Ireland cruised into the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals by demolishing Scotland 36-14 in a fiery recreation of their closing Pool B match on the Stade de France on Saturday.
Hugo Keenan scored two of Ireland’s six tries towards a Scottish facet that slid to its ninth successive defeat by the hands of the Irish.
The record-extending seventeenth Test victory pitches Ireland right into a repeat of the 2019 quarter-final with three-time champions New Zealand subsequent Saturday. The All Blacks received that spherical.
Captain Johnny Sexton mentioned the environment created by the Irish supporters had even surpassed that in the course of the defeat of South Africa two weeks in the past.
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Latecomers would have missed the lightning begin made by the Irish that gave the tens of hundreds of followers from Ireland simply the beginning they desired in Paris.
James Lowe went over within the left-hand nook within the second minute, Garry Ringrose creating it by piercing the Scottish defence, however Johnny Sexton did not convert.
The Scottish got here again laborious however the Irish defence held agency and received a penalty permitting them to clear the hazard.
The Irish had been conceding a justifiable share of penalties beneath stress however as soon as once more, regardless of the Scots having an enormous quantity of possession, the Irish repelled them and cleared it.
The rub of the inexperienced was going all Ireland’s approach.
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend was out of his seat in a fury when a contact was not referred to as as Ireland fullback Keenan appeared to have his foot on the road when he caught a clearance.
The Irish then missed a wonderful probability to attain a second attempt when beneath stress from Jamie Ritchie Mack Hansen fumbled the cross from Peter O’Mahony with the tryline metres away.
The Scots, although, suffered a critical loss as Ritchie was injured within the hit on Hansen and needed to go off within the nineteenth minute holding his arm.
His departure was the second inside the first quarter for the Scots — fullback Blair Kinghorn’s fiftieth look had solely lasted a matter of minutes attributable to a knock to the top.
The Irish too misplaced Hansen on account of the Ritchie hit as he went for a Head Injury Assessment — he returned however not for lengthy as he walked off feeling his leg.
The Irish confirmed the Scots methods to take your possibilities with a ravishing transfer, with Sexton concerned twice, and once more Ringrose offering the killer cross feeding Keenan, going within the left-hand nook.
Sexton made no mistake with the conversion for 12-0 as the sport approached the half-hour mark.
The job going through the Scots grew to become all however insurmountable when Iain Henderson marked his return to the beginning XV by going over from shut vary and Sexton transformed for 19-0.
Australian referee Nic Berry proved a greater defender than the Scots as an Irish cross hit him within the midriff as they pressed near the road.
The Irish had been rampant, although, and went over for an additional attempt. Sexton’s lengthy cross discovered Keenan, who went over for his second of the match and secured the Irish the bonus level and Sexton transformed to make it 26-0 at half-time.
Tempers boiled over early within the second-half between two groups who’ve a historical past of animosity between them.
Sexton and Ollie Smith had phrases after which the Scottish alternative fullback put his leg out because the Ireland captain walked previous, upsetting a free for all.
Smith was sin-binned, leaving the pitch with a wry smile on his lips. Hooker Dan Sheehan had ended up over an promoting hoarding pushed by burly prop Pierre Schoeman — however minutes later he was celebrating scoring Ireland’s fifth attempt.
Sexton did not convert and went off to a thunderous reception for a priceless relaxation forward of subsequent week’s quarter-final.
The Irish didn’t let up, Ringrose deservedly getting a attempt — his sizeable centre accomplice Bundee Aki leaping into his arms.
The conversion try by Jack Crowley, who had arrange the attempt with a pleasant crossfield kick, hit a submit leaving the Irish 36-0 up.
The Scots went over for 2 comfort tries but it surely was approach too late and minutes later it was Ireland’s unofficial anthem “Zombie” by the Cranberries ringing around the stadium
SAMOA COACH ACCUSES REFS OF ‘UNCONSCIOUS BIAS’ AFTER LOSS
Samoa head coach Seilala Mapusua mentioned on Saturday lower-ranked nations suffered from an “unconscious bias” from referees after the slim 18-17 loss to England within the Rugby World Cup.
Mapusua’s facet led with seven minutes to go in Lille however had been penalised 14 instances and proven a yellow card by Andrew Brace “I believe there is, I believe there has been in the past,” Mapusua informed reporters.
“I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault.
“It’s what I’ve seen for the last I don’t know how many years, from when I was playing,” the previous Samoa and London Irish centre added.
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Samoa captain Michael Alaalatoa agreed together with his coach, stating sides like Tonga and Fiji have additionally suffered the identical destiny.
“From what I’ve seen, all Pacific Island nations in the past when they play games, you have to nail everything to get an outcome,” the prop mentioned.
“If you don’t it’s going to cost you, whether it’s a skill error or giving penalties away,” he added.
Danny Care’s attempt, transformed by England captain Owen Farrell, within the 73rd minute denied Samoa a primary victory over the 2003 World Cup winners.
“Proud is an understatement,” Mapusua mentioned.
“I thought we were pretty dominant in most aspects of the game. “We stopped England’s game for about 70 minutes,” he added.
Farrell mentioned his group was “scrappy” as they got here again to edge Samoa 18-17 after trailing by 9 factors with half an hour to play.
The 2003 winners had been already assured high spot in Pool D earlier than kick-off and wanted Danny Care’s late attempt to beat the Pacific Islanders, who had been already knocked out.
Farrell kicked two penalties and a conversion in Lille as he broke Jonny Wilkinson’s factors document for the nation earlier than subsequent Sunday’s quarter-final with, in all chance, Fiji.
“It was scrappy, it did not feel like the best from us,” Farrell informed ITV.
“All credit to Samoa and how they came out and got at us, it was tough to deal with at times and we did not deal with it discipline-wise and with mistakes.”
After defeats by Japan and Argentina, it marked the tip of a disappointing World Cup for the Samoans, though they greater than confirmed their potential on this closing pool match.
England opened the scoring after simply 10 minutes as Manu Tuilagi, going through his nation of start, set-up lock Ollie Chessum earlier than Farrell missed his first probability to overhaul Wilkinson’s tally.
The rating remained 5-0 after 1 / 4 of an hour after ex-All Black Lima Sopoaga missed a straight-forward penalty, having been pressured to alter his decade-old kicking tee after dropping it after September’s victory over Chile.
Farrell, 31, then surpassed Wilkinson’s England tally of 1,179 factors with a penalty earlier than the Pacific Islanders proved what Mapusua meant by wanting his facet to be “unapologetically Samoan” earlier within the week.
By the half-hour mark, the Samoans had been in entrance and in management, combining energy and talent as winger Nigel Ah Wong crossed twice, his second coming from an inch-perfect cross-kick by centre Danny Toala.
On-fire Samoa had been denied a 3rd attempt as the tv match official had noticed a Tumua Manu knock-on within the build-up to Duncan Paia’aua’s effort regardless of Andrew Brace awarding it on the sphere, a lot to the disgust of the native French followers who had been supporting the Pacific Islanders.
England had been shell-shocked and their lack of ability to cope with Samoa’s depth was highlighted by Farrell’s pointless knock-on seconds earlier than the half-time whistle with the rating at 14-8.
Samoa continued to dominate after the break with Paia’aua solely stopped from scoring with a last-ditch George Ford deal with 10m from the England line.
Local followers shouted the French chant “Allez Les Bleus” which struck a tone with the Samoans, who had been taking part in in blue, earlier than a Sopoaga penalty prolonged the benefit to 17-8 with half an hour to play.
England had been additionally denied tries by the TMO after Chessum’s double-movement and Maro Itoje’s ahead cross for Joe Marchant as Borthwick’s facet slowly got here again into the competition.
With 1 / 4 of the sport left Samoa’s lead was simply six factors after Farrell slotted a penalty following an off the ball deal with on him by Toala.
Farrell then wasted an opportunity to chop Samoa’s benefit even additional as he took longer than the allowed 60 seconds to take a penalty, including to the stress of the ultimate quarter of an hour.
England had been camped in Samoa’s 22m, and had the ascendancy at scrum-time with the Pacific Islanders’ centre Manu yellow-carded for taking out Farrell within the air.
The stress informed with seven minutes to go as alternative scrum-half Danny Care strolled over from a scrum earlier than Farrell’s conversion claimed the victory.
Samoa nonetheless had time to say a win however Alamanda Motuga did not cleanly catch Neria Fomai’s off-load metres from the England tryline with 90 seconds to go.
Farrell then kicked the ball useless, with boos ringing round Stade Pierre-Mauroy, leaving Samoa’s Pacific Island neighbours ready eagerly for subsequent weekend’s last-eight tie in Marseille.
HAT-TRICK HERO POWERS WALES TO VICTORY
Elsewhere, Louis Rees-Zammit scored a second-half hat-trick of tries to assist Wales to a 43-19 victory over Georgia in Nantes on Saturday to complete high of Pool C on the Rugby World Cup.
Wales will now play the winners of the showdown between Argentina and Japan, who play in Nantes on Sunday, within the quarter-finals in Marseille subsequent weekend.
Warren Gatland’s group got here into the sport at a sun-kissed Stade de la Beaujoire needing only a level to ensure high spot in Pool C and made no mistake of the bonus-point win, albeit laboured and pedestrian at instances.
The victory prolonged to eight Wales’ profitable streak in pool matches, however consigned Georgia — who registered a 35-15 loss to Australia, an 18-18 draw with Portugal and a 17-12 defeat by Fiji — to fourth-placed end within the pool which suggests they miss out on an automated qualification for the 2027 World Cup.
A cagey opening spell noticed each groups opting to kick as they examined one another out.
A Tommy Reffell turnover spurred Wales’ first correct probability of crossing the Georgian whitewash, Sam Costelow tackled into contact because the ball was labored left.
Tomas Francis was available to crash over from brief vary after a kick to the nook, Costelow changing.
Georgia roared again up the pitch, flanker Beka Saginadze bouncing off three tackles like a wrecking ball earlier than the assault was snuffed out.
Rio Dyer’s effective chase and deal with on Lasha Khmaladze noticed Georgia concede possession and from a penalty Costelow’s precision-perfect cross discovered Liam Williams in area, the full-back stepping his approach over the road.
Costelow transformed after which kicked a penalty to stretch Wales’ result in 17 unanswered factors.
Georgia weren’t accomplished, nonetheless, skipper Merab Sharikadze, again at centre in one in every of 5 adjustments from final week’s loss to Fiji, barrelled his approach over beneath the posts. Luka Matkava kicked the extras to depart it 17-7 at half-time.
Wales struck inside two minutes of the restart, George North choosing up a stray Georgian cross to feed Rees-Zammit for a straightforward run-in.
Akaki Tabutsadze was simply bundled into contact as Wales did not get a correct grip on the match, the winger then sparking down the left flank as Georgia pressed.
They had their simply desserts when Vano Karkadze was pushed over because the ball was recycled from a driving maul.
Shortly after Davit Niniashvili broke away from the Welsh defence to cross for Georgia’s third try to ideas of that notorious 2007 World Cup loss to Fiji, additionally in Nantes, resurfaced.
Costelow missed a long-range penalty, however transformed a second attempt by Rees-Zammit, the winger settling Wales nerves after latching on to a intelligent Williams chip over a stretched Georgian defence.
French referee Mathieu Raynal then brandished yellow playing cards for Taine Basham and Niniashvili after the alternative Wales flanker went in excessive, an act that sparked an all-in push and shove.
Rees-Zammit was awarded a 3rd attempt after chasing a grubber, though he had appeared to have knocked the ball on.
George North put the cherry on the cake with a late attempt to go away Wales high of their World Cup pool for the fourth time in World Cup (1987, 1999, 2019).
Of extra concern to Gatland could possibly be accidents to emblematic No 8 Taulupe Faletau and Williams, whereas Costelow was a late starter instead of Gareth Anscombe, who picked up a groin harm within the warm-up.
Source: www.foxsports.com.au