Out of sorts Ireland fight back against improving Wallabies to celebrate Cian Healy feat with a win

Ireland fought back from 10-0 down to overcome an improving Wallabies 22-19 in a tense Autumn Nations Series meeting at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.

Tries from Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris and Gus McCarthy along with the extras off the tee from Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley saw the Irish to a workmanlike victory.

Australia will look back on this match as one they perhaps should have won, with their only try coming from Max Jorgensen as Noah Lolesio kicked 14 points in the fixture.

It was a first period somewhat lacking in entertainment as Australia went into the break deservedly leading 13-5 thanks to a try from young Jorgenson and Lolesio’s boot.

Ireland did start strongly though and almost opened the scoring but for full-back Hugo Keenan having the ball stripped from his grasp just five metres from the try-line.

The Wallabies compounded the spillage by slotting a penalty on nine minutes, this after Ireland lock Joe McCarthy had made head contact with Australia’s Rob Valetini.

Australia had their tails up at this point and would cross the whitewash on 19 minutes, with an in-form Lolesio instrumental in Jorgenson diving over on the left wing.

Lolesio’s excellent touchline extras took Australia into a 10-0 lead but Van der Flier’s short-range carry soon brought Ireland back into it at 10-5.  However, the hosts would have expected Prendergast to add the conversion as a bad miss meant the Wallabies still had a nice cushion in their locker with just over a quarter of the match gone.

They extended the lead to eight on 33 minutes when prop Taniela Tupou’s interception and wayward offload resulted in a breakdown penalty which Lolesio coolly nailed.

It was perhaps symptomatic of Ireland’s first-half woes that the action finished with a misfiring lineout deep in Australia’s 22, with the latter trotting in feeling positive.

However, Ireland were much improved on their return and fly-half Prendergast chipped away at that lead on 43 minutes with a penalty from in front of the posts for 13-8.

Six minutes later they would hold the lead for the first time in the fixture when a kick to the corner led to quick ball and number eight Doris diving under the uprights.

That lead was snatched back by Australia though on 55 minutes when replacement Tom O’Toole was pinged for not releasing the ball carrier, meaning it was now 16-15.

Loleshio was on target once again on 63 minutes with a long-range effort as the Wallabies went 19-15 up and were looking in a positive space ahead of the game’s finale.

However, the bench saved Andy Farrell’s men as the injection of speedy service from Craig Casey coupled with a maul try from the promising McCarthy sealed the victory.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Gus McCarthy, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Garry Ringrose

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Joseph Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Max Jorgensen, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 James Slipper
Replacements:  16 Billy Pollard, 17 Isaac Kailea, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Harry Potter

Referee:  Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant Referees:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
TMO:  Eric Gauzins (France)

Ireland run in eight tries to hammer Fiji as Sam Prendergast and debutant impress

Ireland produced a clinical performance led by fly-half Sam Prendergast as they beat Fiji 52-17 in their Autumn Nations Series clash at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Tries from Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Craig Casey, Mack Hansen (2), Bundee Aki, Gus McCarthy and Ronan Kelleher saw them to a comfortable victory.

Prendergast, on his first Test start, hooker McCarthy and centre Aki impressed in a positive run-out for Andy Farrell’s youthful and much-changed starting XV.

Kitione Salawa and Setareki Turagacoke were Fiji’s try-scorers while Caleb Muntz kicked two conversions and a penalty as they suffered a heavy away defeat.

Ireland enjoyed a dominant opening period as they crossed for four tries that were all converted by Prendergast, who had an eventful first start in the jersey.

The fly-half was involved in plenty of his team’s success in the first half but might count himself rather fortunate to see his yellow card for a shoulder to the head of Fiji flanker Salawa on eight minutes remain that colour.  He certainly made the most of his reprieve as he returned in fine fettle as Ireland turned the screw.

Before his indiscretion Ireland had taken a 7-0 lead on five minutes when a kick to the corner led to a lineout move that saw debutant hooker McCarthy put the ball back inside to Doris who set the scoreboard in motion.  Prendergast added the extras before that contentious moment involving Salawa followed soon after.

Fiji came close to responding on 10 minutes through wing Jiuta Wainiqolo but his reach for the try-line out wide was just short and Ireland soon made them pay.

A tap and go seven metres out saw a slick interchange from the Ireland forwards before Doris found flanker Van der Flier, who crashed over for a converted score.

Fiji did manage to reduce the margin thanks to a long-range penalty from Muntz but a yellow card for Eroni Mawi soon after once again put them on the back foot.

Ireland were beginning to purr and despite being denied a try for Cormac Izuchukwu due to a forward pass, the hosts would cross twice more before the interval thanks to a diving finish on the right wing from Casey after a lineout maul before Prendergast’s cross-kick put it on a plate for Hansen in added time to make it 28-3.

It took Ireland seven minutes after the resumption to extend the lead and for the third time of the game hooker McCarthy was the provider, this time for Aki.

With Farrell’s charges sitting 35-3 to the good and plenty of time left there was a danger the match could get away from the Fijians but they refused to roll over.

In fact they were next to cross the whitewash when flanker Salawa scrambled his way over on 55 minutes, with Muntz’s conversion reducing the gap to 25 points.

The contest was becoming increasingly open as a try from the back of a driving maul from young hooker McCarthy was soon cancelled out by Turagacoke’s score.

But one always felt that Ireland were still very much on top and they were helped by Turagacoke’s yellow card before Casey put Hansen over for his second try.

There was still plenty of time for one final crossing and it came from replacement hooker Kelleher as Ireland put the seal on an emphatic win on home soil.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Craig Casey, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Cormac Izuchukwu, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Gus McCarthy, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Tom O’Toole, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Cian Prendergast, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Stuart McCloskey

Fiji:  15 Vuate Karawalevu, 14 Jiuta Wainiqolo, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu (c), 12 Josua Tuisova, 11 Ponipate Loganimasi, 10 Caleb Muntz, 9 Frank Lomani, 8 Elia Canakaivata, 7 Kitione Salawa, 6 Meli Derenalagai, 5 Temo Mayanavunua, 4 Mesake Vocevoce, 3 Luke Tagi, 2 Tevita Ikanivere, 1 Eroni Mawi
Replacements:  16 Sam Matavesi, 17 Haereiti Hetet, 18 Samu Tawake, 19 Setareki Turagacoke, 20 Albert Tuisue, 21 Peni Matawalu, 22 Vilimoni Botitu, 23 Sireli Maqala

Referee:  Hollie Davidson (SRU)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (RFU), Sam Grove-White (SRU)
TMO:  Mike Adamson (SRU)

Ireland unconvincingly edge Argentina to bounce back from All Blacks defeat claiming a hard-fought three-point victory

Ireland bounced back from their second home loss under Andy Farrell to defeat Argentina 22-19 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday evening.

Jack Crowley led the charge for the hosts in the Autumn Nations Series encounter scoring 12 points including a try, a drop goal and two conversions while Mack Hansen and man of the match Joe McCarthy also crossed the whitewash.

For Argentina, Tomas Albornoz continued his stunning form in 2024 nailing all five of his shots at goal ― four penalties and a conversion ― while Juan Cruz Mallia scored Los Pumas’ only try of the match.

After losing their opening November international to the All Blacks, Farrell’s charges bounced back with a hard-fought and unconvincing victory over the Pumas who produced an inspired performance.

Ireland looked to apply pressure early on after a charge down following the restart but Argentina forced a turnover and cantered upfield with Argentina winger Bautista Delguy beating several defenders before Matias Moroni crossed the whitewash.  However, the try was chalked off after Moroni was judged to have tackled fly-half Crowley high and was sent to the sin bin with his tackle also being reviewed.

Andy Farrell’s charges quickly pounced and made the most of the man advantage as they struck from the resulting lineout with Rónan Kelleher powering off the back of a slick lineout move and moments later it was Crowley who forced his way over for his first-ever Test try which he duly converted.

Ireland scored their second try in just six minutes when Garry Ringrose tore through the defence after a spilt ball and raced into the Argentina 22.  Jamison Gibson-Park whipped a wide pass to Tadhg Beirne who unselfishly passed in side to Hansen to score his first try of the year after making his return from injury against New Zealand a week ago.

Moroni breathed a sigh of relief as his yellow card was not upgraded to a red one by the Foul Play Review Officer as they judged that it was a low level of danger allowing the centre to return to the action with Argentina down 12-3 after Albornoz converted a penalty moments before he returned.

Ireland looked to have gone even further ahead as Robbie Henshaw manufactured a stunning try-scoring opportunity only for the ever-impressive Beirne to spill the ball over the line with Moroni again involved with the Irish forward losing his control of the ball on the centre’s upper body.

In a helter-skelter 16 minutes, it was Ireland’s turn to go down a man as tighthead prop Finlay Bealham was sent to the sidelines for a croc roll on his opposite number Joel Sclavi ― and Albornoz added another penalty ― with his card also remaining yellow after an off-field review.  Ireland’s response came through Crowley again as the pivot nailed a drop goal to cancel out Los Pumas’ penalty on 21 minutes.  Kelleher ran an obstruction line four minutes later, allowing Albornoz another shot at reducing the lead and he duly took it.

McCarthy barged over for Ireland’s third when they were back to 15 men as James Lowe snuck through the smallest of holes after a lineout and the second rower crashed over as Ireland went 22-9 up after 32 minutes.

Argentina applied the pressure in the final moments of the half twice coming close to scoring a late try but were denied once by the bounce of the ball and another time by Beirne holding up the ball carrier, a turnover with the clocking going red denied the visitors as Ireland held a 13 point advantage at the break.

Argentina come out firing

After the break, it was the Pumas who drew first blood as Mallia scathed through the initial defence before racing into the Ireland 22 and skinned Hansen with a superb step to score the South American side’s first try of the game and cut the lead to six points.  Ireland were put under the pump in the early knockings of the second half and McCarthy paid the price after he was caught offside and was sent to the bin.  From the resulting penalty, Albornoz made it a three-point game.

There was no change to the score line for the next 20 minutes, with both sides enjoying long passages of play with the ball in hand, particularly Ireland with Farrell’s men notably turning down a shot at goal in order to run a set move from a tap and go ― they set a rolling maul from the tap but Argentina stalled them and turned the ball over a few phases later.

Momentum looked to have swung in Los Pumas’ favour after that turnover and a later pilfer at a breakdown but that was undone by a horrid Francisco Gomez Kodela clearout that resulted in the replacement prop being yellow-carded.  While the prop was off for the remainder of the match, his actions were deemed not to warrant a red card.

Ireland again went on the offensive but were denied by another breakdown pilfer giving the Pumas another shot at a famous victory, but Contepomi’s charges came up short despite working their way deep into the host’s 22 but they were shut out as the clock went into the red.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Rob Herring, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Ryan Baird, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Sam Prendergast, 23 Jamie Osborne

Argentina:  15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Matias Moroni, 11 Bautista Delguy, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Joaquin Oviedo, 7 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Joel Sclavi, 2 Julián Montoya, 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements:  16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Ignacio Calles, 18 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Santiago Grondona, 21 Gonzalo Garcia, 22 Santiago Carreras, 23 Justo Piccardo

Referee:  Paul Williams (NZR)
Assistant Referees:  Craig Evans (WRU), Angus Mabey (NZR)
TMO:  Richard Kelly (NZR)

All Blacks put lacklustre Ireland to the sword to bring 19-game home winning streak to a swift end

A try from Will Jordan and 18 points from the boot of Damian McKenzie helped New Zealand defeat Ireland 23-13 in the Autumn Nations Series in Dublin on Friday.

The workmanlike result means it’s now back-to-back wins for the All Blacks over the Irish after their Rugby World Cup quarter-final victory in Paris last year.

Jordan scored New Zealand’s only try of the match while McKenzie dominated with the boot, landing six penalty goals as Scott Robertson’s team celebrated.

Ireland crossed through Josh van der Flier while Jack Crowley kicked a conversion and two penalties as their Autumn Nations Series starts with a dismal loss.

Indeed, Ireland were out of sorts in their first hit-out of the end-of-year campaign, with a high error and penalty count hampering their performance.

Much of the pre-game talk had centred on the spat between Rieko Ioane and Johnny Sexton following the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final.  It was therefore perhaps fitting that the centre led the haka and was the recipient of a chorus of boos when his name was read out.

Unfortunately the extra spice before kick off did not result in a Test match full of quality and entertainment as it was a cagey affair littered with mistakes and penalty offences.

Ireland took an early lead on seven minutes when an escort running line from soon-to-be Leinster centre Jordie Barrett was spotted by referee Nic Berry and Crowley made no mistake off the tee.

McKenzie would level soon after though as a break from scrum-half Cortez Ratima led to Ronan Kelleher infringing at the resulting ruck.

That would spark a period of dominance for the All Blacks but there was little to show for it on the scoreboard, with a crooked lineout in the Ireland 22 frustrating those in black.

McKenzie did eventually manage to put points on the board with penalties in the 28th and 37th minute, the latter coming after Ireland second-row James Ryan was pinged for not rolling away.

However, the hosts were given a shot in the arm just before the break when the aforementioned Barrett was yellow-carded for making contact with the head of the oncoming Garry Ringrose.  Crowley obliged off the tee to make it 9-6 to the All Blacks at half-time.

Ireland came out from the dressing room with their ears ringing and it showed as they pressed early on and were rewarded for their efforts when Van der Flier barged over from close range for a try converted by Crowley.

At 13-9 in front, the hosts were in a promising position but Asafo Aumua’s excellent work at the breakdown allowed McKenzie to step up and reduce the gap to one point, this despite having to put the ball back on the tee after it fell off.

The All Blacks fly-half struck the post soon after from long distance but made no mistake on the hour mark following a scrum offence, sending over the three points that put his side back in front at 15-13.

McKenzie was looking increasingly assured off the tee and made Iain Henderson pay on 64 minutes after the Ireland replacement offended at a breakdown.

But the best was still to come for the All Blacks as a slick passage of play saw the ball given plenty of width and eventually Aumua found Jordan for the key score on the left wing, wrapping up a famous victory that sees Ireland lose in Dublin for the first time in three-and-a-half years.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Rob Herring, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Jamie Osborne

All Blacks:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Mark Tele’a, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Replacements:  16 George Bell, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cam Roigard, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Stephen Perofeta

Referee:  Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant Referees:  Karl Dickson (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (Australia)

Ciaran Frawley drop goals stun Springboks as Ireland level series

Two late drop goals from replacement fly-half Ciaran Frawley helped Ireland claim a stunning 25-24 victory over the Springboks at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday.

It had looked like South Africa would secure a 24-22 win as the seconds ticked down, but up stepped Frawley with time up to send over his second drop goal of the evening.

Conor Murray scored the only try of the game while Jack Crowley kicked a conversion and four penalties as Ireland’s success levels the epic two-game series at one apiece.

Handre Pollard kicked all of the Springboks’ 24 points as they could not break the Irish try-line, with Frawley’s incredible late efforts silencing a packed Kings Park Stadium.

The extraordinary twist came at the end of an undisciplined second period from Ireland during which stand-in captain Caelan Doris was sin-binned.

Victory was just Ireland’s second on South African soil and even more impressive given they were without five of their first-choice stars after injured pair Dan Sheehan and Bundee Aki joined tour absentees Jamison Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen and Hugo Keenan on the list of unavailable talent.

Farrell dropped skipper Peter O’Mahony to the bench as part of four personnel changes from the opening Test and warned his players to expect South Africa to be “twice as good” as seven days ago.

The hosts stuck with an unchanged 23, including selecting the most experienced starting XV in the nation’s history, following a first success over the Irish since 2016.

Springboks full-back Willie le Roux was forced off by a head injury, while team-mates Franco Mostert and Eben Etzebeth were left with bloodied faces during an intense opening in which Crowley calmly slotted a penalty.

Ireland’s physical start was deservedly rewarded with a superb 14th-minute try.

Slick interplay between Jamie Osborne and Robbie Henshaw opened up the hosts’ defence, leaving scrum-half Murray to add to his score in Pretoria with another diving finish.

A bruising encounter showed little sign of relenting and Ireland prop Andrew Porter was left bloodied for the second successive week after Pollard’s penalty put South Africa on the scoreboard.

The impressive away side dominated the opening third of the match.

Yet they were reliant on alert full-back Osborne producing a crucial last-ditch tackle just metres from the try line to preserve their lead after Kwagga Smith charged down a Crowley kick to race clear.

Pollard and Crowley exchanged further penalties, while Doris was held up on the line by Pieter-Steph du Toit moments before the break.

The Six Nations champions should really have turned their territory into a second try but had to settle for the consolation of another three points from the boot of Crowley to end a fierce first half 10 points in front.

South Africa returned fired up and moved within four points following two more Pollard penalties, the second of which was converted after stand-in skipper Doris was yellow-carded for a crocodile roll on Malcolm Marx.

Poor discipline was piling pressure on Ireland and proved extremely costly during a monumental shift in momentum.

The Springboks led for the first time in the 58th minute following Pollard’s sixth penalty of the evening and then quickly restored the lead through two more kicks from the same player after Crowley’s boot briefly stemmed the one-way traffic.

Ireland remained in touching distance going into the closing stages and, after again being held up on the line, reduced the deficit to just two points thanks to Frawley’s fine drop goal from distance.

Andy Farrell’s men were on the verge of suffering a second successive loss for the first time since the 2021 Six Nations before Frawley repeated the trick in a fascinating climax to stun South Africa.

The teams

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Kwagga Smith, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements:  16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu

Ireland:  15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Rob Herring, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Ryan Baird, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Stuart McCloskey

Referee:  Karl Dickson (RFU)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (RFU), Craig Evans (WRU)
TMO:  Ian Tempest (RFU)

Springboks end Ireland hoodoo as Farrell’s men rue missed opportunities

The Springboks claimed their first victory over Ireland since 2016 as they overcame the Six Nations champions, winning 27-20 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.

Kurt-Lee Arendse crossed for an early try for South Africa before Cheslin Kolbe went over in the second period, with a 78th minute penalty try from a scrum sealing the win.

Ireland’s tries came via Jamie Osborne, Conor Murray and Ryan Baird, while James Lowe had a stunning long-range effort chalked off due to an earlier ruck offence.

The Irish will also rue Caelan Doris going agonisingly close to grounding from a close-range carry and Lowe’s error that led to Kolbe’s try as the Boks go 1-0 up in the series.

In worrying scenes, Ireland also saw scrum-half Craig Casey carried off on a stretcher after he hit his head on the pitch during a forceful tackle from RG Snyman.

Andy Farrell’s tourists were seeking a fourth-successive Irish victory over South Africa following a captivating pool-stage win at last year’s World Cup in France.

The Springboks recovered from that 13-8 Paris defeat to retain the Webb Ellis Cup, while forthright comments emanating from their camp since have further stoked a growing rivalry between Test rugby’s two leading sides.

Home supporters humorously fanned the flames by adapting the words of Ireland’s unofficial World Cup anthem ‘Zombie’, chanting “in your head, in your head, Rassie, Rassie” in reference to the frequent mind games of head coach Erasmus.

South Africa responded to the big build-up and made a rapid start as jet-heeled wing Arendse collected Siya Kolisi’s pass to sidestep Osborne and cross on the left.

Ireland travelled to the southern hemisphere having bounced back from a familiar World Cup quarter-final exit by retaining the Six Nations title.

Jack Crowley’s 13-minute penalty put the visitors on the scoreboard before Handre Pollard twice split the posts at the other end to move the Springboks 10 points ahead.

Farrell’s men were struggling to build momentum amid a low-energy first-half display.

Crowley missed a routine penalty to reduce the deficit before Lowe’s magnificent offload as he was ploughed into touch by a combination of Kolbe and Jesse Kriel, after a slick pass from Dan Sheehan gave international newcomer Osborne a simple score.

Ireland were perhaps fortunate to only trail 13-8 at the break.

Erasmus brought on all six of his replacement forwards 10 minutes into the second period in an attempt to remain on top of the physical battle, just before visiting prop Andrew Porter departed with a bloodied hand.

Following his fine first-half assist, Lowe looked to have restored parity by darting clear to touch down.

But referee Luke Pearce disallowed the 58th-minute effort on review as replacement hooker Kelleher was deemed to have played the ball on the floor during the turnover.

Ireland’s misfortune was compounded by the worrying departure of Casey, before Lowe, in his attempts to keep the ball from going into touch, left Kolbe with an unchallenged run to the try line.

The contest then burst into life during a frenetic finish during which the Springboks were reduced to 14 men when Arendse was sin binned following repeated infringements inside the hosts’ 22.

Murray ― on for the stricken Casey ― dived over to put Ireland back in touching distance but a penalty try for the Springboks, prior to Baird’s consolation, ultimately decided a breathless encounter.

The teams

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Kwagga Smith, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements:  16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu

Ireland:  15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Craig Casey, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O’Mahony (c), 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 James Ryan, 20 Ryan Baird, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Garry Ringrose

Referee:  Luke Pearce (RFU)
Assistant Referees:  Karl Dickson (RFU), Mike Adamson (SRU)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

Ireland seal back-to-back Six Nations titles after victory over Scotland

Ireland made it back-to-back Six Nations title triumphs after securing a hard-fought 17-13 victory over a rugged Scotland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.

Coming into the game on the back of a shock loss to England, the Irish regrouped and ground out the win thanks to tries from front-row duo Dan Sheehan and Andrew Porter.

Jack Crowley added seven points off the kicking tee against a steely Scotland side who while struggled with ball in hand, put in a formidable defensive showing on the road.

Scotland’s only try of the match came late on through Huw Jones, with Finn Russell kicking a conversion and two penalties as they finish with three defeats and two wins.

Andy Farrell’s hosts were well below their free-flowing best in Dublin but avoided any major ‘Super Saturday’ drama to retain the championship title.

Underdogs Scotland crossed the Irish Sea with a slender chance of snatching the title but realistically seeking to secure a first Triple Crown since 1990 following a chastening round-four loss to Italy.

Their mission to rip up the script began in positive fashion thanks to an early Russell penalty before Sheehan was gifted his fifth try of the tournament by George Turner’s overthrown lineout.

The fortunate 13th-minute score, converted by Crowley, did little to settle Irish nerves and the fired-up Scots kept up the pressure with another three points from Russell’s boot.

Farrell’s men were struggling to gain meaningful territory during a cagey opening period punctuated with errors and frequent kicking exchanges amid a subdued atmosphere.

Crowley squandered a long-range penalty to stretch the slender advantage as resolute Scotland remained relatively untroubled, while offering a threat on the counter attack.

Ireland, who had been forced to replace injured full-back Hugo Keenan with Jordan Larmour just before kick-off, trudged down the tunnel leading by only a single point and with major room for improvement.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend acknowledged pre-match that his side needed to produce “something special” to spoil the Irish party and bounce back from a dismal display in Rome.

Crowley made their uphill task slightly harder with a straightforward penalty before the visitors received a major reprieve when Tadhg Furlong’s apparent touch down was chalked off following a lengthy review as referee Matthew Carley deemed the ball had been dislodged.

Heroic last-ditch defending was the only thing preventing a rampant home side showing renewed purpose from fully taking control of the contest.

Scotland flanker Andy Christie superbly halted the weaving Calvin Nash with the try-line in touching distance before rusty Ireland replacement Garry Ringrose inexplicably fumbled.

Ringrose, making his first appearance of the tournament following a shoulder injury, atoned with a lung-busting intercept run which led to Ireland’s crucial second try.

Robbie Henshaw was adjudged to have been held up on the line in the immediate aftermath before Porter subsequently powered over from a tap-and-go penalty following a yellow card for Ewan Ashman.

Supporters responded with a rousing rendition of the Fields of Athenry, fully believing the job was done.

However, home fans were forced to endure a nervy final couple of minutes after replacement fly-half Harry Byrne was sin binned for a head-on-head challenge on Russell and Scotland centre Jones broke clear to touch down.

Ireland duly avoided any further issues to jubilantly celebrate a fifth Six Nations title in 11 years ― and sixth overall ― to underline their status as the northern hemisphere’s leading nation.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Jordan Larmour, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O’Mahony (c), 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Ryan Baird, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Harry Byrne, 23 Garry Ringrose

Scotland:  15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Kyle Steyn, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Stafford McDowall, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell (cc), 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge (cc), 6 Andy Christie, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Grant Gilchrist, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements:  16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Elliot Millar-Mills, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Matt Fagerson, 21 George Horne, 22 Cameron Redpath, 23 Kyle Rowe

Referee:  Matthew Carley (England)
Assistant Referees:  Karl Dickson (England), Christophe Ridley (England)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Marcus Smith drop-goal denies Ireland another Six Nations Grand Slam

A last-ditch drop-goal from replacement Marcus Smith saw an impressive England stun Ireland 23-22 in an absorbing Six Nations clash at Twickenham on Saturday.

The shock result denies the Irish a shot at back-to-back Grand Slams as they came off second best to a much-improved performance from the Red Rose in front of their fans.

Tries from Ollie Lawrence, George Furbank and Ben Earl were added to by a conversion apiece for George Ford and Smith before the latter landed that late drop-goal for the win.

The Achilles heel of failing to capitalise on visits to the 22 appeared to be harming England once again and their 8-6 lead was a poor return for half an hour of dominance that produced just a single try for Lawrence.

But they were inspired in the closing stages, soaking up James Lowe’s 72nd-minute try that appeared to have snatched the win for Ireland and then striking through Smith amid a late do-or-die assault.

England dazzled from the start and their first try had Furbank’s influence stamped all over it as he launched the counter-attack and then helped flash the ball to Lawrence, who finished in the left corner.

The early score developed into a full-scale onslaught as inspired England poured forward, directed by Ford and with Earl, Ollie Chessum and full debutant Immanuel Feyi-Waboso making telling contributions.

Bundee Aki made ground with every carry as Ireland’s main weapon but he was swimming against the tide as the white shirts pressed again and a second Lawrence try was ruled out because of a knock-on.

The crippling handling errors and turnovers that led to Scotland retaining the Calcutta Cup in round three had vanished, replaced by players running hard on to flat passes and punching holes in the visiting defence.

Yet for all the hosts’ dominance, successive Jack Crowley penalties meant they trailed 9-8 and as Ireland produced their first sustained attack the fly-half landed a fourth shot from the tee.

England were guilty of inviting pressure when Ford missed a routine penalty and Furbank took the ball into touch, but when their line were breached for the first time in the 44th minute it was because of their opponents’ killer instinct by exploiting Henry Slade’s positioning in the blitz defence to conjure a try for Lowe.

Furbank hit back quickly by racing over in the left corner after slick approach work from his team-mates and suddenly the pendulum swung again.

Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony was sent to the sin-bin for hands in the ruck and England seized their chance, battering away at the green wall through route one until Earl forced his way over.

Smith replaced Ford and Danny Care came on for his 100th cap but the Harlequins fly-half was unable to stop Lowe with his despairing late tackle attempt as Ireland crept back in front.

Elliot Daly missed with a long-range penalty attempt but there was still time for England to conjure the Six Nations win, Smith splitting the posts after his team had battered away at the whitewash.

😱 THE DRAMA!#GuinnessM6N @EnglandRugby pic.twitter.com/tdA5i2EPDl

― Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 9, 2024

The teams

England:  15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Ollie Chessum, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements:  16 Theo Dan, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Chandler Cunningham-South, 20 Alex Dombrandt, 21 Danny Care, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Elliot Daly

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O’Mahony (c), 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Ryan Baird, 21 Jack Conan, 22 Conor Murray, 23 Ciaran Frawley

Referee:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees:  Andrea Piardi (Italy), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

Ireland keep Grand Slam hopes on track after Six Nations win over Wales

Ireland kept their Grand Slam dreams on track after they overcame a dogged Wales outfit 31-7 in their Six Nations clash at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.

Tries from Dan Sheehan, James Lowe, Ciaran Frawley and Tadhg Beirne saw Andy Farrell’s charges to the five points, their third try bonus-point of this Championship.

Wales had a penalty try to show for their efforts as they suffer their third defeat of the campaign after narrowly going down to Scotland and England in previous rounds.

Ireland‘s ominous march towards another clean sweep continues next month against England and Scotland, while winless Wales host France in round four ahead of a possible wooden spoon shoot-out with Italy.

A largely inexperienced Wales team crossed the Irish Sea as overwhelming underdogs on the back of narrow defeats to the Scots and Steve Borthwick’s side.

Visiting head coach Warren Gatland insisted he travelled with belief rather than hope and urged his players to make “everything uncomfortable” for the fancied hosts.

Wales’ bid to disrupt began with some colossal defending as the home team’s early dominance was initially rewarded only by a long-range Jack Crowley penalty.

Yet Ireland’s well-oiled machine persisted with wave after wave of attack to break down the staunch resistance and take control of the scoreboard.

Hooker Sheehan powered over at the end of a line-out maul in the 21st minute to claim his fourth try of the tournament before Calvin Nash later teed up Lowe to touch down in the left corner.

Wales finally enjoyed some forays into Ireland’s 22 just before the break.

But Sam Costelow’s decision to kick a penalty to the corner failed to pay off, while a couple of costly fumbles ensured they went into half-time scoreless for a third match on the bounce, at 17-0 down.

Any potential fears Wales had of joining Italy in being nilled in Dublin were extinguished within three minutes of the restart as Tomos Williams’ quick tap penalty led to a momentum shift.

Italian referee Andrea Piardi awarded a penalty try at the end of a lengthy review of a collapsed maul on Ireland’s line, with Beirne sent to the sin bin for illegally changing his bind.

Fired-up Wales were well and truly in the ascendancy at that stage but failed to make further inroads on the scoreboard in Beirne’s absence before Ireland restored order.

After the bulldozing Bundee Aki was denied a try on review for Robbie Henshaw’s knock on, Frawley, deputising for the injured Hugo Keenan, gleefully dived under the posts to celebrate his first Test start in style.

Wales came close to a consolation score in the closing minutes, during which Ireland replacement James Ryan was sent to the sin bin.

Yet, with Beirne’s late finish compounding their misery, they ultimately slipped to a 10th defeat from their last 11 Six Nations fixtures as their wait for a first championship win in Dublin since 2012 goes on.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Ciaran Frawley, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O’Mahony (c), 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Oli Jager, 19 James Ryan, 20 Ryan Baird, 21 Jack Conan, 22 Conor Murray, 23 Stuart McCloskey

Wales:  15 Cameron Winnett, 14 Josh Adams, 13 George North, 12 Nick Tompkins, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Tommy Reffell, 6 Alex Mann, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Dafydd Jenkins (c), 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Elliot Dee, 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements:  16 Ryan Elias, 17 Corey Domachowski, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Will Rowlands, 20 Mackenzie Martin, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Ioan Lloyd, 23 Mason Grady

Referee:  Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant Referees:  Karl Dickson (England), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
TMO:  Eric Gauzins (France)

Clinical Ireland nil Italy as perfect start to Six Nations defence continues

Ireland made light work of Italy in their second game of this year’s Six Nations as they cruised to a dominant 36-0 six-try victory at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Sunday.

After their outstanding performance against France in Marseille last Friday, the Irish were looking to make it two wins from two and completed another maximum haul.

Tries from Jack Crowley, Dan Sheehan (2), Jack Conan, James Lowe and Calvin Nash saw Andy Farrell’s men go into the Six Nations fallow week with 10 points on the table.

For Italy is was a hugely disappointing day at the office as they could not land a blow on reigning champions Ireland, with this their second successive loss in the tournament.

Ireland’s display could certainly have been more ruthless but it was more than enough to beat the perennial wooden spoon winners and secure a 17th successive home win.

Farrell’s men remain on course to become the first side to win back-to-back Six Nations Grand Slams ahead of hosting Wales on February 24 and March appointments with England and Scotland.

Italy arrived at a sold-out Aviva Stadium as overwhelming underdogs and seeking a first championship success on Irish soil on the back of a positive performance in a three-point defeat to England.

Paolo Garbisi shanked an early penalty to give the Azzurri the lead, before Ireland scrum-half Craig Casey released provincial team-mate Crowley to gleefully register a landmark five points.

The seventh-minute score initially did little to settle the hosts amid a subdued Sunday afternoon atmosphere, which faded fast from eight-year-old Stevie Mulrooney performing a rousing rendition of Ireland’s Call.

Farrell’s starting XV, showing six personnel changes from Marseille, initially looked disjointed as the contest descended into a scrappy affair.

Energetic bursts from Hugo Keenan momentarily lifted the crowd and led to a second score in the 24th minute, with Crowley, Stuart McCloskey and Robbie Henshaw ultimately combining to tee up Sheehan.

Blasts of Zombie by the Cranberries ― the team’s World Cup anthem ― greeted each Ireland try and rang out again three minutes before the break when Conan bulldozed across the line after Joe McCarthy was held up.

Ireland had the bonus point in the bag within five minutes of the restart as hooker Sheehan, who also crossed against Les Bleus, claimed his second try of the afternoon.

Centre Henshaw was perhaps harshly denied a score due to an adjudged double movement before grounding.

But Ireland, who saw full-back Keenan limp off with an apparent leg issue, would not be denied for long.

Impressive Leinster wing Lowe added further gloss to the scoreboard with a powerful 62nd-minute finish, shortly after Italy centre Tommaso Menoncello was sent to the sin bin for illegally stopping him by sticking out a leg.

Following Garbisi’s wayward penalty, outclassed Italy offered little attacking threat and rarely entered the hosts’ 22.

Another fruitless trip to the Irish capital was compounded two minutes from time when Munster wing Nash collected Jamison Gibson-Park’s pass to score for the second week in a row, with replacement 10 Harry Byrne slotting the extras to add to two Crowley conversions.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Craig Casey, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Caelan Doris (c), 6 Ryan Baird, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Harry Byrne, 23 Jordan Larmour

Italy:  15 Ange Capuozzo, 14 Lorenzo Pani, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Stephen Varney, 8 Michele Lamaro (c), 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Alessandro Izekor, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Pietro Ceccarelli, 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Replacements:  16 Giacomo Nicotera, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Giosuè Zilocchi, Andrea Zambonin, 20 Ross Vintcent, 21 Martin Page-Relo, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Federico Mori

Referee:  Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees:  Mathieu Raynal (France), Luc Ramos (France)
TMO:  Eric Gauzins (France)

Ruthless Ireland make perfect start to Six Nations against 14-man France

Ireland put in an outstanding performance as they kicked off their Six Nations title defence with a clinical 38-17 bonus-point win over France in Marseille on Friday.

It was a ruthless effort from Andy Farrell’s men as they capitalised on Paul Willemse’s early yellow card and then eventual sending off to pick up a maximum on the road.

Ireland‘s tries came via Jamison Gibson-Park, Tadhg Beirne, Calvin Nash, Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher, with Jack Crowley kicking 13 points in a classy game at fly-half.

Damian Penaud and Paul Gabrillagues crossed in defeat for the French on a forgetful night at the Orange Velodrome as they went down to a disappointing Six Nations loss.

The two teams came into a blockbuster showdown seeking to ease disappointment at falling short in their efforts to lift the Webb Ellis Cup in the autumn and having each lost influential captains.

Antoine Dupont’s temporary unavailability, as he focuses on his country’s sevens squad for this year’s Paris Olympics, afforded a start to scrum-half Maxime Lucu, while Crowley was given a chance to stake his claim as long-term fly-half successor to the retired Johnny Sexton.

Farrell’s men began in the ascendancy and led through an early Crowley penalty before Willemse was ordered off for ploughing into prop Andrew Porter.

A relieved Willemse had just learnt his yellow card would not be upgraded to red on review when Gibson-Park latched on to a fine Bundee Aki offload to ensure Ireland capitalised on their temporary numerical advantage.

Three points from France full-back Thomas Ramos’ penalty briefly improved the mood in the stands before Beirne collected Crowley’s pass to easily beat Jonathan Danty and dive over under the posts at the end of sustained Irish pressure.

Willemse’s reprieve proved only to be fleeting as he was dismissed eight minutes before the break following another dangerous challenge, this time on Caelan Doris.

Ireland were in complete control but head coach Farrell would have been frustrated to only hold a 17-10 half-time lead after Penaud, who moments early was repelled by a superb Hugo Keenan tackle, produced a spectacular finish to Matthieu Jalibert’s pass.

𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐳 𝐋𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐮𝐬 🙌🇫🇷

What a response from @FranceRugby's Damian Penaud#GuinnessM6N #FRAIRE pic.twitter.com/v86eIKJvS7

― Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 2, 2024

The visitors set aside the setback to restore their 14-point advantage six minutes after the restart as Munster wing Nash marked his first Test start with a memorable maiden try after being freed by Doris.

Deprived of Dupont, France were largely rudderless in attack.

But Fabien Galthie’s side again cut the deficit when Gabrillagues’ score was awarded following a lengthy review, an incident compounded from an Irish perspective by new captain Peter O’Mahony being sin-binned for bringing down the maul.

Ireland once more earned breathing space 18 minutes from time when Sheehan peeled off a rolling maul to finish his own line-out.

The staggeringly-simple score secured a merited bonus point for the dominant visitors and proved to be the fatal blow to French resistance.

Yet there was more punishment to come for the ragged hosts as replacement hooker Kelleher bulldozed over to cap a fine Ireland performance and ramp up pressure on Les Bleus head coach Galthie.

The teams

France:  15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Yoram Moefana, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Maxime Lucu, 8 Gregory Alldritt (c), 7 Charles Ollivon, 6 Francois Cros, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Paul Gabrillagues, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Cyril Baille
Replacements:  16 Julien Marchand, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Dorian Aldegheri, 19 Posolo Tuilagi, 20 Paul Boudehent, 21 Cameron Woki, 22 Nolann Le Garrec, 23 Louis Bielle-Biarrey

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O’Mahony (c), 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 James Ryan, 20 Ryan Baird, 21 Jack Conan, 22 Conor Murray, 23 Ciaran Frawley

Referee:  Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

All Blacks knock out Ireland in thrilling Rugby World Cup quarter-final

New Zealand produced an incredible performance to beat Ireland 28-24 in a thrilling Rugby World Cup quarter-final at the Stade de France on Saturday.

It was a quite phenomenal game in Paris as the underdog All Blacks dug in to keep Ireland out in the closing stages after a breathtaking multi-phase attack.

Earlier, New Zealand tries from Leicester Fainga’anuku, Ardie Savea and Will Jordan were built on by Richie Mo’unga and Jordie Barrett’s extras off the tee.

Bundee Aki and Jamison Gibson-Park scored for Ireland and that was added to by a second-half penalty try, Johnny Sexton kicking seven points for his side.

A devastating defeat in Saint-Denis halted Ireland’s remarkable winning run at 17 matches, while signalling the end of the career of veteran captain Sexton.

Ireland came into a mouthwatering contest in the unfamiliar position of being marginal favourites.

Following a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of Friday’s school attack in the northern French city of Arras, Ireland’s raucous travelling fans drowned out the Haka with a rousing rendition of the Fields of Athenry.

Yet New Zealand shrugged off the hostility and a few nervy mistakes in the opening minutes to lead through early penalties from Mo’unga and Barrett.

Ireland had repelled 30 phases in the build up to the first of those kicks but, despite plenty of possession, were struggling to fully find their usual attacking fluidity.

Ian Foster’s men had no such issues and duly increased their lead when wing Fainga’anuku ― playing instead of Mark Telea, who was dropped for a disciplinary breach ― exchanged passes with Rieko Ioane to finish a flowing team move on the left.

Ireland were quickly staring down the barrel of another last-eight exit to add to seven previous ones.

A routine Sexton penalty eventually got them up and running on the scoreboard before Aki superbly evaded five failed tackles to touch down and significantly cut the deficit against the country of his birth.

However, as the tide threatened to turn, the All Blacks were not about to roll over.

With five minutes of the half remaining, Savea dived over on the right to shift the momentum of a helter-skelter encounter back in favour of the southern hemisphere side.

Resilience is a major facet of Farrell’s Ireland and they emerged from an intense opening period just a single point behind.

In the aftermath of Aaron Smith’s temporary departure due to a deliberate knock-on, Gibson-Park brilliantly wriggled over from a line-out maul and Sexton again added the extras to leave the contest tantalisingly poised.

New Zealand were doing a decent job of keeping Ireland at arm’s length.

They again stretched the scoreboard in the 54th minute when the impressive Mo’unga exploited a gap between Josh van der Flier and Dan Sheehan following a line-out to burst forward and send the jet-heeled Jordan darting for the right corner for a 25-17 advantage.

Ireland suffered another setback when Sexton skewed wide with a three-point attempt at the posts.  However, five minutes they were celebrating being awarded a penalty try as Codie Taylor collapsed a maul and was sin-binned.

The moment that sealed the win for the All Blacks! 🙌#RWC2023 #IREvNZL pic.twitter.com/iXWGEx6rZ2

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 14, 2023

Barrett missed a penalty but landed another to keep the scoreboard ticking over for the All Blacks going into the anxious final stages.

Ireland desperately pushed for a late twist but ultimately ran out of steam to suffer a first defeat since the opening match of last summer’s stunning Test series victory in New Zealand, leaving a distraught Sexton heading for retirement.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Johnny Sexton (c), 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 5 Iain Henderson, 4 Tadhg Beirne, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 David Kilcoyne, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Joe McCarthy, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Jimmy O’Brien

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane (c), 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Dane Coles, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Sam Whitelock, 20 Dalton Papali’i, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Christophe Ridley (England)
TMO:  Tom Foley (England)

Ireland enhance Rugby World Cup credentials as they knock out Scotland

Ireland further enhanced their Rugby World Cup title credentials after they dominated Scotland in their final pool fixture, winning 36-14 on Saturday.

It was a ruthless performance from the top ranked team in global rugby as Ireland ran in four tries in the first period and two more after the interval.

James Lowe, Hugo Keenan (two), Iain Henderson, Dan Sheehan and Garry Ringrose crossed the whitewash while Johnny Sexton kicked six points.

Scotland were shell-shocked by that opening 40 minutes and only late scores from Ewan Ashman and Ali Price came as consolation as they bow out.

Gregor Townsend's men required a heroic win by eight points or more at Stade de France to snatch progression at the expense of their opponents.

But the Irish emphatically underlined their status with a thrilling display of attacking verve to avoid major drama in a feisty encounter.

Lowe's early try settled any nerves before Keenan crossed either side of a score from the recalled Henderson to quickly take the game away from the shell-shocked Scots before the break.

Sheehan and Ringrose added to the embarrassment before Scottish pair Ashman and Price claimed quickfire consolations.

Ireland will take on the All Blacks in the last eight, seeking to avenge the 46-14 thrashing suffered at the same stage of the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

Head coach Andy Farrell perhaps has cause for concern ahead of that showdown due apparent injuries suffered by wings Mack Hansen and Lowe.

Scotland, meanwhile, face an early flight home for the second successive tournament, with South Africa going through as Pool B runners-up to take on hosts France.

Premature departures for Blair Kinghorn, Jamie Ritchie and Darcy Graham due to fitness issues contributed to their woes, while Ollie Smith was shown a yellow card for causing a mass brawl.

The Scots came into the competition with one of their most talented teams in years but, following a chastening evening in the French capital, were left to rue being placed in the most difficult group alongside the reigning champions and the world's number one team.

Permutations, premature elimination and the slim possibility of the Springboks crashing out dominated the build-up to a titanic qualification shoot-out in Saint-Denis.

A deafening roar greeted the teams and the decibels were raised further among the dominant Irish support with just over a minute on the clock when Hansen sent Lowe over in the left corner after Ringrose dummied his way beyond Grant Gilchrist.

Scotland roared back and showed a statement of intent by kicking a series of penalties to the corner, forcing Ireland to ferociously repel prolonged pressure.

But their cause was not helped by losing full-back Kinghorn, whose 50th cap lasted just nine minutes, and captain Ritchie, while Ireland wing Hansen also went off.

Ireland's defiant defending was matched equally by awesome attacking enterprise and they stretched the scoreboard significantly with two quickfire tries.

Delightful slick interplay from right to left unlocked the Scottish backline, culminating in Ringrose teeing up the onrushing Keenan in the 27th minute, before Henderson marked his first start of the tournament by bulldozing over minutes later.

☘️ Hugo Keenan finishing a wonderful Ireland try. #IREvSCO #RWC2023pic.twitter.com/fPTrUWpNzy

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 7, 2023

Far from thinking about the knock-out stages, Scotland trudged down the tunnel at the break fearing humiliation.

Ireland's well-oiled machine led 26-0 ahead at that stage with a bonus point in the bag after Sexton set up Keenan's second and then sent over his third successful conversion.

Scotland desperately needed to show some fight and did so as tempers boiled over early in the second period during a melee sparked by Smith's off-the-ball trip on Sexton.

Players from both sides piled in, with Pierre Schoeman and Sheehan ploughing over an advertising board, before instigator Smith was sin-binned.

Sheehan was on the floor again minutes later, this time diving over to claim Ireland's fifth try before Farrell wisely withdrew talisman Sexton, in addition to five of his forwards.

Jack Crowley's fine cross-field kick sent over Ringrose before Scottish resistance finally materialised in the shape of a pair of well-taken scores, each converted by the largely subdued Finn Russell.

Replacement hooker Ashman made an immediate impact by galloping over on the right to ensure his side were not whitewashed, before scrum-half Price finished a fine team move.

Yet their endeavours mattered little as Ireland comfortably marched on thanks to a 17th successive win and a ninth in a row against the eliminated Scots.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Johnny Sexton (c), 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Iain Henderson, 4 Tadhg Beirne, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 David Kilcoyne, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 James Ryan, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Stuart McCloskey

Scotland:  15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ali Price, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Jamie Ritchie (c), 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements:  16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 WP Nel, 19 Scott Cummings, 20 Matt Fagerson, 21 Luke Crosbie, 22 George Horne, 23 Ollie Smith

Referee:  Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant Referees:  Wayne Barnes (England), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (Australia)

Ireland win Rugby World Cup epic against Springboks

Ireland came out on top in a brutal battle with South Africa on Saturday, claiming a 13-8 win that edges them closer to the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.

It was a captivating 80 minutes at the Stade de France as both sides threw everything at each other, with the Irish prevailing against the 2019 champions.

Just one try apiece was scored in a gripping contest as defence and physicality provided ample entertainment between two of the World Cup favourites.

Mack Hansen crossed in the first half while Cheslin Kolbe hit back for the Springboks in the second, with Ireland's superior goal-kicking the difference.

Victory means Ireland stretch their winning run to 16 matches to take control of Pool B.

Andy Farrell's men also retained top spot in the global rankings ahead of the defeated Springboks, who now have work to do against Tonga next week to avoid early elimination.

Kolbe's second-half try and a Manie Libbok penalty kept Jacques Nienaber's side in contention before they ultimately fell short in a nail-biting finale.

Pre-match talk was dominated by South Africa's bold call to name an imposing seven-one split of forwards and backs on their bench ― a decision head coach Nienaber called a “calculated risk”.

Ireland impressively defused the so-called 'Bomb Squad' to bring the knock-out rounds within touching distance.

Both sides arrived in the French capital with back-to-back wins on the board.

An estimated 30,000 Irish fans were expected among a capacity crowd for one of the most eagerly-anticipated group-stage matches in World Cup history.

That approximate figure seemed on the low side amid deafening noise in Saint-Denis further fuelled by a frenetic start of big hits and end-to-end action.

Ireland initially began on the front foot but, following a bold decision to kick for the corner, failed to capitalise on a couple of promising line-outs before falling behind to a Libbok penalty.

The set-piece struggles persisted and only some dogged defensive work, including Bundee Aki's crucial tackle on Jesse Kriel, stifled the Springboks.

Farrell's men continued to show plenty of attacking enterprise and were rewarded in the 33rd minute when sustained pressure led to Hansen capping a sensational team move by crossing on the right.

Captain Johnny Sexton calmly slotted the extras to ensure the Six Nations champions ended a breathless opening period of ferocious physicality 7-3 ahead.

Ireland have had the upper hand in this fixture in recent times, including a 19-16 Dublin success in November, but South Africa ― tournament winners in 1995, 2007 and 2019 ― hold a vastly superior World Cup record.

The unrelenting pace resumed following the interval and, amid further line-out issues, Ireland's deficit was almost cut to a single point when Faf de Klerk's penalty from halfway struck a post.

Yet South Africa seized on the loose ball from that missed kick and penned back their opponents before Kolbe touched down on the left to put his side 8-7 in front.

Fly-half Libbok was off target with the conversion and Ireland snatched back the lead going into the final 20 minutes thanks to a Sexton penalty.

A powerhouse performance

Congratulations to @irishrugby centre Bundee Aki on being named the @Mastercard #POTM #RWC203 | #RSAvIRE | #Priceless pic.twitter.com/8Rgf6mqawf

― Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 23, 2023

South Africa turned to their stacked bench, including introducing Jean Kleyn, who represented Ireland at the last World Cup, in a bid to make the difference.

Irish indiscipline was in danger of proving expensive, with those in green relieved to see Libbok and then De Klerk squander further penalties.

The Springboks enjoyed the better territory and possession in the second period.

But Ireland, helped over the line by three points from Jack Crowley, doggedly hung on to make a major statement moving towards their Pool B finale against Scotland in a fortnight's time, while leaving the title holders with plenty to ponder.

The teams

South Africa:  15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Replacements:  16 Deon Fourie, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Kwagga Smith, 23 Cobus Reinach

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Johnny Sexton (c), 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 James Ryan, 4 Tadhg Beirne, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Dan Sheehan, 17 David Kilcoyne, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Ryan Baird, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Robbie Henshaw

Referee:  Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Mathieu Raynal (France), James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO:  Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

Ireland throw down the gauntlet with statement demolition of Tonga

Ireland continued their fine start to the 2023 Rugby World Cup after they thrashed Tonga 59-16 at the Stade de la Beaujoire on Saturday.

Tougher tests await in South Africa and Scotland but on the evidence of their opening two matches, Andy Farrell's men look in fine shape.

Against a talented Pacific Island outfit ― on paper at least ― the European team were excellent, running in eight tries in total.

Johnny Sexton, on his second game back following injury and suspension, once again impressed and broke Ronan O'Gara's points record when he touched down after 38 minutes.

The fly-half also added four conversions and a penalty before he was replaced at the break, with Ross Byrne coming on to kick the extras to scores from James Lowe, Bundee Aki (twice) and Rob Herring.

Tadhg Beirne initially set the ball rolling, while Caelan Doris and Mack Hansen also crossed the whitewash in the first period.

The world's top-ranked nation comfortably maintained their 100 per cent start to the tournament and emerged relatively unscathed, moving towards pivotal Paris appointments with the Springboks and Scotland.

Despite the looming threat of the reigning world champions, head coach Andy Farrell named an extremely strong starting XV showing just four personnel changes from last weekend's thumping 12-try triumph over Romania.

His side, unfamiliar in white shirts, were once again heavily backed on the terraces and met Tonga's Sipi Tau by taking a collective step forward.

Sexton slotted an early penalty to increase the volume, but William Havili landed a long-range reply to level before Ireland were frustrated to have an Andrew Porter try disallowed for a knock-on by Hansen.

The disappointment proved to be fleeting as Farrell's men remained on the front foot, culminating in Beirne collecting Doris' pass and touching down under the posts for his third score of the tournament.

Havili landed another audacious penalty from close to halfway to cut Tonga's deficit, but their hopes of a first win over the Six Nations champions were swiftly reduced by costly indiscipline.

Lowe was clattered in his own 22 by opposing wing Solomone Kata, gifting Ireland a penalty at the other end of the field from which Doris powered over.

Hansen ― one of four men recalled by Farrell ― then superbly danced through the opposition defence wide on the right to stretch the scoreboard, leading to Sexton equalling O'Gara's previous national record.

Sexton overtook his former fly-half rival in memorable fashion to secure the bonus point.

🔥 RECORD BREAKING SCORE!

Johnny Sexton becomes Ireland's all-time leading points scorer! 🙌#RWC2023 #IREvTON pic.twitter.com/D0FSUEq0KK

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 16, 2023

The 38-year-old effortlessly slipping through Tonga's defence to touch down and then celebrated jubilantly with fans seated behind the posts before regaining his composure to add a simple conversion.

Ireland were threatening to blitz the stunned underdogs.

Yet Tonga roared back and, during a series of penalties close to the Irish line, O'Mahony was sin-binned before former All Black Vaea Fifita shrugged off an early injury issue to power over.

No one can stop him 💪#RWC2023 | #IREvTGA pic.twitter.com/mim4PNDpuK

― Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 16, 2023

Ireland changed their entire front-row at the break while wrapping Sexton in cotton wool.

Yet replacement tighthead prop Finlay Bealham departed for a head injury assessment after Havili kicked his third penalty of the evening, requiring the swift return of Tadhg Furlong before substitute hooker Herring had a try chalked off on review.

Lowe eventually claimed Ireland's fifth and official man-on-the-match Aki then propelled himself to the top of the tournament's embryonic try-scoring charts with a quick-fire brace, all converted by Sexton's replacement Ross Byrne.

Ireland were relatively untroubled in the second period, and Herring sealed another statement win ― a 15th in succession overall ― ahead of two critical fixtures in the French capital.

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Johnny Sexton (c), 9 Conor Murray, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 James Ryan, 4 Tadhg Beirne, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Rob Herring, 17 David Kilcoyne, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Ryan Baird, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Robbie Henshaw

Tonga:  15 Charles Piutau, 14 Afusipa Taumoepeau, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Pita Ahki, 11 Solomone Kata, 10 William Havili, 9 Augustine Pulu, 8 Vaea Fifita, 7 Sione Talitui, 6 Tanginoa Halaifonua, 5 Halaleva Fifita, 4 Sam Lousi, 3 Ben Tameifuna (c), 2 Paula Ngauamo, 1 Siegfried Fisi'ihoi
Replacements:  16 Sam Moli, 17 Tau Koloamatangi, 18 Sosefo Apikotoa, 19 Semisi Paea, 20 Solomone Funaki, 21 Sione Vailanu, 22 Sonatane Takulua, 23 Fine Inisi

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO:  Tom Foley (England)

Johnny Sexton racks up 24-point haul as Ireland cruise past Romania

Johnny Sexton marked his return to action with a 24-point haul as Ireland eased to an 82-8 victory over Romania in their Rugby World Cup opener.

The fly-half played 66 minutes in Bordeaux, and he celebrated his comeback match with two tries and seven conversions as the Irish cruised to five points.

Jamison Gibson-Park, Hugo Keenan, Tadhg Beirne (2), Bundee Aki (2), Rob Herring, Peter O’Mahony (2) and Joe McCarthy also crossed in the huge win.

Andy Farrell‘s men were given a jolt by Romania scrum-half Gabriel Rupanu crossing early on but emphatically avoided a major upset ahead of far stiffer tests against Tonga, South Africa and Scotland.

Fly-half Sexton also slotted seven of eight conversions before being withdrawn 16 minutes from time to a standing ovation and now sits just nine points shy of Ronan O’Gara’s national record tally of 1,083.

The 38-year-old was back from his lengthy absence to lead his country into his fourth World Cup, while Mack Hansen replaced Robbie Henshaw on the bench in a late change following his surprise initial omission from the matchday 23.

An expectant sea of green flooded the stands of Stade de Bordeaux in sweltering south-west France.

But it was Romania who made the blistering start.

Sexton’s poor grubber kick was pounced upon by Hinckley Vaovasa, and he raced forward to give half-back partner Rupanu a simple third-minute finish.

🇷🇴 How about that! Romania score first against Ireland early on. #IREvROM #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/v0lzDWfmjw

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 9, 2023

Ireland swiftly recovered from the sloppy opening moments to assert their authority.

Gibson-Park benefited from slick interplay involving Sexton, Aki and Garry Ringrose to dive over before Keenan crossed under the posts and flanker Beirne touched down wide on the left.

Rupanu reduced the deficit with a penalty ahead of the first drinks break, but the fourth World Cup meeting between the nations rarely threatened to be truly competitive, epitomised by an early Mexican wave.

Ireland had won all of the past clashes – nine in total – and had the bonus point in the bag in the 34th minute when the rampaging Aki claimed a fine solo score shortly after Romania full-back Marius Simionescu was sin-binned for obstruction.

Sexton got in on the act in the final moments of the half, crossing under the posts before overcoming a bang suffered in the process to slot the extras and make it 33-8 at the interval.

Ireland players had spoken all week of wanting to begin with a bang by producing a statement victory.

Undeterred by the stifling conditions, the Six Nations Grand Slam champions stretched their advantage courtesy of hooker Herring and flanker O’Mahony dotting down amid prolonged pressure.

Sexton’s 17th Test try added further gloss to the scoreline before a first for 22-year-old lock McCarthy and a second of the afternoon for O’Mahony enhanced Romania’s punishment.

Aki, who was sent off against Samoa in his last World Cup outing, and Beirne became the third and fourth men in green to claim a brace.

Replacement number 10 Crowley successfully added the extras from his four conversions as Ireland ruthlessly dispatched the team ranked 19th in the world to stretch their record-winning run to 14 matches and satisfy the bulk of the 41,170 crowd.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jonathan Sexton (c), 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Peter O’Mahony, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Mack Hansen

Romania:  15 Marius Simionescu, 14 Nicolas Onutu, 13 Fonovai Tangimana, 12 Jason Tomane, 11 Tevita Manumua, 10 Hinckley Vaovasa, 9 Gabriel Rupanu, 8 Cristian Chirica (c), 7 Vlad Neculau, 6 Florian Rosu, 5 Stefan Iancu, 4 Adrian Motoc, 3 Alexandru Gordas, 2 Ovidiu Cojocaru, 1 Iulian Hartig
Replacements:  16 Florin Bardasu, 17 Alexandru Savin, 18 Gheorghe Gajion, 19 Marius Iftimiciuc, 20 Dragos Ser, 21 Alin Conache, 22 Tudor Boldor, 23 Taylor Gontineac

Referee:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees:  Wayne Barnes (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO:  Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

Samoa give Ireland fright of their lives in Rugby World Cup warm-up clash

Ireland were given a mighty scare by Samoa in their final Rugby World Cup warm-up fixture as they held on to defeat the islanders 17-13 in Bayonne.

Trailing 10-7 at the interval before a further Lima Sopoaga penalty extended the margin to six points on 46 minutes, Ireland managed to avoid a shock defeat.

Crossings from Conor Murray and Rob Herring in the second period to go with Jimmy O’Brien’s first-half score ultimately proved enough to seal the victory.

Duncan Paia’aua had grabbed his side’s only try of the game on 36 minutes as Samoa sent a message to their pool rivals that they are a threat this World Cup.

The win at a sold-out Stade Jean Dauger could come at significant cost for Ireland after Cian Healy, who departed just 21 minutes into his 126th Test outing, added to Ireland’s front-row concerns.

Andy Farrell’s planning has already been complicated by ongoing injury issues for Healy’s fellow loosehead Dave Kilcoyne and hookers Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher, although he expects the trio to be available in the coming weeks.

The head coach, whose side begin the World Cup on September 9 against Romania in Bordeaux, was also forced into a change ahead of kick-off as a “niggle” for wing Keith Earls afforded a chance to Jacob Stockdale.

Heavy rain and forecasts of thunderstorms in south-west France did not deter a capacity crowd from turning out, with the slippery conditions contributing to a series of fumbles.

A fine Murray tackle denied Samoa an early lead before Jack Crowley’s pinpoint cross-field kick allowed Mack Hansen to gallop down the right wing and give full-back O’Brien a simple finish for his maiden Test try.

Ireland have unsettling memories of this stadium, having endured a bruising affair – dubbed the Battle of Bayonne – against the host club ahead of the 2007 World Cup.

Physicality was at the forefront of this encounter and Farrell’s men suffered a setback when the hobbling Healy was assisted off the pitch by medical staff and replaced by Jeremy Loughman.

Unfamiliar in white shirts and blue shirts, Ireland’s mix-and-match line-up were struggling to find their rhythm.

They ended the half 10-7 behind after Paia’aua intercepted a Stuart McCloskey pass inside his own half to brilliantly race clear and dive over, before Sopoaga added the conversion and a subsequent penalty.

Samoa, who will be England’s final pool-stage opponents in early October, were facing a tier one nation for only the second time since losing 47-5 to Ireland at the 2019 World Cup.

A second penalty from former Wasps fly-half Sopoaga stretched their lead early in the second period before Stockdale’s kick over the top was gleefully dotted down by the diving Murray, albeit Crowley’s wayward conversion left Ireland a point behind.

Jimmy the rocket! 🚀#TeamOfUs pic.twitter.com/bdAfVUkdjK

― Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) August 26, 2023

The world’s top-ranked side finally regained the lead 17 minutes from time when replacement hooker Herring bulldozed over from a line-out maul.

Crowley’s conversion attempt was charged down before James Ryan was held up on the line to keep the contest firmly in the balance.

Roared on by the mostly-French crowd, Samoa refused to roll over and continued to cause problems.

Yet, on a day when Fiji stunned England at Twickenham, they ultimately fell short of producing a further major shock as Ireland survived a significant wake-up call which could yet prove expensive due to Healy’s premature exit.

Billy Vunipola red carded as clinical Ireland ease past poor England

Ireland brushed aside England as they ran out 29-10 victors at the Aviva Stadium, with the visitors having Billy Vunipola red carded in the game.

Crossings from Bundee Aki, Garry Ringrose, James Lowe, Mack Hansen and Keith Earls saw the Irish to a comfortable triumph in Dublin on Saturday.

Ross Byrne and Jack Crowley would add a conversion apiece while for England their only points came via a Kyle Sinckler try and two George Ford kicks.

Vunipola’s premature departure compounded a meek display and he will now join Saracens team-mate Owen Farrell in facing a disciplinary panel with England’s World Cup opener against Argentina on September 9 fast approaching.

Earls marked his 100th cap by claiming the fifth of Ireland’s tries as the hosts retained their place at the top of the world rankings courtesy of a 12th successive win.

Andy Farrell’s dominant side were far from their free-flowing best but still had too much for their depleted rivals, although the first-half departure of hooker Dan Sheehan is a concern.

England crossed the Irish Sea seeking the greatest win of the Borthwick era so far to ignite their World Cup build-up but they were in unconvincing form especially with the situation surrounding skipper Farrell dominating headlines.

Replacement fly-half Ford slotted an early penalty before the away team were swiftly put on the back foot as a superb break from Peter O’Mahony allowed Aki to charge beyond Ben Youngs and touch down under the posts, leaving Byrne with a simple conversion.

While England have endured a tumultuous time since finishing runners-up at the 2019 World Cup in Japan, Six Nations champions Ireland have enjoyed an impressive period of progression masterminded by head coach Farrell.

The Englishman fielded the bulk of his star names for the first time since clinching the Grand Slam against Borthwick’s men in March, which perhaps explained frustrating levels of rustiness in a fragmented opening period littered with stoppages.

Ford missed the chance to reduce England’s deficit with a second penalty before Ireland’s Sheehan hobbled off due to an apparent injury.

There looked like being no further inroads on the scoreboard before the break until Hansen’s clever cross-field kick exposed the opposition’s defence, with Ringrose inadvertently propelled over the try-line by a combination of Elliot Daly and Freddie Steward.

England, who are expected to learn the fate of Farrell in midweek, offered very little from an attacking perspective in a fairly forgettable first half which they ended 12-3 behind.

Their evening quickly took a turn for the worse when Vunipola ploughed into Andrew Porter.

Referee Paul Williams initially deemed the sin-bin to be sufficient punishment but the England back-row, whose trudge from the field coincided with Farrell flashing up the big screen to a chorus of boos, would not return.

☘️ What a moment for Keith Earls. 100 up for Ireland! #IREvENG pic.twitter.com/wufWGbYMeZ

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 19, 2023

Ireland wasted little time in capitalising on their numerical advantage as Lowe was afforded yards of space to catch Byrne’s pass and cross wide on the left, before Hansen added to their misery by diving over on the other flank.

England’s attempts to avoid a drubbing were helped by Sinckler bulldozing over.

But they were powerless to prevent Ireland registering a fourth consecutive win in this fixture, with veteran wing Earls raising the roof thanks to a spectacular diving finish on his landmark outing.

Caelan Doris double helps Ireland see off injury-hit Italy

Two tries from Caelan Doris helped Ireland kick off their Rugby World Cup warm-up schedule with a 33-17 victory over Italy at the Aviva Stadium.

Doris scored a try in both halves that was added to by Dave Kilcoyne’s early crossing, with Stuart McCloskey and Cian Healy also going over in Dublin.

Italy’s tries came from Lorenzo Pani and Tommaso Menoncello, but injury concerns over Marco Riccioni and Menoncello further soured the defeat.

However, it wasn’t just Italy with injury worries as Jack Conan, Jimmy O’Brien and Craig Casey were replaced in what looked precautionary moves.

An experimental side missing a host of rested stars, in addition to suspended skipper Johnny Sexton, overcame a sloppy beginning to cruise to a 15th successive home victory.

Ireland were back in action for the first time since clinching the Grand Slam against England in March.

Andy Farrell retained only three of the players who began that day as part of an unfamiliar XV, while Italy included England-born debutants Paolo Odogwu and Dino Lamb in a strong selection.

The Aviva Stadium was far from full for the late kick-off and Ireland’s sluggish start, during which Tommaso Allan’s early penalty put the visitors ahead, initially did little to enhance the subdued atmosphere.

Italy lost Saracens prop Riccioni to injury inside 10 minutes and that setback was quickly compounded by Kilcoyne burrowing over at the other end to register his first Test try since November 2014.

The score settled Ireland down to an extent and they capitalised on Italian indiscipline to stretch the scoreboard just before the half-hour mark.

Doris claimed the second try of the evening, crashing over wide on the right, moments after Azzurri loosehead Danilo Fischetti was sin-binned for failing to retreat.

Conan’s 35th-minute departure was an unwelcome sight for Farrell but the hosts’ performance continued to improve, with man-of-the-match Doris proving to be a real menace.

The Leinster man, selected in the unfamiliar position of openside flanker, produced a crushing tackle on Stephen Varney deep inside Italian territory to pave the way for McCloskey to power over.

Jack Crowley landed his third conversion of the evening to make it 21-3 at the interval.

Farrell shuffled his pack slightly for the restart, introducing the uncapped Ciaran Frawley at fly-half and pushing Crowley to full-back in place of the withdrawn O’Brien, who had received treatment on a shoulder issue.

A further change was required just four minutes later as scrum-half Casey followed Conan and O’Brien into the treatment room.

Italy, whose only Dublin success came in 1997, had struggled for territory in the opening period.

☘️🇮🇹 Five-try Ireland prove too strong for Italy in Dublin. #IREvITA pic.twitter.com/P8X8P7OS8m

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 5, 2023

But, on the back of some cheap penalties conceded by Ireland, they reduced their deficit in the 51st minute when Pani was afforded yards of space on the right to charge forward and hold off the attempts of Jacob Stockdale.

Replacement prop Healy then celebrated moving level with Rory Best as Ireland’s third most-capped player on 124 appearances with his 12th international try.

Menoncello again reduced the arrears for Italy 12 minutes from time before the impressive Doris had the final say.

Ireland secure Grand Slam after victory over 14-man England

Ireland claimed their fourth ever Grand Slam after overcoming a 14-man England 29-16 in their Six Nations clash at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Freddie Steward was the English player to be given his marching orders seconds before half-time due to connecting with the head of Hugo Keenan.

That sending off came with the scores 10-6 in favour of Ireland and from that moment on the hosts did not look back, as Robbie Henshaw and Dan Sheehan’s second try were then added to late on by replacement hooker Rob Herring to seal the clean sweep.

England‘s only try came from Jamie George while Owen Farrell kicked 11 points, with Steve Borthwick’s charges finishing the Six Nations in fourth.

Yet a bruising Test match belonged to the hosts, with Ireland skipper Johnny Sexton moving clear of Ronan O’Gara as the competition’s all-time record points scorer with a penalty and three conversions to take his overall tally to 566 on his Six Nations swansong before retirement later this year.

Defending champions France had snatched top spot in the standings earlier in the day courtesy of a 41-28 bonus-point victory over Wales to pile the pressure on Ireland.

England, meanwhile, crossed the Irish Sea wounded by last weekend’s record-breaking humiliation at the hands of the French, which emphatically extinguished their title hopes.  They delivered on their vow to come out fighting.

In-form Ireland were never going to have everything their own way and the scrappy opening exchanges were punctuated with errors and turnovers as both sides sought a foothold amid a series of kicking exchanges.

A pair of early Farrell penalties heightened a palpable nervous tension in the air, before Sexton halved England’s lead with his milestone kick just before the midway point.

Ireland orchestrated some decent pressure in enemy territory but initially struggled to slip into their free-flowing rhythm or gain control against dogged opposition showing no signs of rolling over.

The hosts eventually put a meaningful dent on the scoreboard seven minutes before the break when a well-executed line-out move allowed Josh van der Flier to send Sheehan rampaging for the line to spark the crowd.

England lost Charlie Ewels to a red card inside 82 seconds of last year’s 32-15 Twickenham defeat to the Irish.  And they were left facing a similarly uphill task 12 months on as they went into the break 10-6 and a man down after referee Jaco Peyper dismissed Steward for a robust challenge which forced off rival full-back Keenan.

Galvanised by the red card, the hosts reduced the deficit to a single point through another Farrell kick in the second period, with their penalty wins now being celebrated more fervently and the high stakes sparking a couple of flashpoints.

✅ 1948
✅ 2009
✅ 2018
✅ 2023

☘️ It's a fourth Grand Slam success for Ireland. #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/sYSNQkhn7z

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 18, 2023

Ireland desperately needed to stretch the scoreboard to capitalise on their numerical advantage and kill off any chance of being forced to face an anxious closing period.

Henshaw alleviated the mounting tension by crossing in the 62nd minute on his first start of this year’s competition, before Sheehan claimed his second score shortly after.

George bulldozed over seven minutes from time as England continued to plug away for pride.

But Borthwick’s men finished the match with just 13 men as flanker Jack Willis was sin-binned late on, before replacement Ireland hooker Herring stretched for the line to complete the scoring.  A deafening roar greeted the full-time whistle.