Ireland U20s head coach, Ritchie Murphy, has expressed gratitude to the public for their support of the team following the unfortunate deaths of Greig Oliver, Andrew O'Donnell, and Max Wall.
Last weekend, Andrew O'Donnell and Max Wall, both 18-year-old students from St. Michael's College, tragically lost their lives on the Greek island of Ios. Six members of the U20s squad attend the same Dublin college as these young individuals.
A few days later, Greig Oliver, a former Scotland international and father of Ireland scrum-half Jack, passed away in Cape Town due to a paragliding accident. He was in South Africa to support his son during the tournament.
Initially, there were discussions about the Ireland versus Fiji match not taking place on Tuesday. However, Ireland's young team proceeded with the Pool B encounter.
After an extremely tough few days on behalf of the team and management i would like to thank everyone for their support.
South Africa in a semi is a challenge we will rise too.
We are still in this ☘️🏉
RIP Greig, Andrew, Max— Richie Murphy (@RichieMurphy100) July 5, 2023
Before kick-off, both Fiji and Ireland observed a minute's silence, with Ireland's players visibly moved. The Irish players also wore black armbands as a sign of respect.
In a heartwarming moment, Ireland's captain, Diarmuid Mangan, received a jersey from Fiji captain Murray in the center circle as a gesture of respect before the game commenced.
Despite the challenging circumstances, Ireland achieved a 47-27 victory against Fiji in Stellenbosch.
Numerous tributes have already been offered by members of the rugby community. Murphy, the coach of Ireland U20s, conveyed his own tribute this week. He tweeted, 'After an extremely difficult few days, on behalf of the team and management, I would like to thank everyone for their support. Facing South Africa in the semi-finals will be a challenge we will rise to. We are still in this. RIP Greig, Andrew, Max.'
Ireland's semi-final clash against the junior Boks will take place on Sunday at 3.30 pm.
