Ireland Win Over France Gives Best Ever Finish

Six penalties from the boot of out-half JJ Hanrahan were more than enough to give Ireland a 18-7 win over France today and earn the Mike Ruddock coached side a best ever finishing position (5th) at the Junior World Cup.

And even if the French did score the only try of the game, it bore no reflection of the dominance nor the control that this Irish side exerted throughout what was an error strewn encounter.

And most of those errors came from the French who were hounded into to making them by an Ireland side who were rock solid in the set piece and in the faces of their oponents at every opportunity.

So much so that they had this game won from a long way out. JJ Hanrahan kicked all his side's points but the Munster man would be the first to concede that the opportunities presented to him were as a result of a complete team effort and one that reaped the totally deserved outcome.

So Ruddock and his squad's performances in South Africa deserve immense praise. Their only regret can be that but for a below par second half against England they could have progressed to the games scheduled for later this afternoon.

15. Peter Nelson (Dungannon/Ulster)
14. Barry Daly (UCD/Leinster)
13. Stuart Olding (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
12. Chris Farrell (Dungannon/Ulster)
11. Foster Horan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
10. JJ Hanrahan (UL Bohemians/Munster)
9. Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht)
1. Des Merrey (Clontarf/Leinster)
2. Niall Scannell (Dolphin/Munster) Captain
3. Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster)
4. Alan O'Connor (UCD/Leinster)
5. Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Leinster)
6. Iain Henderson (Queen's University/Ulster)
8. Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
7. Jordan Coghlan (UCD/Leinster)

Replacements:

16. James Rael (Garryowen/Munster)
17. Peter Reilly (Lansdowne/Leinster)
18. Jake Cawley (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
19. Shane Buckley (Garryowen/Munster)
20. Aaron Conneely (Corinthians/Connacht)
21. Luke McGrath (UCD/Leinster)
22. Jack Carty (Buccaneers/Connacht)
23. Conor Finn (Buccaneers/Connacht)