Saturday 20 October 2001

Ireland 20 England 14

Ireland blew England's chances of a Grand Slam with a 20-14 win in Dublin, as the desperate English once again fell at the last hurdle.

Going into the game without even a chance by the bookies, Ireland surged into the lead with a Keith Wood try in the first-half and never looked back, David Humphreys striking three penalties and replacement Ronan O'Gara adding another two as a Martin Johnson-less England failed to show any leadership or cohesion in the heat of battle.

Sole try-scorer for England was replacement wing Austin Healey, but even his 75th minute try could not rescue what was one of the worst England performances in recent memory, and one which brought their run of 11 consecutive wins crashing down in front of their very eyes, in a manner all too familiar in recent years.

The fallout from this game will take time to set in, with even the Sunday morning Dublin hangovers failing to mask the fact that even without captain Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio, England -- on paper -- should have had enough in the locker to put away their opponents.

Man for man, Ireland showed more desire, heart and importantly composure, and the amount of good ball kicked away by England to an eager Ireland will undoubtedly see Clive Woodward's gospel of "Total Rugby" brought down from the shelf and dusted off as the Irish party gets underway.

England still claim the Six Nations title, which was a mere mathematical formality after Ireland's bad day at the office against Scotland, but had the Irish not drawn a blank on that afternoon, they would have been the deserved holders of a memorable Grand Slam.

It was a surprisingly disjointed England which took the field, sloppy handling and too many wasted punts besetting a first half which saw them gain the early lead through a Wilkinson penalty after Humphreys had missed one from wide out on the right for the home side.

England hooker Phil Greening tried to emulate his bald-headed opposite number Keith Wood with a break and a chip down the right wing, but the most effective run of the half was that by the male streaker on 40 minutes, who ran the length of the field unopposed, beating the stewards for pace and power before being ejected from Lansdowne Road.

The stadium volume went up considerably after 16 minutes when Ireland spurned the chance of three easy points from a penalty, bravely electing instead to go for a lineout in the right corner of the England 22.

A superb high take saw hooker Keith Wood peel away to the back of the lineout and take the ball on the burst on an arcing course.  His momentum was too much for the England back-row from five metres, and his barging run saw the Harlequins man wriggle over to plant the ball on the whitewash for the try, Humphreys missing the conversion from right of the posts.

Jason Robinson showed the only real glimpse of spark for England with a rare break from his own 22, sprinting and jinking all the way to the centre spot before being hauled down.  The England support -- as was the general case in the half-failed to maximise the energy of their three-quarters as the attack petered out.

Ulsterman Humphreys -- despite his perfect kicking record against Wales last week -- proceeded to miss the third of his four attempts at goal from a penalty as England captain Matt Dawson bode farewell to the game after injury before the break.

His replacement was not however the lively Leicester scrum-half Austin Healey, rather Saracens' No.9 Kyran Bracken, a conservative choice by England as they stuttered into half-time only 11-6 down after a further penalty each from Humphreys and Wilkinson.

One penalty apiece for Humphreys and Wilkinson kept the home side's five point advantage, but England looked like snatching that lead back when wing Dan Luger started a run from halfway.

The Harlequins wing outstripped scrum-half Peter Stringer before powering through the tackle of fullback Girvan Dempsey, and with the after-burners turned on and the tryline beckoning, Stringer somehow stretched out and ankle-tapped the explosive Luger for what would have been a certain try.

With fly-half Humphreys leaving the pitch through injury on 60 minutes, Ronan O'Gara's first act was the prospect of a 35-metre penalty to extend their lead to 17-9.  He held his nerve and with England continuing to drop the ball in vital areas, yet another Grand Slam capitulation seemed inevitable -- even with 20 minutes left.

O'Gara again held his nerve as Ireland struck a penalty from the right touchline to take an even bigger lead, but the England attack finally reared its head with five minutes to go near the Irish line.

Left out of the starting line up, it was Leicester's Austin Healey who gave the English a fighting chance as he dived in the right corner on a diagonal short run from a Wilkinson pass, but with the Newcastle fly-half failing to strike the tricky conversion wide from the touchline, the six point gap looked too big to bridge.

The tension mounted as injury-time deepened and England pressed near the Irish line, but even sparks from Jason Robinson and Dorian West were rendered irrelevant as Austin Healey knocked on in the 22 -- the last effective passage of play for Clive Woodward's side.

After the final whistle had sounded to a rousing Dublin crowd, the sight of the dejected England team trudging across the stage on the centre spot to collect their Six Nations winners' medals was a surreal one, and summed up the frustrations of a way-below-par performance from virtually every single player in the white shirt.

Credit to Ireland, their grit and desire put shame on a mis-firing England, whose endless wasted possession ruined what -- in theory -- should have been a historic afternoon for England.

Instead, their Grand Slam wagon once again lies wrecked by the side of the road, as Ireland deservedly emerged victorious.

Man of the match:  Keith Wood.  Candidates from the England team were virtually non-existent, with Jason Robinson not putting too many feet wrong on the wing, but being starved of sufficient ball to make an impact.  Austin Healey looked lively on the wing, but his brief cameo as a replacement was blotted by a decisive knock-on deep into injury-time which could have theoretically cost England a score.  David Humphreys in the Ireland No.10 shirt solidified the Irish attack, although his missed kicks mean Wood gets our vote for the award, with Girvan Dempsey and Denis Hickie also well worth a mention after their efforts in the backs.

Moment of the match:  Stringer's ankle-tap on Luger.  A fleeting run from England wing Dan Luger in the Ireland half saw him sail through the tackle of Girvan Dempsey, and with a seemingly clean run into the tryline, it was Stringer whose outstretched palm clipped the heels of the Harlequin, sending him crashing to the floor, and keeping Ireland in the lead.  Stringer's tackle gets our vote not just for the drama, but for the importance.  Coming as it did at 14-9 to Ireland, Stringer effectively nipped English momentum in the bud, and went a long way to dampening their spirits.

Villain of the match:  The England team.  England failed to show up at Lansdowne Road -- the England who have recorded 11 consecutive Test match wins anyway.  To single one player out may seem harsh, not because there were no poor performers, but because as a collective unit, they failed to function.  Bad decisions, poor execution and handling errors in crucial areas meant that defeat was fully justified.  Of course they could have conceivably won the game, but it would have been a Grand Slam they did not deserve based on this 80 minute showing -- however good the previous 320 minutes may have been.

The Teams:

Ireland:  1 Peter Clohessy, 2 Keith Wood (c), 3 John Hayes, 4 Mick Galwey, 5 Malcolm O'Kelly, 6 Eric Miller, 7 David Wallace, 8 Anthony Foley, 9 Peter Stringer, 10 David Humphreys, 11 Denis Hickie, 12 Brian O'Driscoll, 13 Kevin Maggs, 14 Shane Horgan, 15 Girvan Dempsey
Reserves:  Kieron Dawson, Mike Mullins, Trevor Brennan, Emmet Byrne, Ronan O'Gara
Unused:  Guy Easterby, Frankie Sheahan

England:  1 Jason Leonard, 2 Phil Greening, 3 Julian White, 4 Danny Grewcock, 5 Simon Shaw, 6 Neil Back, 7 Martin Corry, 8 Richard Hill, 9 Matt Dawson (c), 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 11 Dan Luger, 12 Mike Catt, 13 Will Greenwood, 14 Jason Robinson, 15 Iain Balshaw
Reserves:  Kyran Bracken, Austin Healey, Graham Rowntree, Dorian West, Lewis Moody
Unused:  Matt Perry, Steve Borthwick

Referee:  Honiss p.

Points Scorers:

Ireland
Tries:  Wood K.G.M. 1
Pen K.:  Humphreys D.G. 3, O'Gara R.J.R. 2

England
Tries:  Healey A.S. 1
Pen K.:  Wilkinson J.P. 3

Saturday 13 October 2001

Wales 6 Ireland 36

Three tries in the last seven minutes saw Ireland surge to a record 36-6 win over Wales in the 2001 Lloyds TSB Six Nations Championship, with recalled fly-half David Humphreys producing a man-of-the-match performance at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.

Ulster fly-half Humphreys did not miss a single kick all day as he struck five penalties and two conversions, after a spectacular late rally which saw tries by Leinster trio Denis Hickie, Brian O'Driscoll and Shane Horgan.

Ireland led 15-6 with seven minutes of normal time left on the clock, after a scrappy game which looked like ending without a try being scored due to a litany of handling errors and incohesion from both sides.

The 30-point winning margin tops Ireland's previous record -- a 19-3 win over Wales in Belfast in 1925 -- as Wales' unenviable home run against the Irish continued, their last Cardiff triumph over the men in green coming way back in 1983.

The magnitude of the score flattered Ireland somewhat, but anything other than a win for the visitors would have been unthinkable, despite glimpses of promise for Wales through lively fullback Kevin Morgan and Neath wing Shane Williams -- both never given sufficient room to fully show their explosive pace.

A try-less first half could have realistically seen four touchdowns as twice Ireland were denied by the video referee, and attacks by both sides seeing players bundled into the corner flag as the tryline beckoned.

Instead, it was the kicking of Humphreys which dominated the opening 40, the first of the Ulsterman's five first half penalties coming after only two minutes, with Ireland surging forward early on.

David Wallace and Eric Miller made serious headway in the back row, Wallace breaching the Welsh defence for a 60 metre run early on, the lack of support preventing what could have eventually resulted in a try as Wales missed tackle after tackle.

A further penalty for Humphreys, swiftly followed by Wales' first points from a Jones penalty, brought the score to 6-3 in Ireland's favour, before another three for the influential Humphreys pulled Ireland away from the mis-firing home side, who for all their enterprise and intent, failed to consistently hold onto their good ball when it mattered.

Swansea fullback Kevin Morgan came closest to scoring for Wales in the first half when he combined with Shane Williams down the left wing.  With Neath speedster Williams inside him, Morgan chose to go for the corner himself, the retreating Denis Hickie bundling him into the corner flag for what would have been a certain try had the ball been swiftly moved.

Ireland themselves blew an even easier scoring chance when Shane Horgan chose to go himself from ten metres away, after quick ball was received by the Irish three-quarters.  With Brian O'Driscoll and Girvan Dempsey on a two-man overlap outside him, the big wing was hardly the toast of the team after Shane Williams held him up magnificently over the line -- forcing the video referee to give a five metre scrum.

The drama did not stop there though as injury-time approached, Mick Galwey driving over the line from the ensuing scrum, with the video ref again turning down the try as the pile of bodies seemingly prevented the recalled Munsterman from downing the ball.

Ireland upped the tempo in injury-time and Denis Hickie went close to scoring when he attempted to dive in the left corner just before the half-time whistle, but the attentions of Dafydd James and Kevin Morgan sent the Leinster wing into the flag as Ireland went into the interval at 15 -- 3 up, and very much in the driving seat.

An early second half penalty for Jones saw Wales get back into the game, but when Ireland were awarded a penalty under the Welsh posts on the 50 minute mark, skipper Keith Wood chose instead to go for the lineout in the corner.  The three points went begging as Ireland infringed in the line, and Wales nicked possession back.

Both sides lost cohesion as the second half went on, the game petering out as handling errors and offsides forced referee Kaplan's whistle to ring loudly over a subdued Millennium Stadium.

Jones bludgeoned a heavily-struck elementary penalty wide of the posts as Wales as they searched for an avenue back into the game, but with consistent forward momentum at a premium, a scrappy midfield battle was the end result, with Humphreys persistently pinning Wales back in their own half with a string of punishing long-distance punts.

Ireland pressed under the Welsh posts, and after driving to within a yard of the line they worked the ball back to the base of the ruck.  With no scrum-half though it was Stephen Jones who pounced on the loose ball for Wales.

The try eventually came on 73 minutes though, and it was wing Denis Hickie who outpaced replacement back-row Gavin Thomas, from a move which saw Humphreys combine with Hickie in midfield to produce the space for the try.

It was Keith Wood and Malcolm O'Kelly who spun the ball wide from the ruck, and Thomas was no match for Hickie who dived into the left corner for the score, converted by Humphreys.

Ireland ensured a record win over Wales when Lions centre Brian O'Driscoll chipped and chased, racing past veteran Allan Bateman on the right wing from the 22.  O'Driscoll had an easy run-in after the kick bounced favourably, with Humphreys completing his perfect afternoon by nailing the conversion from the touchline before being replaced late on by Ronan O'Gara.

The scoring wasn't finished there though, as Shane Horgan grabbed an injury-time try in the right corner, after quick ruck ball from Peter Stringer saw Kevin Maggs do the basics and ship the ball wide for Horgan to dive over, O'Gara striking the conversion just inside the left upright for a morale-boosting triumph.

The scoreline flattered them -- of that there is no doubt -- but a disjointed and frustrating showing from Wales will not go a long way to easing discontent in some quarters over the state of the national side, with Ireland setting up what promises to be a red-hot afternoon at Lansdowne Road next Saturday when they face Grand Slam hopefuls England.

Man of the match:  David Humphreys.  Ronan O'Gara's kicking deficiencies paved the way for Humphreys to again strut his stuff on the international stage, and his 100 per cent kicking record shows that the Ulsterman's return was more than justified.  Humphreys consistently kept Wales on the back foot with his raking punts deep into Welsh territory, and his generally solid handling showed he can marshall a midfield with excellence under pressure.

Moment of the match:  Denis Hickie's try.  Okay, so it was an overlap try, and a wing like Hickie should always beat a forward one-on-one, but this score ignited what had until then been a pretty turgid affair, and injected a bit of life into a largely dormant second-half backline.

Villain of the match:  Shane Horgan.  Definitely harsh to use the label "villain" for Horgan after a game which did not see a single punch thrown in anger or even a handbag raised from either side.  Horgan's blatant waste of a two-man overlap in the first half prevented a certain try out on the right wing in the first half, and with no other candidates for the award, Horgan is the unfortunate recipient of the honour -- despite his late try.

The Teams:

Wales:  1 Iestyn Thomas, 2 Robin McBryde, 3 Dai Young (c), 4 Andrew Moore, 5 Chris Wyatt, 6 Colin Charvis, 7 Brett Sinkinson, 8 Geraint Lewis, 9 Rob Howley, 10 Stephen Jones, 11 Shane Williams, 12 Allan Bateman, 13 Leigh Davies, 14 Dafydd James, 15 Kevin Morgan
Reserves:  Gavin Thomas, Rhys Williams, Chris Anthony, Craig Quinnell, Barry Williams
Unused:  Gavin Henson, Dwayne Peel

Ireland:  1 Peter Clohessy, 2 Keith Wood (c), 3 John Hayes, 4 Mick Galwey, 5 Malcolm O'Kelly, 6 Eric Miller, 7 David Wallace, 8 Anthony Foley, 9 Peter Stringer, 10 David Humphreys, 11 Denis Hickie, 12 Brian O'Driscoll, 13 Kevin Maggs, 14 Shane Horgan, 15 Girvan Dempsey
Reserves:  Kieron Dawson, Guy Easterby, Mike Mullins, Trevor Brennan, Emmet Byrne, Ronan O'Gara, Frankie Sheahan

Referee:  Kaplan j.

Points Scorers:

Wales
Pen K.:  Jones S.M. 2

Ireland
Tries:  Hickie D.A. 1, Horgan S.P. 1, O'Driscoll B.G. 1
Conv:  Humphreys D.G. 3
Pen K.:  Humphreys D.G. 5