Ireland 15-6 Australia | Rugby World Cup 2011 Pool C match report

• Ireland 15-6 Australia • Watch World Cup video highlights, interviews and more From a last-gasp defeat to Australia in 1991 to being dumped in 2007 without ceremony, the World Cup has not always been the happiest of hunting grounds for Ireland. But they put that history of disappointment to rights in Auckland, beating one of the favourites of the title, denying Australia even a losing bonus point. It was all the more remarkable for coming on the back of a run of form that was indifferent at best: four defeats in four international warm-up games and a lacklustre victory over the USA. Suddenly Ireland were back to their swarming, passionate best. Sean O’Brien and Stephen Ferris were immense in the back row. And yet the real damage was done in an even more unexpected area. Ireland have rarely been scattered at the scrummage, but equally, they do not tend to rip teams to pieces at the set piece. They did here, and a special mention must go the front row of Cian Healy, Rory Best and Mike Ross. A special note should also be made of the pincer tackling of Paul O’Connell and Donncha O’Callaghan, the second rows who held up the biggest and strongest of the Australian forwards and forced a scrummage, with the put-in to Ireland. It sounds a forward affair, and so it was, especially when the rain began to fall. There were no tries; just four penalties and a drop goal against two penalties. But there was drama at every turn, with Australia’s attempts to release their running three-quarters running into a brick-wall defence. Or if that was opened up on occasions, by a scrambled defence. Ireland tackled with discipline but also with fury. Tommy Bowe might have sealed the victory with a try in the last minute but he ran out of steam at the end of a 90-yard breakout. It was still a run that ate up the seconds, sending the Wallabies back to their own line, a dispiriting slog for the champions of the Tri Nations. Ireland’s win shakes up the quarter final composition. Ireland should go through as pool winners; Australia as runners-up. Everything has been shaken up, Ireland the mighty rattle. Australia: Beale, O’Connor, A Fainga’a (Mitchell 73), McCabe, Ashley-Cooper; Cooper, Genia; Kepu, Polota-Nau, Alexander (Slipper 62), Vickerman (Simmons 62), Horwill (capt), Elsom (Palu 72), McCalman, Samo (Higginbotham 73). Pens: O’Connor (2) Ireland: Kearney (Trimble 73), Bowe, O’Driscoll (capt), D’Arcy, Earls; Sexton, Reddan (Murray 57); Healy, Best, Ross (Court 76), O’Callaghan, O’Connell, Ferris, O’Brien, Heaslip Pens: Sexton (2), O’Gara (2). Drop goal: Sexton Rugby World Cup 2011 Ireland rugby union team Australia rugby union team Rugby union Eddie Butler guardian.co.uk

Posted by on September 17, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.