Ireland had quite a successful 2012 winning 8 of their 10 matches. Despite this they finished 3rd in the Six Nations in February and March and 5th the Junior World Championships in South Africa in June.
We have taken advantage of our site cleanup to review our historical coverage of international and provincial sides over the last 10 years. This article was written on Friday 5th February 2021 and has been entered retrospectively into the appropriate timeline.
2012 U20 Six Nations
Despite going into the final round undefeated Ireland ended up in third place, on points difference, following a defeat by England.
Results
| 03 Feb 2012 | Ireland | 11 | 6 | Wales | Dubarry Park |
| 11 Feb 2012 | France | 12 | 13 | Ireland | Stade Des Alpes |
| 24 Feb 2012 | Ireland | 27 | 8 | Italy | Dubarry Park |
| 09 Mar 2012 | Ireland | 26 | 0 | Scotland | Dubarry Park |
| 16 Mar 2012 | England | 20 | 9 | Ireland | Adams Park |
Standings
| TEAM | P | W | PD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 5 | 4 | 129 | 8 |
| France | 5 | 4 | 46 | 8 |
| Ireland | 5 | 4 | 40 | 8 |
| Wales | 5 | 2 | (36) | 4 |
| Scotland | 5 | 1 | (101) | 2 |
| Italy | 5 | 0 | (78) | 0 |
Players Used
Head coach Mike Ruddock, assisted by Allen Clarke, used a total of 27 players throughout the 2012 Six Nations. This was 10 players less than the previous season.
It was a settled squad with 19 players involved in all five squads and a core of seven players started every game.
Ulster’s Paddy Jackson captained the team and he was joined by Iain Henderson, Kyle McCall Chris Farrell and Stuart Olding.
| PLAYER | CLUB | PROVINCE | START | BENCH | SQUADS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conor Gilsenan | UCD | Leinster | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Iain Henderson | Queen’s University | Ulster | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Jack Conan | Old Belvedere | Leinster | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| JJ Hanrahan | UL Bohemian | Munster | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Kyle McCall | Ballynahinch | Ulster | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Paddy Jackson | Dungannon | Ulster | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Shane Layden | Buccaneers | Connacht | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Aaron Conneely | Corinthians | Connacht | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Chris Farrell | Dungannon | Ulster | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Daniel Qualter | Buccaneers | Connacht | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Foster Horan | Lansdowne | Leinster | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Peter Reilly | Lansdowne | Leinster | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Luke McGrath | UCD | Leinster | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Kieran Marmion | Corinthians | Connacht | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Des Merrey | Clontarf | Leinster | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| James Rael | Garryowen | Munster | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Jordan Coghlan | UCD | Leinster | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Tadgh Beirne | Lansdowne | Leinster | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Cathal Marsh | Trinity College | Leinster | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Conor Finn | Buccaneers | Connacht | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Niall Scannell | Dolphin | Munster | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Jake Cawley | Old Belvedere | Leinster | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Stuart Olding | Belfast Harlequins | Ulster | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Sam Coghlan Murray | UCD | Leinster | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Barry Daly | UCD | Leinster | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Callum O’Connell | Galwegians | Connacht | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Diarmuid Higgins | Buccaneers | Connacht | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Check Sum | 75 | 40 | 115 |
Points Scored
Ireland finished the tournament with a 40 point surplus, scoring 86 points and conceding 46. Their points came from 7 tries, 3 conversions (43% conversion rate), 3 penalties and it was great to see 2 drop goals as well.
Jackson was the main kicker for the second successive season picking up 45 points from the boot, including 3 from a drop. Shane Layden was the lead try scorer with 3 tries over the tournament. Worthy of note is Luke McGrath‘s 8 points which also included 3 from a drop goal.
| PLAYER | T | C | P | DG | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paddy Jackson | 3 | 12 | 1 | 45 | |
| Shane Layden | 3 | 15 | |||
| Luke McGrath | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| Foster Horan | 1 | 5 | |||
| Iain Henderson | 1 | 5 | |||
| Jack Conan | 1 | 5 | |||
| JJ Hanrahan | 1 | 3 | |||
| Totals | 7 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 86 |
2012 IRB Junior World Championship
The 2012 JWC was played in South Africa with Ireland based in Stellenbosch in Pool B alongside England and hosts South Africa for the second year with Italy making up the group.
Despite losing top scorers Jackson and Layden from the Six Nations squad, Ireland lost only one game in, a very competitive group and were unlucky to miss out on a top four finish by a single bonus point. South Africa topped the pool, despite their opening day loss to Ireland, and the host team went on to win the tournament.
Ireland ended up in the 5th – 8th playoffs and finished 5th after big wins against England and France. Their win against England gave Ireland a great deal of satisfaction after England had beaten them in the pool stages. Ireland’s 5th place finish was their highest to date
Results
| 04 Jun 2012 | South Africa | 19 | 23 | Ireland | Danie Craven Stadium |
| 08 Jun 2012 | England | 20 | 15 | Ireland | Danie Craven Stadium |
| 12 Jun 2012 | Ireland | 41 | 12 | Italy | Cape Town Stadium |
| 17 Jun 2012 | Ireland | 27 | 12 | England | Western Cape Stadium |
| 22 Jun 2012 | France | 7 | 18 | Ireland | Newlands Stadium |
Pool Standings
| POOL B | PL | W | PD | BP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 3 | 2 | 58 | 3 | 11 |
| Ireland | 3 | 2 | 28 | 2 | 10 |
| England | 3 | 2 | 51 | 1 | 9 |
| Italy | 3 | 0 | (137) | 0 | 0 |
Final Rankings
1. South Africa, 2. New Zealand, 3. Wales, 4. Argentina, 5. Ireland, 6. France, 7. England, 8. Australia, 9. Scotland, 10. Samoa, 11. Fiji, 12. Italy.
Players Used
There were 28 players used during the World Championships with Callum O’Connell, Daniel Qualter, Diarmuid Higgins, McCall, Jackson and Layden dropping out, or withdrawn from the Six Nations squad.
Alan O’Connor, Jack Carty, Josh Van Der Flier, Mikey Sherlock, Peter Nelson, Shane Buckley and Tadhg Furlong were brought in with Munster’s Niall Scannell taking over the captaincy from the absent Jackson.
| PLAYER | CLUB | PROVINCE | START | BENCH | SQUADS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Farrell | Dungannon | Ulster | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Des Merrey | Clontarf | Leinster | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Iain Henderson | Queen’s University | Ulster | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Jack Conan | Old Belvedere | Leinster | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Peter Nelson | Dungannon | Ulster | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Kieran Marmion | Corinthians | Connacht | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Niall Scannell | Dolphin | Munster | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Tadhg Beirne | Lansdowne | Leinster | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Tadhg Furlong | Clontarf | Leinster | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Alan O’Connor | UCD | Leinster | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Jack Carty | Buccaneers | Connacht | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| James Rael | Garryowen | Munster | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Luke McGrath | UCD | Leinster | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Peter Reilly | Lansdowne | Leinster | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Jake Cawley | Old Belvedere | Leinster | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Barry Daly | UCD | Leinster | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Foster Horan | Lansdowne | Leinster | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| JJ Hanrahan | UL Bohemian | Munster | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Jordan Coghlan | UCD | Leinster | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Stuart Olding | Belfast Harlequins | Ulster | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Aaron Conneely | Corinthians | Connacht | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Shane Buckley | Garryowen | Munster | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Sam Coghlan Murray | UCD | Leinster | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Mikey Sherlock | Clontarf | Leinster | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Conor Gilsenan | UCD | Leinster | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Conor Finn | Buccaneers | Connacht | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Josh Van Der Flier | UCD | Leinster | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Cathal Marsh | Trinity College | Leinster | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Check Sum | 75 | 40 | 115 |
Points Scored
Ireland ended their tournament with a surfeit of 54 points having scored an impressive 124 points and conceding 70. The points came from 13 tries, 10 conversions (77% conversion rate), 12 penalties and 1 drop goal.
| PLAYER | T | C | P | DG | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JJ Hanrahan, | 1 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 53 |
| Jack Carty | 4 | 1 | 11 | ||
| Iain Henderson | 2 | 10 | |||
| Jordan Coghlan, | 2 | 10 | |||
| Peter Nelson | 2 | 10 | |||
| Aaron Conneely | 1 | 5 | |||
| Barry Daly | 1 | 5 | |||
| Chris Farrell | 1 | 5 | |||
| James Rael | 1 | 5 | |||
| Kieran Marmion | 1 | 5 | |||
| Luke McGrath | 1 | 5 | |||
| TOTALS | 13 | 10 | 12 | 1 | 124 |
JJ Hanrahan took over the main kicking duties and clocked up 53 points over the tournament, including 5 from a try. Ulster’s Henderson and Nelson tied with Leinster’s Jordan Coghlan as the leading try scorers on two tries each.
Season Review
This was Ireland U20’s most successful season to date with an overall 76% points pick up over the 10 games. But for a couple of minor glitches against their old rivals, England, it could have been a Six Nations and World Championship double.
As it was, they ended up with an 80% points pick up in the Six Nations and a 72% points pick up in the World Championships and they will have taken a lot of pleasure in getting revenge over England, the only side to have beaten them this season, in the World Championship semi finals.
Players Used
There were 34 players used throughout the season as Ruddock and Clarke looked for a season of consolidation. There were nine players involved in all ten squads with Henderson and Jack Conan starting every game.
| PLAYER | CLUB | PROVINCE | START | BENCH | SQUADS | T | C | P | DG | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iain Henderson | Queen’s University | Ulster | 10 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 15 | |||
| Jack Conan | Old Belvedere | Leinster | 10 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 5 | |||
| Chris Farrell | Dungannon | Ulster | 9 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 5 | |||
| Des Merrey | Clontarf | Leinster | 6 | 4 | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Kieran Marmion | Corinthians | Connacht | 6 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 5 | |||
| Peter Reilly | Lansdowne | Leinster | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Tadgh Beirne | Lansdowne | Leinster | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Luke McGrath | UCD | Leinster | 4 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 13 | ||
| James Rael | Garryowen | Munster | 2 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 5 | |||
| JJ Hanrahan | UL Bohemian | Munster | 9 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 56 |
| Foster Horan | Lansdowne | Leinster | 8 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 5 | |||
| Niall Scannell | Dolphin | Munster | 8 | 1 | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Aaron Conneely | Corinthians | Connacht | 5 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 5 | |||
| Jordan Coghlan | UCD | Leinster | 5 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 10 | |||
| Jake Cawley | Old Belvedere | Leinster | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Conor Gilsenan | UCD | Leinster | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||||
| Stuart Olding | Belfast Harlequins | Ulster | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | ||||
| Conor Finn | Buccaneers | Connacht | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | ||||
| Cathal Marsh | Trinity College | Leinster | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | ||||
| Barry Daly | UCD | Leinster | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 | |||
| Kyle McCall | Ballynahinch | Ulster | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Paddy Jackson | Dungannon | Ulster | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 45 | |
| Peter Nelson | Dungannon | Ulster | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 10 | |||
| Sam Coghlan Murray | UCD | Leinster | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Shane Layden | Buccaneers | Connacht | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 15 | |||
| Daniel Qualter | Buccaneers | Connacht | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Tadhg Furlong | Clontarf | Leinster | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Alan O’Connor | UCD | Leinster | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Jack Carty | Buccaneers | Connacht | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 11 | ||
| Shane Buckley | Garryowen | Munster | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Mikey Sherlock | Clontarf | Leinster | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Josh Van Der Flier | UCD | Leinster | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Callum O’Connell | Galwegians | Connacht | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Diarmuid Higgins | Buccaneers | Connacht | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Check Sum | 150 | 80 | 230 | 20 | 13 | 25 | 3 | 210 |
JJ Hanrahan ended the season as the leading scorer with 56 points and Iain Henderson and Shane Layden tied for leading try scorer with 3 tries each but unfortunately we couldn’t find a confirmed pic of Layden. 🙁
JJ Hanrahan
Iain Henderson
Provincial Contributions
Leinster once again topped the player contributions, supplying 16 players to the squads. Connacht were next with 8 players, followed by Ulster on 6 and Munster with 4.
Ulster’s contribution did increase with 26% actual starts with Leinster out in front with 46% starts. Ulster did however make the largest contribution for points scored, bringing home 36% of the total.
| PROVINCE | START | BENCH | SQUADS | T | C | P | DG | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leinster | 46% | 56% | 50% | 35% | 0% | 0% | 33% | 18% |
| Ulster | 24% | 8% | 18% | 30% | 23% | 48% | 33% | 36% |
| Connacht | 17% | 20% | 18% | 25% | 31% | 4% | 0% | 17% |
| Munster | 13% | 16% | 14% | 10% | 46% | 48% | 33% | 29% |
| Check Sum | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
