France U20s 50-21 Ireland U20s
A tough 72 hours for Irish rugby was compounded in Perpignan on Saturday as Andrew Browne’s Under-20s lost 50-21 to defending champions France in their Six Nations opener.
After defeats for Andy Farrell’s senior side in Paris on Thursday and a pummelling for the XV side at the hands of England ‘A’ on Friday, Ireland were hoping to lift the gloom but despite a game effort hampered by a series of penalties and knock-ons, they were ultimately outclassed at Stade Amie Giral by a home side that ran in eight tries.
Ireland started brightly, spending the opening two minutes edging closer and closer to the French line through a series of carries, but Josh Neill conceded the…