Tuisue does the damage with early try double
ALBERT Tuisue returned from Fiji duty to score a first-half brace as London Irish started their Challenge Cup campaign with a bang at the home of hapless Agen.
Irish made 11 changes for their trip to France, but their forwards did a superb job with No.8 Tuisue at the heart of a fine effort which resulted in a bonus-point success.
They dominated an Agen side who have lost 11 from 11 in the Top 14 this season and never looked like ending that winless run, even with a switch to crossborder competition.
Further Irish tries came from Steve Mafi, Ollie Hassell-Collins and Phil Cokanasiga.
On a difficult, muddy surface in France it was no surprise the opening was scrappy with plenty of early kicking. Former Harlequins wing Gabriel Ibitoye did make one break and then put boot to ball, but the Irish defence got back to cover.
Irish responded in impressive fashion. The English raiders went ahead when they turned down a kickable penalty in favour of the corner. It worked like a dream as their lineout drive ended with Tuisue rumbling over.
The conversion was unsuccessful and Agen responded with a penalty from Noel Reid.
A rare clean break from Irish outside-centre Billy Meakes lit up the encounter, but it was the away pack that was doing the business.
They won a scrum penalty from which they again kicked to the corner. The lineout to the tail was cleanly taken and again the result was a try for Tuisue.
The Fijian’s second try was a carbon copy of his first, but this time the extra two-point effort from Theo Brophy-Clews was successful.
There was still more Irish joy to come. Mafi crashed over after escaping from a driving maul to score the third with Brophy-Clews converting.
A stunning kick to touch from Brophy-Clews then gave Irish the chance of another lineout try just before the break, but this time the set-piece didn’t hit its target and Agen escaped.
The missed opportunity failed to stop Irish’s dominance and they immediately won back possession from Brophy-Clews’ restart.
The fly-half then showed ambition to turn down another three points and Irish’s bonus-point score came from Hassell-Collins. Unlike his team’s previous efforts, this was a back-line move which ended with the winger finishing brilliantly in the corner.
Brophy-Clews limped from the field so Ben
Meehan took over kicking duties. He was not successful from wide out and Jacob Atkins came on to replace Brophy-Clews.
Agen finally grabbed a try when their backs unleashed the flying wing Tevita Railevu down the left and he beat several scrabbling Irish defenders to the line.
Reid could not convert but the French side finally had a bit of momentum, although Irish’s resilience was impressive.
Hassell-Collins had a second try ruled out for a knock-on following Atkins’ kick, but Atkins compensated with a penalty to ease any Irish nerves.
And even when Agen drove over the line and a try looked certain, Irish’s pack did brilliantly to hold the French side up.
There was still time late on for Cokanasiga to put gloss on Irish’s win with a fifth try which Atkins improved with the last kick of the game.