Rugby Union: Thomas has the answer to critics

Ireland A 27 Wales A 42

SHOULD the Welsh selectors seek to promote a stand-off talent of unpredictable flair over stolid dependability, then Arwel Thomas delivered all the right messages in the Limerick sunshine yesterday.

Thomas, rejected by Kevin Bowring and co in favour of the dead-eye talents of Neil Jenkins, scored a delightful try and his consistent goal-kicking enabled Wales A overrun the Irish second-string.

The game at Thomond Park had shaped up to be a battle of discarded No 10s, with Bristol's Paul Burke captaining Ireland and Thomas dropping down to the shadow Welsh side. But that contest was ended prematurely when Burke was taken off on a stretcher in the 52nd minute with his left leg in a splint just as Wales were beginning to exercise complete control.

Until then Burke just edged it, converting a John McWeeney try after 32 seconds and scoring a 25th-minute try under the posts to sandwich an early exchange of penalties that left Ireland 17-6 ahead.

However, a canny line-out play from Wales on 28 minutes saw the jumper Gareth Llewellyn pass straight back to Robin McBride. Chris Wyatt collected on the overlap to touch down in the corner for their first try. Thomas missed the conversion but his penalty soon after brought the score to 17-14.

The interval saw Wales' replacement full-back David Wetherly quickly make his mark with two tries, both converted by Thomas to put Wales in front for the first time. Ireland's poor defending at the second of those tries marked the injury to Burke and with his withdrawal the Irish lost their momentum.

Thomas scored his try, which he converted, just after the hour when he out-thought Killian Keane and Gabriel Fulcher with dummies to score with ease.

The Welsh captain, Andy Moore, went over following a solo effort down the touchline to bring up 40 points for Wales and the Thomas conversion, his seventh successful kick out of nine, left Ireland foundering.

The home side had the final say, however, when their scrum-half Steve McIvor was set up by Justin Fitzpatrick to charge over the line for a try with nine minutes left and the conversion by Keane brought a level of respect to the score.

Bath's Iain Balshaw scored a 60-metre interception try to kill off Scottish hopes of a first ever victory over England at Under-21 level in Edinburgh yesterday as the visitors emerged 32-16 victors. Balshaw struck the decisive blow 11 minutes into the second-half after England had changed ends 16-7 adrift.

Tony Yapp's conversion put England ahead and his short-range drop goal on 63 minutes gave them breathing space as they executed a superb fightback. Balshaw, already part of Clive Woodward's senior England squad, added a second try during the closing stages, with Yapp converting and then claiming his second touchdown to give him an impressive 22-point haul.