Alex Soroka says Ireland U20s’ sole focus on England showdown
The prospect of a third consecutive Triple Crown might be looming large, but Alex Soroka insists this isn’t playing on the minds of the Ireland U20s ahead of their Six Nations showdown with England at Cardiff Arms Park this evening.
While last year’s tournament was ultimately cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Ireland had already secured the Crown courtesy of successive victories at the expense of Scotland, Wales and England. This arrived on the heels of the magnificent Grand Slam triumph of 2019.
Two wins from two — against the Scots and the Welsh — keeps Ireland in the hunt for top honours in 2021 and Soroka believes they should stick to the game-by-game approach that has served them well thus far.
“We haven’t really thought of it like that. We are just treating it as another rugby game. We are just focusing on ourselves, not thinking about other rugby stuff. External stuff outside the group,” explained Soroka, who will partner Ulster’s Harry Sheridan in the second-row tonight.
Nonetheless, the former Belvedere College student accepts that Alan Dickens’ outfit will represent a significant step-up in quality. Both teams currently sit on 10 points – six clear of their nearest challengers — with Ireland currently holding a slender advantage over their arch rivals on score difference.
Trailing 19-3 at the interval of their opening round clash with France, the Red Roses stormed back to claim a 38-22 bonus point triumph and followed up last Friday with a similar result against Scotland.
“They can do a bit of everything. It is not just one threat, they can play through us. They can play around us. They have a very good kicking game, a very good set piece,” Soroka acknowledged.
“We know we have to be at the top of our game in every aspect if we want to beat them. I think it is pretty exciting to play against a team with that much quality in it. We want to show what we can do.”
Head coach Richie Murphy will hope the return of Leinster props Temi Lasisi and Sam Illo can counteract the expected physicality from the English pack, which in turn can help half-backs Tim Corkery and Nathan Doak to dictate the flow of the Irish play.
Lasisi and Illo are the only alterations to the team from the 40-12 demolition of Wales, with both players having previously started against Scotland. The standout performer for many to date in this year’s tournament has been team captain Alex Kendellen.
The Cork man lines up alongside Donnacha Byrne and Oisín McCormack in the back-row, and will be seeking a third try in as many games for his country later today.
From an English perspective, four players have been drafted into their starting team from the Scotland game. Charlie Atkinson and Tom Litchfield are brought into the back line, while Arthur Clark and Nahum Merigan are additions up front.
The son of former Ulster player Neil, Doak announced himself on the U20s stage against Wales with a 20-point haul and a player of the match display. He will be facing a formidable scrum-half foe in the form of van Poortvliet, who already has 21 first-team appearances under his belt at Leicester Tigers.