Ireland's head coach, Ritchie Murphy, has commended the Ireland U20s for their commendable performance in overcoming Fiji in their final pool game, despite the challenging circumstances surrounding the match.
Recently, the tragic deaths of two 18-year-old students, Andrew O'Donnell and Max Wall, from St. Michael's College, occurred on the Greek island of Ios. Six members of the U20s squad come from the same Dublin college
In addition, the tournament was overshadowed by the untimely passing of Greig Oliver, the father of Ireland scrum-half Jack, who died in a paragliding accident while in Cape Town to support his son during the competition.
Initially, there were discussions about canceling the game scheduled for Tuesday. However, Ireland's young players decided to proceed with the Pool B encounter.
Both Fiji and Ireland observed a minute's silence before kick-off, and the visibly emotional Ireland players wore black armbands as a sign of respect.
Prior to the game, Fiji's captain, Moti Murray, presented Ireland's skipper, Diarmuid Mangan, with a jersey in the center circle as a mark of solidarity.
Despite the challenging circumstances, Ireland emerged victorious with a score of 47-27 against Fiji in Stellenbosch. Brian Gleeson and Danny Sheahan scored the opening tries for Ireland, while Moses McGoon responded with a try for Fiji. George Hadden extended Ireland's lead with another try.
💭 Richie Murphy's post-match thoughts...#FutureIsGreen | @PwCIreland pic.twitter.com/FZa7a1LrS3
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) July 4, 2023
Gleeson secured his second try, but Fiji fought back with tries from Isiah Ravula and Moti Murray. Fiji continued to pose a challenge with a try from Pateresio Finau. However, Ireland sealed the victory with tries from Gus McCarthy (twice) and Andrew Osborne. Fiji had the final say with a try from Manieta Navonovono.
Following the win, Murphy expressed his admiration for the young Ireland team, stating, "The group demonstrated incredible heart, determination, and resilience. As we progress to the semi-finals, we must focus on improving our accuracy. Nonetheless, we are delighted to have reached this stage, which was our ultimate goal."
Murphy also took the opportunity to pay tribute to his late friend, Greig Oliver, in the same statement. He remarked, "It's been an exceptionally challenging day. Nevertheless, I believe the team handled the situation incredibly well. The impact of recent events was evident, and our accuracy suffered as a result."
"Greig was a remarkable individual and a dear friend of mine, as well as being Jack's father. Jack wished to be present for today's game, and he is here with his teammates, who are providing him with the best support they can," Murphy added.
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