AUSSIE LEGEND TIM HORAN has slammed Ireland for using dirty tactics in Eden Park last weekend, accusing Declan Kidney’s men of faking injuries to gain the upper hand.
In the Australian Telegraph, Horan — capped 80 times by the Wallabies — said that Ireland set out to use injury stoppages to disrupt the flow of the game, and claimed that backs coach Alan Gaffney had admitted as much to him afterwards.
“Ireland had a deliberate plan to fake injuries each time there was a breakdown in play last Saturday, so they could slow the game down and frustrate the Wallabies,” Horan wrote.
How can I be sure? By talking to Irish assistant coach Alan Gaffney in the dressing rooms afterwards.
The former centre also blamed James Horwill for Australia’s 15-6 defeat, blasting the Wallabies captain for not hounding referee Bryce Lawrence until Ireland were penalised for time-wasting.
“If James Horwill was more experienced as a captain, he would have blown up about it to referee Bryce Lawrence and really created a scene – there is no way Richie McCaw would have stayed silent if a team used the same tactics against the All Blacks.”
“The shame was that Lawrence destroyed the spectacle of the game,” Horan wrote.
Ireland deserved to win and always would have won, but the way Lawrence handled the match means he should not get another game at the World Cup.
