Pluck of the Irish in Cairns
RUGBY LEAGUE: A suspected broken arm for Jack Johns capped a horror afternoon for Italy as Ireland caused the first World Cup boilover in Cairns.
The Irish ran away 36-12 winners on a hot afternoon where their substitutes did their best to avoid sunburn by wearing straw hats on the sidelines.
English-born winger Liam Kay posted a first-half try double to give Ireland a lead it never really looked like surrendering.
They had racked up more points by half time than they were able to score in their entire disastrous Cup campaign four years earlier.
The Irish deserved a couple of pints of Guinness to celebrate their shock win, which was paying $5 with the bookies during the week against an Italian team with NRL stars James Tedesco, Paul Vaughan and Nathan Brown.
For Italy, the potential loss of Johns will be cruel, with the playmaker forced from the field straight after half time with an arm injury.
Johns clutched at his left arm and the trainers wasted no time rushing him from the field.
He was a sorry sight as he watched the remainder of the game hunched over, nursing his arm.
The 20-year-old son of Matty Johns was pumped to make his international debut, and forced to lead the Azzurri into action without experienced playmaker Terry Campese.
Campese failed to overcome a calf strain and with Johns now looking in doubt, his return next week against the US in Townsville is suddenly more vital.
Little had gone right for the Irish in the lead-up to their Cup opener, with torrential rain greeting them when they first arrived in north Queensland with the hope of acclimatising to the conditions.
They were forced to train indoors, and their only serious hit-out was a session against Tonga during the week.