IF YOU’RE LOOKING for a little excitement in your rugby life, you could do a lot worse than taking a trip to Donnybrook tomorrow evening.
Dardis has been excellent for Ireland U20s so far this year. Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO
Nigel Carolan’s Ireland U20s host England in the third round of the Six Nations [KO 19.05] and judging by their performances so far, we’re in for more entertaining, skillful and incisive rugby.
Ireland come into the game off the back of wins over Italy and France, with 11 tries scored across the two games. Fullback Billy Dardis has dotted down twice already, and impressed with his footwork, reading of the game and pace.
“Yeah, we’ve had two very good wins,” says Dardis. “The French game was a great win for us at home and the Italian game was just about adapting to the horrendous conditions.
“The French game, we just came together well and things started clicking. We worked as hard as we could for the win and it was a good result. The crowd seemed to enjoy it as well.”
Indeed, that 37-20 victory underlined the potential of his Irish group, although England recorded a nine-try win over Italy the same day. It means tomorrow night’s fixture is almost certain to be the toughest assignment yet for Dardis and his teammates.
“They had it up front, they had it out wide. It was the Welsh game that maybe we could pick out little things that we can seize on for opportunities and threats.
“They’ve got a great pack and up front, great props who scrummage and carry well. Out wide, they have two wingers in [George] Perkins and [Howard] Packman who are really dangerous.”
Dardis himself is likely to have been pinpointed by the English set-up as a key Irish threat, given his daring with ball in hand, strong decision making and ability to beat defenders in limited space.
Dardis dots down against the French two weekends ago. Source: James Crombie/INPHO
The Naas man excelled for Newbridge College and then Terenure during his school days, the decision to move to the latter partly motivated by rugby. Dardis credits coaches like Des Thornton as essential to his growth as a player in those younger years.
The Leinster academy flyer also played Gaelic football right up until his fourth year of secondary school, before an increasingly intense rugby schedule called for specialisation.
“Even today I love it,” says Dardis, “Gaelic is an incredible sport. It helps with kicking the ball, catching the ball, everything.”
The open spaces of the Gaelic pitches have also helped with that impressive footwork Dardis possesses, although he also credits his ambitious coaches in that regard: “In Terenure we would have always been given the license to play.”
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Dardis is currently combining his rugby with a degree in Health and Performance Science at UCD, dual demands he admits can be tiring. The fullback is still based out of Naas, taking the short spin up the N7 to Dublin each day, so home comforts help.