In years to come, those lucky enough to have seen James Ryan in Under 20s action will say ‘I told you so’

This lad is something else.

On their own, James Ryan and Peter Claffey have heaps of potential. Together, that potential is frightening. This was far from a vintage outing from the Electric Ireland Under-20s. They were in trouble at half-time but did just about enough, in 25 minutes after the break, to secure at 19-13 win. Leinster and Connacht combining to bring some brute force, athleticism and menace to the Irish second row. The latest to feel every ounce of their sheer commitment were the Italians. Ryan has already garnered headlines with a string of outstanding performances and crucial scores. This evening in Donnybrook, he was at it again. It is very early days in his career but the Lansdowne lock has so many satisfying similarities with Paul O'Connell. He motors around the pitch with bristling intent and constantly makes metres on his carries. When his team needed him, in the final 10 minutes, he delivered. Italy were nailed on to grab a try and the only question seemed to be whether or not they would do it close enough to the posts to make the conversion a match-winning formality. Pettinelli, Broglia, Zanon. They all came close but Ryan intervened with a huge tackle, mere inches from his line. What was needed next was a teammate to step up and make that hit count. There was Claffey. A crunching reminder that Ireland were not having it. Sure enough, Italy spilled forward on the next play. The ball was hoofed forward and out for an Italian lineout. Wary of a quick throw, two green shirts sucked deep and ran to form their line. Claffey and Ryan. These lads are something else. Sponsored by Electric Ireland