Good afternoon and welcome to this afternoon’s Junior World Championship liveblog. The Ireland U20s need a minor miracle to progress from Pool B to the semi-finals but we’re coming along for the ride anyway.

Kick-off in Cape Town is at 13.45. The teams are on the pitch and the national anthems are just being played.

Italy: David Odiete; Alex Morsellino, Giovanni Benvenuti, Andrea Bettin, Filippo Guarducci; Edoardo Padovani, Guido Calabrese; Giovanni Maistri (c), Giovanni Scalvi, Leonardo Bortoletti; Marco Bellucci, Alfio Luca Mammana; Ruben Riccioli, Zanini Guglielmo, Vittorio Marazzi.

Ireland: Mikey Sherlock; Conor Finn, Peter Nelson, Chris Farrell, Sam Coghlan-Murray; Jack Carty, Luke McGrath; Des Merry, James Rael, Peter Reilly; Alan O’Connor, Iain Henderson; Aaron Conneely, Josh Van Der Flier, Jack Conan (c).

We’re off and running.

TRY! Ireland 7-0 Italy (Nelson, 1′) What a start by Ireland as outside centre Peter Nelson waltzes over the line before there’s even a full minute on the clock. Woeful defending by the Italians and if they keep that up, it won’t be long before Ireland have their bonus point. Jack Carty converts.

TRY! Ireland 14-0 Italy (Farrell, 5′) We haven’t even got five minutes on the clock and Ireland are already two tries to the good. Nelson is involved again, hacking a loose ball forward to his midfield partner Chris Farrell and he cruises in unopposed. Carty adds two more.

TRY! Ireland 21-0 Italy (Connelly, 7′) These tries are coming faster than I can type. Number three is a gift from the Italians as full back David Odiete fumbles under a high ball and Aaron Conneely reacts quickest strolling in to dot down another. Carty converts.

TRY! Ireland 21-7 Italy (Padovani, 12′) After that gift from the Italians, Ireland give them one straight back. A telegraphed pass in midfield is intercepted and fly-half Edoardo Padovani runs three-quarters of the length of the pitch to touch down in the corner. He hasn’t left himself the easiest angle but he still manages to convert.

TRY! Ireland 21-12 Italy (Calabrese, 15′) Oh dear, an awful mistake by Sam Coghlan-Murray lets the Italians in again. The winger was racing back to collect a bobbling ball close to his line but somehow managed to fumble it through his legs. Italian scrum-half Guido Calabrese is standing right behind him and he gratefully accepts, crashing over the line. Padovani’s conversion is just short so Ireland lead by nine.

PENALTY! Ireland 24-12 Italy (Carty, 19′) The Italians are pinged for offside at the breakdown and Jack Carty adds another three with a sweet strike from just to the left of the posts.

What a mental opening quarter, it has been impossible to stay on top of everything. Five tries so far and the promise of more to come if both sides continue with this woeful defending. It’s all just a little bit sloppy and Ireland are winning by virtue of the fact that they’ve made slightly fewer horrendous mistakes.

MISSED PENALTY! The scrum goes down on Peter Reilly’s side which gives Padovani a kick at goal but it drops just short. The out-half kicks his next penalty to the corner which shows Italy’s intent — they may have staggered out of the blocks but they’re definitely in this game.

Italy are putting Ireland under plenty of pressure at the scrum, driving them back towards the five-metre line but Ireland survive without conceding again.

Strong running by Iain Henderson sets Sam Coghlan-Murray scampering free down the right touchline with Peter Nelson in support. It looks like a gimme try but Coghlan-Murray’s pass is just a little bit off and the Italian defenders have time to bundle Nelson up.

Sam Coghlan-Murray took a bit of a clatter during that last passage of play and he’s gone off to be replaced by Stuart Olding.

Italy have a chance to finish the half in Irish territory after Des Merry is penalised for coming in from the side at the breakdown, but Bettin’s pass is knocked on by Morsellino and that should see us through to the break.

HALF TIME: Ireland 24-12 Italy

Our referee Angus Gardner from Australia signals for half-time. Three tries for Ireland but they still need one more for that vital bonus point that would keep their slim hopes of a place in the semi-finals alive.

Before I nip out to grab a sandwich, a quick reminder of what Ireland need to qualify for the semi-finals. A bonus-point win this afternoon would leave them on top of Pool B with 10 points. They would then need South Africa to beat England, but neither side to get a bonus point, to stay on top this evening.

Either way, they’ll have at least two more knockout games as there’s a series of playoffs for fifth, sixth, seventh… all the way down to the end.

England v South Africa is at 17.45 this evening, so if Ireland do get that fourth try and a bonus-point win, it’ll be one to keep an eye on.

Usain Bolt couldn’t have got to the local Centra and back quicker than I just did. In Cape Town, they’re back underway.

Just the one change to report for Ireland at half-time: Tadhg Furlong on to replace Peter Reilly at tighthead.

Conor Finn is penalised for not rolling away in the tackle and again, Italy kick to touch. It’s wasted though as Scalvi’s lineout is crooked.

Ireland hammering through the phases five yards out…

TRY! Ireland 29-12 Italy (Rael, 51′) There it is! Ireland have their fourth try and that valuable bonus point. In the 10th phase, Luke McGrath fires the ball out through his backs to the openside. Peter Nelson is the man hugging the wing and the try is mainly his creation, stepping back inside three Italian defenders before finding James Rael on his shoulder. There’s still work to do for the prop but he powers through the defenders to score. Slight hint of a forward pass there but the try stands. Carty drags his conversion left and wide.

TRY! Ireland 36-12 Italy (McGrath, 53′) A wonderful piece of individual skill by scrum-half Luke McGrath and Ireland have their fifth try. He picks the ball off the back of a scrum and darts free down the blindside, pulling off an inch-perfect chip over Guarducci’s head and then stepping back inside the despairing tackle of David Odiete, the Italian full-back. Brilliant stuff and Carty adds two more to stretch Ireland’s lead to 24.

There have been a few more Irish changes. Flier, Merry and Farrell all off; Beirne, Cawley and Marsh on in their place.

TRY! Ireland 41-12 Italy (Nelson, 64′) Brilliant stuff again from Peter Nelson who is really enjoying his afternoon in the number 13 shirt. He draws David Odiete with two dummies and then goes over himself for his second try. He’s looked very dangerous on the ball this afternoon, scoring two and directly creating the other two.

Ireland’s try hero heads off with just over 10 minutes to play — Peter Nelson off for Kieran Marmoin as Mike Ruddock continues to empty his bench.

Ireland make their final change as Niall Scannell comes on for Jack Rael at hooker.

No danger for Ireland here as the clock ticks towards the final two or three minutes. They haven’t always been convincing — particularly in the scrum and with a few sloppy handling mistakes — but they’ve been more than good enough this afternoon.

Ireland pile forward in search of one last try but it’s robbed at the breakdown. The clock’s into the red now…

FULL TIME: Ireland 41-12 Italy

So that’s that. Ireland top Pool B for now with 10 points but with England on nine and South Africa on six, they’ll need to wait to see how this evening’s final group game between England and South Africa pans out.

Ireland captain Jack Conan says that they’ve put themselves into “the best possible position” following that disappointing loss to England. Asked if South Africa can do a number on a good English side, he says that there’s every chance.

Some stats, if you’re that way inclined:

That’s all we’ve got. Thanks for stopping by, for the tweets and comments. See you soon.