Emerging Ireland

Dry and warm weather had greeted the Emerging Ireland side for this mid-afternoon clash in Bloemfontein, and during the early exchanges it was Griquas who ...

The experience of Munster man Crowley certainly aided the cause of Emerging Ireland, while his kicking at goal and out of hand was a standout feature of his play. Tries - Scott Penny (2), Robert Baloucoune, Josh Wycherley, Stewart Moore, Shane Daly, David McCann, Calvin Nash. During the pre-match build-up to this encounter, assistant coach John Fogarty had said they primarily wanted to see composure and cohesion from Emerging Ireland in this first hit out on tour. Conversions: Jack Crowley (6), Jake Flannery.Tries - Scott Penny (2), Robert Baloucoune, Josh Wycherley, Stewart Moore, Shane Daly, David McCann, Calvin Nash. Try - Niel Otto. Griquas did hit back through a try to Niel Otto when opposite number David McCann was in the sin bin after repeated infringements at the lineout, but Emerging Ireland finished the half with all the ascendancy on their side as Penny and Josh Wycherley scored to make it 28-7 at the break.

The Emerging Ireland side have made their way to South Africa, with an element of the unknown ahead of the three game tour.

Joining him at Connacht after the tour is Chay Mullins, who was a key part of the Grand Slam U20 side this year. Among them is Connacht’s Cathal Forde, who made his professional debut for the province earlier this year. Should anything happen to Andrew Porter, the next in line is two injury-prone players in Cian Healy and Dave Kilcoyne, who are also approaching the end of their careers. If it wasn’t for injuries and competition for places, Baloucoune would have added to his two caps for Ireland. This tour looked set to see Ciarán Frawley play regularly at fly-half, after impressing in the summer games against the Maori All Blacks. The 23-year-old is strong in the scrum and his ball carrying is improving in every game. A big tour from Wycherley could give Andy Farrell a lot to think about heading into 2023, particularly if there’s injuries at loosehead. If his performances continue to the level they have been, he may be too good to leave out. While he is a scrum-half, Ulster’s Nathan Doak could be worth a try at 10. One of the most exciting prospects in Irish right now is Munster centre Antoine Frisch. A strong season for Munster after this tour could see him become a late bolter for Andy Farrell’s World Cup side. This tour has split opinion amongst Ireland fans.

Emerging Ireland got their mini South African tour off to an emphatic start by easily defeating the Griquas in Bloemfontein.

Jake Flannery, who had come on for Crowley, added the extras. This time Osborne and Moore carved open the Griquas midfield before Baloucoune weaved his magic and sumptuously offloaded for his Ulster team-mate Moore to score. His clever grubber kick collected by the on-rushing Daly. Crowley kept up his flawless record from the tee. As soon as they found their groove, though, the tourists proved too good for the Griquas, who struggled to deal with their pace and power. Max Deegan led from the front as captain with his powerful ball-carrying regularly, putting his side on the front foot.

Eight tries for Simon Easterby's men got their three-match tour to South Africa off to a winning start.

Ireland continued to dominate, Crowley delving into his repertoire to push through a gorgeous grubber kick to which Daly won the race for a sixty try. When Ireland lost David McCann to a yellow card for an accumulation of team offences the Griquas responded with a try from flanker Niel (stet) Otto, converted by Eddie Fouche. He brought play from the Irish 22 to get a lineout in Griquas 22. Thomas Ahern nicked a couple of balls at the breakdown but was guilty of coughing up a brace of soft penalties for jumping across in the lineout. Thomas Ahern managed a brilliant turnover steal inside Irish 22 on four minutes but was then penalised for jumping across in the lineout. There were rough edges to the Irish display but so too enough enterprise and quality to derive benefit from the exercise.

Simon Easterby's side scored eight tries in total, with two for Leinster's Scott Penny, and one each for Josh Wycherley, Shane Daly, David McCann, Calvin Nash, ...

With 14 minutes to play, McCann made up for his earlier yellow card by scoring a try, after Joe McCarthy had come close in the build up, while the win was capped off by Munster wing Nash, who ran in unopposed, as Jake Flannery kicked the final conversion. A yellow card for McCann gave the Currie Cup saw Ireland reduced to 14 men, and they made the Irish side pay on 32 minutes as Otto got in to score. Emerging Ireland led by 28 points to seven at the break, with Niel Otto scoring the only try of the game for the Griquas, who handed out seven debuts in their matchday 23.

The towering Tom Ahern carries for Emerging Ireland. Image: Steve Haag/INPHO. IT DIDN'T COME as any major surprise that the Irish second row pair of Tom Ahern ...

McCarthy played for the Ireland U20s in 2020 too but wasn’t a starter at that stage and then had a big injury thereafter. Emerging Ireland did, however, score a few phases later as the impressive Scott Penny tipped a sharp pass on for Josh Wycherley to score. He also went the full 80 minutes at altitude this afternoon. Waterford native Ahern was brilliant for the Ireland U20s back in 2020, showing the startling athleticism and skill level that hints at his past as a fullback or wing. Ireland couldn’t ignore him and he was soon in training with Farrell’s squad. McCarthy was on Ireland’s tour of New Zealand during the summer but missed out on a first senior cap.

Emerging Ireland head coach Simon Easterby praised his side's impressive eight-try performance, as they got their Toyota Challenge off to a strong start.

“I'm proud of the lads. With the heat and physicality of the teams, there's a lot of elements that a lot of lads hadn't faced before. There was one dodgy exit in the second half and they put us under pressure but on the whole, we managed the game well, played in the right areas. We're really pleased with the way those guys managed the game." The coming together of the 34 players has been really impressive and that showed in our performance. “It's definitely something new for a lot of lads playing here.

Griquas 7. Emerging Ireland 54. Morgan Piek reports from South Africa. FLANKER SCOTT PENNY scored two tries for Emerging Ireland in Bloemfontein, ...

Ulster back row David McCann made up for his yellow card in the first half by scoring the seventh try by the Irish, but this time the conversion was missed. The Griquas captain, Niel Otto, managed to get the Peacock Blues on the scoreboard in the 32nd minute by scoring under the posts following a period of sustained pressure. The deadlock was broken in the 13th minute of the game when Leinster man Penny crossed the whitewash for the first of his two tries.