Wycherley hails Ireland enterprise at Six Nations Under-18s Festival

By Jonny Bray at Wellington College

Saskia Wycherley was proud of Ireland's exciting attack after they became the first side to score against England in the 2023 Six Nations Under-18s Women’s Festival on Matchday 2.

Larissa Muldoon's side finished their back-to-back games with an emphatic 31-5 win against Scotland and a closely fought 14-5 loss against undefeated hosts England at Wellington College.

Despite the defeat, Ireland will take immense pride from their performance against James Cooper's side, having spent much of the match camped in the opposition 22.

After two gruelling contests, Wycherley admitted she was delighted to see her side's attack tick against some of the best age-grade rugby players on the planet.

"It was not the result that we wanted, but at the same time, it is because nobody has scored against the English," said the flanker.

"The fight that we showed and the effort we put in was amazing, we were in their 22 for most of the game and had them on the back foot the entire time.

"I thought we played really well against them, and we should be very proud of the attack.

"I was watching from the side, it was a group effort that got us across the line, and we could not have been happier to get a try against the English.

"With the amount of work and effort that has gone into our attack in the 22, I think we should be delighted to have come away with a score.

"We came out for the Scotland game with a lot of energy, and it can be hard to carry that over into the England game, but we did it very well."

The three-day festival provides a platform for the best under-18s players in the Six Nations to play international level rugby, with sides playing two 35-minute games on the first day before taking part in one 70-minute match on the final day.

Having beaten Italy and fallen to defeat against France on Matchday 1, Ireland will now take on Wales in their 70-minute fixture on Matchday 3.

Wycherley believes her side are well placed to finish the festival on a high.

She added: "I would say Matchday 2 has been very successful, we are very happy with our performances, but there is lots to work on now.

"With Wales coming up, we have got a lot to go through to get things a little bit more finalised.

"Our set-piece and maul has looked strong, and our back line calls look incredibly hard to defend, but we need to get some of the basics right before we take on Wales."

The Six Nations Under-18 Festivals are a vital development platform for future starts of the men’s and women’s game, extending to match officials and coaches. To find out more, visit: www.sixnationsrugby.com