Ireland earned their first victory over New Zealand to move to the top of Pool A ©World Rugby

Ireland recorded their first ever victory over New Zealand to close in on a place in the semi-finals of the World Rugby Under-20 Championship tournament in Manchester.

The All Blacks are seeking their second consecutive crown and fifth title in the history of the competition, but found themselves trailing 20-14 at half-time, after Adam McBurney and Greg Jones went over for tries for Ireland.

With 10 minutes of the match remaining, the Kiwis remained within a try of breaking Irish hearts but Max Deegan ensured an Irish victory by scoring their third of the match to wrap up a 33-24 triumph.

"It's the stuff of dreams, the moments you dream about in games where you have to score, you need to score, and to do that is honestly unbelievable,” Deegan said.

“I can't put it into words what it means, luckily enough I was able to pick up and went over.”

The result saw Ireland move to the top of the Pool A, having also won their opening match of the tournament against Six Nations winners Wales.

Wales earned their first win of the tournament after they battled past a strong Georgian team by a 10-9 scoreline.

The Australian team temporarily moved to the top of the Pool B standings after they overcame a bright start by Italy to eventually cruise to a 38-10 victory.

Australia closed on a semi-final place by defeating Italy
Australia closed on a semi-final place by defeating Italy ©World Rugby

England reoccupied top spot in the Pool, after they recorded a 44-0 win over Scotland.

Following an opening day loss to Argentina, France were able to reignite their challenge in Pool C by recording a 46-14 win over Japan.

Argentina battled to a 19-13 victory over South Africa in a top of the table clash to move to the brink of the semi-finals.