so it was no surprise to see it as the source of the Rosebuds second try of the day.
The English tight five marched straight forward as green jerseys fell by the wayside, leaving a clear path for Callum Chick to touch down and double the advantage in the 21st minute.
Ireland players regroup after conceding a second try
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
We had to wait just another ten minutes for the next try, as a poorly chosen exit strategy from Johnny McPhillips was ruthlessly punished by the host nation.
The crossfield chip landed in no mans land and Johnny Williams broke down the wing past a number of would be tacklers before offloading to second row Huw Taylor who went over at a canter.
Hopes of a comeback in the second half were quickly extinguished as Conor O'Brien knocked on after making a promising break, with England countering down the opposite wing with Williams left in a three-on-one situation, he passed back inside to his captain Mallinder to jog over.
Ireland's James Ryan and Tom West of England clash
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
Typical of this Irish side, they refused to roll over without making a good fist of it, with comebacks against Wales and England in the Six Nations springing to mind, they crossed the line through Adam McBurney, who touched down from the back of a maul following an Irish lineout close to the line.
However, the Wolfpuppies were torn asunder once again as lock Stan South drove up the middle before showcasing some lovely handling to set Mallinder free and under the posts.
It was try a minute stuff in a frenetic second half as Ireland began to put some respectability back on the board after a breathtaking counter from Jacob Stockdale saw him race clear before feeding Shane Daly on the right wing to touch down.
Ireland's Shane Daly scores their second try of the game
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
A stupid piece of play from Stephen Kerins saw a him see yellow to compound a miserable night for the Irish scrum-half, with Mallinder kicking his first penalty of the day to move England 24 points in front.
That lead was pushed out to 31 when Joe Marchant went over for his second, collecting Mallinder's clever kick ahead that exploited Ireland's lack of cover in the backfield.
Player of the Tournament nominee Max Deegan grabbed a late consolation for the runners-up, who never gave up the fight despite the scoreline.
It was a cruel end for the Wolfpuppies after a magnificent campaign, but they will have little to complain about as they were beaten by a much better team.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
