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
No comments:
Post a Comment