IRELAND’S RUGBY WORLD CUP group was blown wide open last night, as their Pool C rivals Australia were handed a major reality check by lowly Samoa in an international test at Sydney.
An inspired performance from the islanders saw the little-fancied Samoans outscore the Wallabies by four tries to two as they ran out 32-23 winners to shock a 30,000 attendance at the ANZ Stadium.
The hosts were admittedly not at full strength – tinkering with their line-up ahead of their Tri-Nations opener against South Africa next Saturday – but the surprise defeat will rattle the Aussies ahead of an intense few months of internationals.
The Tri-Nations series only ends a fortnight before the World Cup – so the defeat could hardly have been more badly timed for the Australians, who square off against Declan Kidney’s side in their second World Cup fixture on September 17.
