Ireland U20s Wooden Spoon: France Edge England
- Treviso, Italy - In a stunning upset at Stadio Monigo, Ireland's U20 Six Nations campaign concluded with a historic 15-12 defeat to Italy on March 14, 2025.
- Despite an early advantage when Italian hooker Nicolo Corvasce received a yellow card in the third minute for a high tackle on Irish out-half Tom wood, the visitors...
- Instead, the hosts remarkably scored two tries while down to 14 men, exposing Ireland's struggles with lineout turnovers and handling errors.
Ireland U20s Endure Historic Defeat Against Italy in U20 Six Nations
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Treviso, Italy – In a stunning upset at Stadio Monigo, Ireland’s U20 Six Nations campaign concluded with a historic 15-12 defeat to Italy on March 14, 2025. This loss marks Ireland’s first-ever championship loss to Italy and their worst-ever finish in the U20 six nations Championships.
Early Advantage Squandered
Despite an early advantage when Italian hooker Nicolo Corvasce received a yellow card in the third minute for a high tackle on Irish out-half Tom wood, the visitors failed to capitalize.
Instead, the hosts remarkably scored two tries while down to 14 men, exposing Ireland’s struggles with lineout turnovers and handling errors.
Italy’s Dominant First Half
Italy seized control of the match in the first half. Winger Alessandro drago capitalized on a counter-attack in the seventh minute, followed by temporary hooker Alessio Caiolo-Serra, who “snuck in in front of the posts one minute before Corvasce returned.” These scores,coupled with Pietro Celi’s early penalty,propelled Italy to a commanding 15-0 lead at halftime.
Ireland’s Second-Half Comeback Attempt
Ireland showed resilience in the second half, preventing Italy from adding to their score. Hooker Henry Walker drove over from a five-meter lineout in the 48th minute, initiating a comeback attempt.
Just after the hour mark, Wood touched down following extraordinary play from Charlie Molony, while Italy was again down to 14 men. Replacement Sam Wisniewski added the conversion, narrowing the gap to three points.
IRELAND TRY ’62
Italy 15-12 Ireland: Off a good lineout maul, Tom Wood is at the end of a flowing move and touches down; conversion added@SixNationsU20 @RTE2 @RTEplayer #rtesport
📺https://t.co/XnOP6grnB7… pic.twitter.com/hciFc3Q80n
Ireland Falls short
Despite the improved performance, “Ireland struggled to fashion another clear scoring prospect and knocked on in the Italian 22 in injury-time to conclude proceedings.” this error sealed their fate, handing Italy a historic victory.
France Claims U20 six Nations Title
Meanwhile, france secured the U20 Six Nations title for the first time since 2018. They capitalized on Wales’ surprising 23-13 victory over England in Cardiff and managed to hold on in a high-scoring 45-40 match against Scotland in Paris.
France are @SixNationsU20 champions for 2025. It’s the wooden spoon for Ireland after Scotland secured a late bonus point against the French@IrishRugby #rtesport pic.twitter.com/BQdRTyQbwF
Scotland’s Bonus Point Impacts Ireland
A late drop-goal for Scotland, in their match against France, earned them a losing bonus point. This crucial point elevated Scotland above Neil Doak’s Ireland side in the standings, condemning Ireland to the bottom of the table.
A Disappointing Campaign for Ireland
This result marks a notable downturn for Ireland, who had consistently finished in the top three in the previous six editions of the tournament, including three title wins. Their only victory in this year’s campaign came against Scotland.
Match Details
Team Lineups
Italy: G Pietramla (R Fasti 56); A Drago, F Zanandrea, E Todaro, M Faissal; P Celi (R Ioannucci 73), N Beni (M Bellotto 60); C Brasini (S Pelliccioli 48), N Corvasce (A Caiolo-Serra 53), B Valleis (N Bolognini 24); M Midena (E Opoku-Gyamfi 53), T Redondi; A Miranda, N Casartelli, G Milano (C bianchi 62).
Ireland: D Green (S Wisniewski 60); C Molony; C Mangan, E smyth, G O’Leary Kareem (C Fahy 69); T Wood, C Logan (C O’Connor 78); B Bohan (P Moore 58), H Walker (M Yarr 53), A Mullan (T McAllister 53); M Ronan (C Kennelly 53), B Corrigan; D Walsh (B Power half-time), M Foy, É McCarthy.
Referee: K Furuse (Japan)
Here’s a Q&A-style article based on the provided text, designed to be informative and evergreen:
Q&A: Ireland U20s’ Historic Defeat Against Italy in the Six Nations
Q: What was the result of the Ireland U20s vs. italy U20s match on March 14, 2025?
A: Italy defeated Ireland 15-12 in a historic upset at Stadio Monigo in Treviso, Italy. This marked Ireland’s frist-ever loss to Italy in the U20 Six Nations Championship.
Q: Why is this loss significant for Ireland U20s?
A: This defeat represents Ireland’s first-ever loss to Italy in the U20 Six Nations and their worst-ever finish in the competition. it’s a significant downturn considering their consistent top-three finishes in the previous six editions, including three title wins. It resulted in ireland receiving the wooden spoon for the 2025 competition.
Q: What contributed to italy’s victory?
A: Several factors contributed to Italy’s win:
Capitalizing on Penalties: Despite Nicolo Corvasce’s early yellow card, Italy remarkably scored two tries while down to 14 men.
Irish Errors: Ireland struggled with lineout turnovers and handling errors throughout the match.
Dominant First Half: Italy established a commanding 15-0 lead at halftime, thanks to a penalty and tries by Alessandro Drago and Alessio caiolo-Serra.
Q: How did Ireland respond in the second half?
A: Ireland showed resilience in the second half, preventing Italy from scoring. Hooker Henry Walker scored a try in the 48th minute, and Tom Wood touched down just after the hour mark. A conversion by Sam Wisniewski narrowed the gap to three points.
Q: Why did Ireland ultimately lose the game despite their comeback attempt?
A: Despite the improved second-half performance, Ireland struggled to create further clear scoring opportunities.A knock-on in the Italian 22 during injury time sealed their fate and secured Italy’s victory.
Q: Who won the U20 Six Nations title in 2025?
A: France secured the U20 Six Nations title in 2025, their first title since 2018.
Q: How did Scotland’s bonus point effect Ireland’s final standing?
A: A late bonus point earned for Scotland in their match against France lifted Scotland above Ireland in the standings,resulting in Ireland finishing at the bottom of the table and receiving the wooden spoon.
Q: What was Ireland’s record in the 2025 U20 Six Nations campaign?
A: Ireland had a disappointing campaign, with only one victory against Scotland.
Q: What were the team lineups for the Ireland U20s and Italy U20s match?
A: Italy: G Pietramla (R fasti 56); A Drago, F Zanandrea, E Todaro, M Faissal; P Celi (R Ioannucci 73), N Beni (M Bellotto 60); C Brasini (S Pelliccioli 48), N Corvasce (A Caiolo-Serra 53), B Valleis (N Bolognini 24); M Midena (E Opoku-Gyamfi 53), T Redondi; A Miranda, N Casartelli, G Milano (C bianchi 62).
Ireland:* D Green (S Wisniewski 60); C Molony; C Mangan, E Smyth, G O’Leary Kareem (C Fahy 69); T Wood, C Logan (C O’Connor 78); B Bohan (P Moore 58), H Walker (M Yarr 53), A Mullan (T McAllister 53); M Ronan (C Kennelly 53), B Corrigan; D Walsh (B power half-time), M foy, É McCarthy.
Q: Who was the referee for the match?
A: K Furuse from Japan was the referee for the match.