England u20 head coach Mark Mapletoft was left rueing a late penalty advantage decision, after a thrilling Six Nations draw with Ireland at the The Rec on Friday night.
Luke Murphy's try in the final play of the game was converted by replacement Sean Naughton, just minutes after Ben Waghorn looked to have given England a late win.
The spirited fightback secured a huge result for Richie Murphy's team, as they kept their Championship hopes alive, although the draw meant that their dreams of a third consecutive Grand Slam are now over.
Mapletoft was less than pleased afterwards though, particularly with the performance of Australian referee Reuben Keane.
Keane awarded a penalty in the air against Finn Carnduff, before Ireland were given a two-minute long penalty advantage as they surged forward in the dying seconds of the game.
This appeared to be lost on the England players and staff, as they celebrated what they thought was the final whistle, only for the subsequent attack to end with Murphy getting over the line.
"Fair contest in the air, shouldn't have been a penalty..."
- The Mark Mapletoft hot take after his England U20s were dramatically held to a gripping 32-all Six Nations draw with Ireland, from Liam Heagney 🎙️ at The Rec #U6N20 #EnglandRugby #IrelandRugby #ENGvIRE #rugby pic.twitter.com/foEVj9GgdZ— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 8, 2024
Mark Mapletoft points finger at referee after Ireland u20s snatch draw
"Look, I’m not one for commenting on how difficult decisions are in the heat of the moment but there was absolutely nothing wrong with the contest in the air," said Mapletoft afterwards.
“Finn goes up, video evidence is clear and obvious. I don’t need to go on about it. And ultimately you have got a dressing room full of gutted players and a dressing room full of semi-delighted players who managed to get out of jail.
"Quite fundamentally, it was a fair contest in the end. It shouldn't have been a penalty. Those things sometimes go for you and sometimes don't. But I'm really proud of the players in terms of how they stuck at it in the second half."
We live to fight another day… Incredible courage and skill @PwC @IrishRugby
Cork will be rocking next week ☘️🏉 pic.twitter.com/vwnCeckN8y— Richie Murphy (@RichieMurphy100) March 9, 2024
Championship dream lives on for Ireland u20s
Mapletoft's comments were surprising, given that criticism of referees in the media is generally frowned upon in rugby, and particularly at under-20 level.
It's not a great look, particularly as Ireland had a number of decisions go against them on the night.
The thrilling draw means that Ireland's hopes of a third consecutive Grand Slam are over but the Murphy's late tried rescued their championship hopes.
Ireland are a point behind England in the table and both sides will finish on 22 points if Ireland get a bonus point win over Scotland and England fail to get a bonus point in a victory over France next weekend.
This means the Championship will be decided on points difference with England currently ahead by 17.
Should both the Ireland U20s and England win with bonus points, England will finish a single point ahead of Ireland and claim the 2024 Six Nations.
Should Ireland win but fail to gain the bonus point against Scotland, England would need to lose for Richie Murphy's side to win the Championship.
Finally, if England lose to France, an Ireland win will would see them with a minimum of 22 points which would be enough to secure their third-consecutive Championship.
See Also: Stephen Ferris's Predictions Round 4 Of The 2024 Six Nations
