THE FACT THAT Ireland have beaten Australia six times in a row has a few strands to it, yet the delight on Irish players, coaches and supporters’ faces in Sydney on Saturday underlined that it is still special to them.
This sustained success against the Wallabies is unprecedented for Irish rugby, so it was only right that Andy Farrell’s team celebrated, all the more so given the remarkable drama involved in getting over the line with a 33-31 victory.
The Irish players were allowed off the leash and into the Sydney night on Saturday. Farrell has always been a firm advocate for enjoying tours. He believes that being on the road is one of the greatest joys in rugby, on and off the pitch.
Winning in the Southern Hemisphere has always been a huge challenge for Ireland, but they’ve got much better at it in the past decade under Joe Schmidt and Farrell.
There were three Irish wins on Australian soil in the ’60s and ’70s before a run of 11 consecutive losses to the Wallabies when Ireland travelled Down Under.
2018 was a turning point as Schmidt’s side turned that series around and won it 2-1, with Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Jack Conan, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, Robbie Henshaw, and Jacob Stockdale involved.
Now, a new cohort of Irish players have beaten the Wallabies on Australian soil. Saturday was particularly fun for some Irish players who had never even been in Australia before this tour.
Relatively fresh Test players like Sam Prendergast, Cian Prendergast, Jamie Osborne, Tom O’Toole, Thomas Clarkson, and Nick Timoney must have revelled in being part of an Irish win in such a tumultuous and entertaining game.
Jimmy O'Brien carries the ball for Ireland. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Of course, the flip side of all of this is that the Wallabies have suffered another loss to Ireland. This one was surely the most agonising of them all. Schmidt’s side did so much good, with their attack causing Ireland grievous trouble in the first half especially.
With physical weapons like Rob Valetini firing powerfully and smooth operators like centres Joey Suaalii and Len Ikitau – the master of no-look passes – in full flow, it was impressive stuff for large parts of the game.
And yet, the Wallabies came up short in the most demanding minutes of the contest. The five minutes before half time were the winning and losing of the contest, while the closing stages also slipped away from them.
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Whereas Ireland seemed to always have belief in their ability to grind out the win, the Wallabies’ recent lack of winning experience seemed clear too.
Ireland were disappointed with their first-half effort, particularly in defence, but ended it with a brilliant six-phase try, then asserted a little more control in the second half, even while continuing to slug it out with the Wallabies.
This was a thrilling international game that could have gone either way. And it was a hell of a way for Ireland to kick off their Nations Championship campaign.
Elsewhere, New Zealand and France played out another rip-roaring contest at the eye-catching Te Kaha Stadium in Christchurch, with the All Blacks edging a game that involved nine tries and 23 linebreaks between the teams.
The sheer speed and elan of it all was intoxicating, even from the press box at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.
The All Blacks looked a bit more like the All Blacks under new head coach Dave Rennie. He is a hard-edged operator, but the Kiwis’ DNA is also their speed of thought, speed of foot, and speed of skill.
Dave Rennie and Fabien Galthié in Christchurch. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
So it was exciting to see Ruben Love backed at out-half after his Super Rugby exploits alongside his Hurricanes’ team-mate Cam Roigard, who epitomised what the All Blacks were all about with his balance of sniping runs, kicking and physicality.
Will Jordan did his usual damage, Codie Taylor and captain Ardie Savea were prominent, and relatively new faces like Sam Darry and debutant Jamie Hannah showed up well. Ireland will have studied the performance in detail as their exhilarating visit to Eden Park looms.
Similarly to the Aussies, the French will have been gutted to lose by a two-point margin in this 34-32 shootout.
Matthieu Jalibert continues to delight, centre Fabien Brau-Boirie is yet another new star, and other emerging forces like Marko Gazzotti showed their quality.
The other big game of the opening round of the Nations Championship saw the world-leading Springboks underline exactly what they’re all about with a 45-21 dismantling of Steve Borthwick’s England.
Rassie Erasmus’ impressive machine rolls on, and they’re in the process of ushering in a new wave of exciting players such as 22-year-old tighthead Zacarhy Porthen. Their recent friendly against the Barbarians involved 20-year-olds Riley Norton and Vusi Moyo showing their rich promise.
The South Africa U20s won the World Championship last year and are fancied to retain the title in the ongoing edition. Clearly, the South Africa pipeline is now in fine working order, and it is feeding a cohesive, aligned, ruthless beast in the Springboks.
In comparison, England still look a little unsure of exactly what they are.
Japan’s 27-10 win over Italy in Tokyo caught the eye, particularly with Ireland facing Eddie Jones’ men in Newcastle this coming weekend.
Japan enjoyed a good win over Italy in Tokyo. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Elsewhere, Gregor Townsend’s Scotland had a stirring win 47-38 over Argentina in another try fest in Córdoba, while Wales notched a rare victory against Fiji in Cardiff.
A word too for the inaugural round of the Nations Cup, which is the new tier of competition below the Nations Championship.
The headline there was perhaps USA’s last-gasp 30-29 win over Portugal at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.
The Kildare influence is growing in the Ireland squad, and another Kildare man played a key role for America as 27-year-old number eight Paddy Ryan scored an important try in that success, while Luke Carty was on the bench.
There was a 12-try bonanza between Canada and Spain in Edmonton, with that one ending in a 42-42 draw. Again, there was Irish influence as Cork scrum-half Jason Higgins scored a try and Dungannon man Peter Nelson kicked four conversions.
Georgia beat Uruguay, Samoa crushed Hong Kong China, Chile scorched past Romania, and Tonga were too good for Zimbabwe.
The hope is that there will be promotion from the Nations Cup sooner rather than later, as was promised when the concept was initially launched, but we will have to see it to believe it.
For now, the Nations Championship is off to an engaging, entertaining start.
There’s plenty of fun ahead this weekend with the Wallabies hosting France in Brisbane, South Africa welcoming the Scots to Pretoria, Ireland meeting Japan on Australian soil, Argentina hosting Wales in San Juan, Fiji taking on England in Liverpool, and the All Blacks welcoming Italy to Wellington.
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Ireland's delight in Sydney as Nations Championship makes exciting start
THE FACT THAT Ireland have beaten Australia six times in a row has a few strands to it, yet the delight on Irish players, coaches and supporters’ faces in Sydney on Saturday underlined that it is still special to them.
This sustained success against the Wallabies is unprecedented for Irish rugby, so it was only right that Andy Farrell’s team celebrated, all the more so given the remarkable drama involved in getting over the line with a 33-31 victory.
The Irish players were allowed off the leash and into the Sydney night on Saturday. Farrell has always been a firm advocate for enjoying tours. He believes that being on the road is one of the greatest joys in rugby, on and off the pitch.
Winning in the Southern Hemisphere has always been a huge challenge for Ireland, but they’ve got much better at it in the past decade under Joe Schmidt and Farrell.
There were three Irish wins on Australian soil in the ’60s and ’70s before a run of 11 consecutive losses to the Wallabies when Ireland travelled Down Under.
2018 was a turning point as Schmidt’s side turned that series around and won it 2-1, with Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Jack Conan, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, Robbie Henshaw, and Jacob Stockdale involved.
Now, a new cohort of Irish players have beaten the Wallabies on Australian soil. Saturday was particularly fun for some Irish players who had never even been in Australia before this tour.
Relatively fresh Test players like Sam Prendergast, Cian Prendergast, Jamie Osborne, Tom O’Toole, Thomas Clarkson, and Nick Timoney must have revelled in being part of an Irish win in such a tumultuous and entertaining game.
Of course, the flip side of all of this is that the Wallabies have suffered another loss to Ireland. This one was surely the most agonising of them all. Schmidt’s side did so much good, with their attack causing Ireland grievous trouble in the first half especially.
With physical weapons like Rob Valetini firing powerfully and smooth operators like centres Joey Suaalii and Len Ikitau – the master of no-look passes – in full flow, it was impressive stuff for large parts of the game.
And yet, the Wallabies came up short in the most demanding minutes of the contest. The five minutes before half time were the winning and losing of the contest, while the closing stages also slipped away from them.
Whereas Ireland seemed to always have belief in their ability to grind out the win, the Wallabies’ recent lack of winning experience seemed clear too.
Ireland were disappointed with their first-half effort, particularly in defence, but ended it with a brilliant six-phase try, then asserted a little more control in the second half, even while continuing to slug it out with the Wallabies.
This was a thrilling international game that could have gone either way. And it was a hell of a way for Ireland to kick off their Nations Championship campaign.
Elsewhere, New Zealand and France played out another rip-roaring contest at the eye-catching Te Kaha Stadium in Christchurch, with the All Blacks edging a game that involved nine tries and 23 linebreaks between the teams.
The sheer speed and elan of it all was intoxicating, even from the press box at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.
The All Blacks looked a bit more like the All Blacks under new head coach Dave Rennie. He is a hard-edged operator, but the Kiwis’ DNA is also their speed of thought, speed of foot, and speed of skill.
So it was exciting to see Ruben Love backed at out-half after his Super Rugby exploits alongside his Hurricanes’ team-mate Cam Roigard, who epitomised what the All Blacks were all about with his balance of sniping runs, kicking and physicality.
Will Jordan did his usual damage, Codie Taylor and captain Ardie Savea were prominent, and relatively new faces like Sam Darry and debutant Jamie Hannah showed up well. Ireland will have studied the performance in detail as their exhilarating visit to Eden Park looms.
Similarly to the Aussies, the French will have been gutted to lose by a two-point margin in this 34-32 shootout.
Matthieu Jalibert continues to delight, centre Fabien Brau-Boirie is yet another new star, and other emerging forces like Marko Gazzotti showed their quality.
The other big game of the opening round of the Nations Championship saw the world-leading Springboks underline exactly what they’re all about with a 45-21 dismantling of Steve Borthwick’s England.
Rassie Erasmus’ impressive machine rolls on, and they’re in the process of ushering in a new wave of exciting players such as 22-year-old tighthead Zacarhy Porthen. Their recent friendly against the Barbarians involved 20-year-olds Riley Norton and Vusi Moyo showing their rich promise.
The South Africa U20s won the World Championship last year and are fancied to retain the title in the ongoing edition. Clearly, the South Africa pipeline is now in fine working order, and it is feeding a cohesive, aligned, ruthless beast in the Springboks.
In comparison, England still look a little unsure of exactly what they are.
Japan’s 27-10 win over Italy in Tokyo caught the eye, particularly with Ireland facing Eddie Jones’ men in Newcastle this coming weekend.
Elsewhere, Gregor Townsend’s Scotland had a stirring win 47-38 over Argentina in another try fest in Córdoba, while Wales notched a rare victory against Fiji in Cardiff.
A word too for the inaugural round of the Nations Cup, which is the new tier of competition below the Nations Championship.
The headline there was perhaps USA’s last-gasp 30-29 win over Portugal at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.
The Kildare influence is growing in the Ireland squad, and another Kildare man played a key role for America as 27-year-old number eight Paddy Ryan scored an important try in that success, while Luke Carty was on the bench.
There was a 12-try bonanza between Canada and Spain in Edmonton, with that one ending in a 42-42 draw. Again, there was Irish influence as Cork scrum-half Jason Higgins scored a try and Dungannon man Peter Nelson kicked four conversions.
Georgia beat Uruguay, Samoa crushed Hong Kong China, Chile scorched past Romania, and Tonga were too good for Zimbabwe.
The hope is that there will be promotion from the Nations Cup sooner rather than later, as was promised when the concept was initially launched, but we will have to see it to believe it.
For now, the Nations Championship is off to an engaging, entertaining start.
There’s plenty of fun ahead this weekend with the Wallabies hosting France in Brisbane, South Africa welcoming the Scots to Pretoria, Ireland meeting Japan on Australian soil, Argentina hosting Wales in San Juan, Fiji taking on England in Liverpool, and the All Blacks welcoming Italy to Wellington.
Bring on more of the same.
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