Ireland bounce back from blip and cruise into quarter-finals
JOB done. Ireland finished Pool A exactly how they started it: pummelling the life out of their opponents with a display of ruthless efficiency.
Joe Schmidt described that debacle against Japan as a ‘blip’ and you’d hope that is the case, going forward.
This seven-try demolition of the Samoans bookends that openingweekend thrashing of the Scots. Which is the true Ireland? We’ll find out next weekend.
For now, they can look forward to the next chapter in this World Cup adventure.
At the final whitle, Schmidt’s men knew they had made it to the knockout stages regardless of what happened with the Scotland-Japan tie.
Their destiny is now in their own hands and there was plenty to be encouraged about here.
Tadhg Furlong looks back to his best and produced a barnstorming performance that reminded everyone why Warren Gatland chose the Wexford giant as his firstchoice Lions tighthead against the All Blacks two years ago.
Rory Best hit 16 out of 16 with his lineout throws and James Ryan was James Ryan. His freakish displays are almost taken for granted these days.
Despite the mounting casualties in the backrow, Schmidt has some tough decisions to make.
Tadhg Beirne probably didn’t do enough to upset the natural order but he will be a handy option off the bench. Rhys Ruddock was a surprising omission from the matchday 23 but the Leinster flanker was racing around the pitch in the pre-mach warm-up.
CJ Stander and Josh van der Flier put in big shifts and it would be unthinkable that Schmidt would head into a quarter-final without Peter O’Mahony on board. Decisions, decisions.
When the pack play like this and when Conor Murray plays with that zip and accuracy, Ireland are a horrible proposition for the opposition.
The Munster scrum-half’s box kicking and passing was sharp and he had an armchair behind an utterly dominant pack.
Then there’s Johnny Sexton. Ireland are simply a different beast when he’s is on the pitch. Think Tom Brady at the Patriots or Zinedine Zidane with France. He is Schmidt’s most prized possession at this tournament. If the heavens open up next weekend and Ireland are forced to play 10-man rugby, it might actually work in their favour. If they decided to play with a bit more enterprise then Jordan Larmour has to be in the mix. He was excellent again yesterday and has to be putting pressure on Rob Kearney. Robbie Henshaw got through 60 minutes of work on his first appearance at this World Cup. He could very well be reunited with his fellow Leinster midfielder Garry Ringrose next weekend.
Henshaw has timed his run well because it looks a bit grim for Aki. It was all going so well until that moment of madness.
Ireland found themselves down to 14 men after 29 minutes when Aki caught Samoa out-half UJ Seuteni with a high tackle.
World Rugby have clamped down on those high shots in a big way over the past 12 months and Aki was duly given his marching orders.
The Connacht centre will be cited and faces a ban, which may bring an end to his involvement in Japan.
He was also the first Ireland player to be sent off at a World Cup and became only the fourth Ireland player to be red carded in a Test match – joining Willie Duggan, Jamie Heaslip and CJ Stander in the hall of shame.
This was a free hit for Samoa. The Pacific Islanders are heading home on Monday and this was the last chance for Steve Jackson’s crew to leave an impression on this tournament.
‘For us as players, we want to leave with a bit of pride in the jersey,’ said their inspirational leader Jack Lam.
It’s been a difficult week. We’ve had Typhoon Hagibis, an earthquake off the coast of Chiba, match cancellations, threats of legal action from the irate Scottish camp and issues with the officiating.
It was nice to be back watching some rugby after a week of political in-fighting and meteorological madness.
Schmidt and the Ireland management were not best pleased with the playing surface here at the Fukuoka Hakanatomori Stadium.
The turf, which had to be relaid less than two weeks ago after cutting up badly during France’s clash with the US Eagles, looked in an awful state. It was certainly not a Test match-standard surface.
But World Cups are all about adapting and that’s exactly what Ireland needed to do here.
Schmidt’s men needed a bonuspoint win to ensure their safe passage and, accordingly, Ireland’s head coach named a fully-loaded line-up. All the frontliners – including Sexton and Henshaw – were back for this one. When Schmidt was devising his World Cup masterplan before this tournament, he would have earmarked this game as the one to rest his key personnel ahead of a seismic quarter-final.
Then Shizuoka happened and all
those best laid plans went out the window. Ireland needed the maximum haul here in Fukuoka and that meant sending out Sexton and his fellow leading lights against the uber-physical Samoans on a dodgy pitch.
Aki’s brain fade aside, it couldn’t have worked out any better for Schmidt’s side. Ireland only had to make 47 tackles by the time they hit the 47-point mark.
The likes of Rory Best, Ryan, Murray and Sexton were long gone by then as well. Time to rest up ahead of the big one next weekend.
Roll on Tokyo. IRELAND: J Larmour; K Earls, R Henshaw (A Conway 62), B Aki, J Stockdale; J Sexton (J Carbery 50), C Murray (L McGrath 53); C Healy (D Kilcoyne 57), R Best (capt) (N Scannell 50), T Furlong (A Porter 45); I Henderson (J Kleyn ), J Ryan (J Kleyn 57); T Beirne, J van der Flier, CJ Stander (P O’Mahony 60). SCORERS: Tries - Sexton (2), Stander, Best, Furlong, Larmour, Conway. Cons - Sexton (4), Carbery 2. SAMOA: T Nanai-Williams; Ah See Tuala, A Leiua, E Fidow (K Fonotia 51); U Seuteni (T Pisi 30), D Polotaivao; L Mulipola (P Alo-Elime 47), S Lam (R Niuia 47), M Alaalatoa (J Lay 53); K Paulo, K Le’aupepe; C Vui (R Niuia 15-17, P Faasalele 53), TJ Ioane (J Tyrell 59), J Lam (capt). SCORER: Try - J Lam. Referee: N Berry (Australia).