A spirited Ireland U20 side narrowly missed out on qualification for the semi final stage of the Junior World Championship after a heart breaking loss to a hugely physical New Zealand side. The Baby Blacks instead booked a place in the semi-finals.
After trailing 14-11 at halftime against a much stronger NZ team who once again showed their class with two quick tries in the opening 10 minutes of the second half to take the game away from Ireland.
Irish hero Tom Farrell, who scored for his side early in the first half, turned villain late in the 1st half conceding a yellow card with 1 minute to play. The numbers advantage counted against the men in green, with New Zealand crossing the try line twice early in the second half to put the result beyond reach, even a late fight back wasn't enough for a first ever Irish win against The All Blacks at any level.
New Zealand Under 20 team now move through to the knockout phase of the championship and will play in a semi-final on Wed with Ireland most likely moving to the 5th,6th,7th,8th playoffs.
