Alex Kendellen’s brace inspired a superb Ireland comeback as the 2019 Six Nations Under-20s champions overturned a 23-12 half-time deficit to beat Italy and move level on points with England at the summit.
Five tries were exchanged in a thrilling first 20 minutes, with Eoin de Buitléar and George Saunderson’s efforts for Ireland cancelled out by Simone Gesi, Tommaso di Bartolomeo and Leonardo Marin as Italy surged in front.
Two Marin penalties extended the lead before the break but Kendellen’s quickfire double turned the game on its head before Nathan Doak’s boot took the game beyond the Azzurrini.
Ireland will now enter Round 5 with a hope of defending their crown – how realistic those ambitions are will depend on how leaders England fare against Wales in the final game of the day.
TRIES FLOW IN SEE-SAW START
The tone was set within the opening seven minutes, by the end of which both sides had opened their accounts.
Ireland were first to strike as they took advantage of early Italian indiscipline at the breakdown.
From the third of three lineouts in the corner in quick succession, the Irish pack gained momentum and hooker de Buitléar was the beneficiary for his second score in as many games.
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Doak missed the conversion in unfortunate circumstances, the ball rolling off the tee before his hurried drop goal was blocked, and it was another charged down kick which led to Italy levelling the scores moments later.
A series of ricochets on the halfway line eventually landed in the arms of Gesi, who showed an electric turn of pace to tear away down the left-hand side and score in the corner.
Italy then made a temporary man advantage pay to take the lead through a rolling maul of their own, di Bartolomeo matching his opposite number de Buitléar’s exploits to dot down following Jude Postlethwaite’s earlier yellow card.
Back came the Men in Green, who re-took the lead with their next attack as the frantic start continued.
A dropped restart gave Ireland an ideal platform from which to build and when the ball was kept within the pack, prop Saunderson eventually barrelled over under the posts.
MAGIC MARIN TO THE FORE
Doak’s conversion opened up a 12-10 advantage but it didn’t last long as Marin sliced through a gap in the Irish defence and superbly converted his own score from the touchline to put the Azzurrini back in front.
Only a vital last-ditch Conor Rankin tackle prevented the dangerous Gesi sprinting in for his second as Italy set about securing a bonus point before the half-time whistle, with Lorenzo Pani also denied when he spilled the ball having hit a good line in the Irish 22.
But Italy were able to stretch their lead through two Marin penalties, the second of which was an expertly-taken long-range effort from just inside the Irish half to put his side 23-12 ahead with the final action of a breathless first half.
CAPTAIN KENDELLEN LEADS THE FIGHTBACK
Knowing they needed to win to keep their ambitions of defending their crown alive, Ireland came out firing after the restart and immediately set about narrowing the deficit.
Having done well to keep the ball in play working in tight spaces down the right-hand side, Richie Murphy’s side had their reward when captain Kendellen powered over from close range.
Doak added the extras before slotting a 52nd-minute penalty to take Ireland back within a point, with Italy’s cause not helped by captain Luca Andreani’s yellow card.
Lively scrum-half Doak then sparked panic in the Italian backline with a quickly-taken penalty on halfway but having eaten up the space in front of him, his grubber kick agonisingly evaded Chay Mullins.
From the lineout that followed, however, Ireland completed the turnaround as the forwards seized the initiative and Kendellen dotted down his second.
Italy spurned the chance to reduce the arrears when Marin kicked a gettable penalty wide of the upright and the Azzurrini found the Irish defence a much tougher nut to crack in the second period.
Massimo Brunello’s side kept fighting until the end but an ambitious kick to the corner stayed in play to deny them a promising opportunity in the final five minutes.
Doak’s boot then sealed Ireland’s triumph in the dying seconds, the scrum-half completing his 10-point individual haul with a routine penalty before claiming the restart and booting the ball dead with the final kick of the game.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Having led by example in inspiring his side’s second-half fightback, Alex Kendellen was the standout contender for Player of the Match honours.
There was more to his performance than the two tries, too, with the Ireland skipper battling tenaciously at the breakdown throughout and rallying the troops while they trailed in the first half.
