Ireland players celebrate their memorable win over Australia in the 2011 RWC.
There will be a few Irish journalists eating humble pie today and tomorrow after Ireland’s gritty win against Australia, but not us boys at the Front Row Union as we saw it coming all along!
Well, OK I didn’t see it coming. In truth, this time yesterday, I thought Australia would win with something to spare, with their silky smooth backs and athletic forwards running round, through and over their Irish counterparts as Ireland struggled to find a game plan they could actually execute.
Roll on twenty four hours, Pocock and Moore are out, the Irish crowd arrive, the heavens open and Ireland are forced into a simple game plan of defend and harass, drive it up the middle and take the points on offer. A simple game, right enough, but one that can only be effectively executed if the team add a degree of ferocity to back it up.
We’ll Ireland certainly did that, sticking it to the Aussies who, fittingly in the parlance of Dad’s Army, didn’t like it up them. Oh no Sir not one bit! Ireland dominated the scrums and executed six turnovers conceding eight penalties to Australia’s twelve and it was these stats that made the difference.
Whether Ireland would have got away with it on a dry day with Pocock and Moore on the pitch is debatable. I think Moore would have shored up the scrums and Pocock would have turned the sapping drives of Ferris and O’Brien into something less effective with the arch poacher likely to have put up more resistance at the breakdown. However, you can only beat what is in front of you and beat them is something Ireland certainly did with Australia losing all composure and Ireland unlucky not to add more on the scoreboard!
The result now has the possible effect of splitting the World Cup wide open with Ireland now looking at Wales and France as their more likely opponents in the route to the final. Australia will now have to pass the formidable hurdles of South Africa and New Zealand if the two teams are to meet again.
If Kidney’s planned it this way the man’s a fekin genius!
More like this:
3 Responses to “RWC 2011: Ireland 15 Australia 6”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
it was really cool
Rate this comment. Like or dislike?
2 
0
Looks like our boys could be out there a while longer than first thought, really good performance when it counted and thats what Irish sides are all about. Only downsides was the few missed pens and Heaslip was very quiet once again!
Rate this comment. Like or dislike?
3 
0
I stated when the team was announced D’Arcy was selected as part of a defensive combination and as Dempsey said ” the defence was the foundation stone of the win ” I also stated my belief that Kidney would play it tight of course my comments got the same old Thumbs down by a couple of poeple . I don’t state opinion to please it is what it is opinion nothing more nothing less.
That said the old predictions have taken a serious knock this week because in truth I thought Ireland would struggle for field position and possession and that Genia and Cooper would expose Irelands lack of a true 7 . On that basis my MotM must go O’Brien and collective Medal of Honour to the front five.
I think we all read to much into the warm up games . We believed them to be matches but in truth I think the last two were exercises in the avoidance of injury.
There is still a job to be done and an Italian front row to be faced which if refereed properly can be matched.
Rate this comment. Like or dislike?
1 
2