And he passed one of his biggest tests to date on the international stage as he helped Wales to an enthralling 35-24 victory at Donnybrook to start their campaign in the best possible way.
"That first scrum was a real game changer. We expected the first ten minutes to be a dog fight and the Irish certainly didn't let us down," said Phillips.
"They made it really difficult for us and it was a good performance from us in the end to turn things around."
Phillips was not the only Welsh GUINNESS PRO12 prospect to impress, with Dafydd Hughes, Dan Jones (Scarlets), Adam Beard (Ospreys) and Harri Millard (Cardiff Blues) getting the tries in a superb team performance.
"I was really please with the result and with large parts of the performance. The good thing is that we will only get better from here," said Wales Under-20s coach Jason Strange.
"The scrum was strong, the players worked hard for each other and the team spirit and commitment were superb. The senior players really kept their composure when the pressure was on and we didn't panic."
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