Ireland got their World Cup Campaign underway unconvincingly against a rugged USA beating them 22-10. Two tries from Tommy Bowe and Rory Best saw the Irish beat a resilient Eagles team.
First Half
Ireland were looking to hit the ground running early but were met by a stubborn defence in the Eagles. The strength in the Irish pack was massively evident as they completely dominated the scrum and the mauls throughout the first half. They used this to their advantage as a collapsing maul earned Jonathan Sexton his first chance at goal, but he failed with his attempt. A second opportunity for the Irish then arose when the Eagles were found to be offside at the ruck with 10 minutes on the clock but again Sexton put it wide. However, Sexton was third time lucky as on 16 minutes he finally put Ireland on the scoreboard after the USA were found to have hands in the ruck. Ireland 3-0 USA.
The weather made a turn for the worse as the game started to become bogged down and mistakes were being made by both sides. For the first time in the game, the Eagles ventured into the Irish half and they were making ground with their phases until they were awarded a penalty as Rory Best was seen to be offside in the ruck. James Paterson was given the chance to bring the scores level with his first attempt but was unsuccessful. Ireland were still making errors in the final third of the pitch as Tommy Bowe knocked on with the try line begging, however he made amends for his earlier error as he skipped past Matt Macdonald and drove over right on half time. Sexton added the conversion. Ireland 10-0 USA. A huge sigh of relief for Declan Kidney's team as their first half efforts were rewarded and they went in at half time with the upper hand. The Eagles, although behind, could still go into the break with pride and satisfaction at keeping themselves in game.
Second Half
Ireland hit the ground running early looking to add to the scoreboard as Sexton, for the fourth time, managed to drag his kick wide and it got even worse as he then failed with a fifth attempt. Two penalties, two misses, all within five minutes for Sexton. Does this give Declan Kidney questions about who they play at fly half against Australia? Kidney then rang in the changes on 50 minutes as Sexton and Murray made way for Eoin Reddan and Ronan O'Gara. The USA then worked their way back into Irish territory and managed to earn themselves a penalty after O'Callaghan failed to roll away from the tackle. Paterson duly kicked over on 54 minutes to put the Eagles on the scoreboard and give Ireland something to think about. Ireland 10-3 USA.
The Irish responded immediately on 56 minutes as they exploited the Eagles scrum which was driven back to within metres of the line. Rory Best peeled off the back of the scrum and evaded two tackles to go over in the corner. O'Gara continued where Sexton left off by putting wide a difficult kick from the far side. Ireland 15-3 USA. The USA looked to be running out of steam as Ireland were now in the ascendancy and Tommy Bowe added to the score after some good passing out wide and nice link up play between him and Brian O'Driscoll, saw him dive over putting the game out of reach for the Eagles. O'Gara magnificently kicked over from the far side. Ireland 22-3 USA. The introductions of Reddan and O'Gara had given Ireland a new lease of life as they were attacking with more intent than previously with Murray and Sexton. The Irish continued to pile on the pressure as they were looking to secure the bonus point but their over eagerness saw Gordan D'Arcy's pass intercepted by centre Paul Emerick who sprinted 40 metres to ground under the posts right on the final whistle . A well deserved try for their efforts. Paterson easily kicked the conversion. Ireland 22-10 USA.
Thoughts
Ireland will need to improve dramatically if they are to stand any chance against the Wallabies who ran out comfortable winners against Italy. Putting the poor weather conditions aside, they made their job harder by making fundamental errors. 12 handling mistakes, 14 errors and four missed penalties doesn't make good reading for Declan Kidney. Key players in the Irish 15 such as O'Driscoll, Heaslip and Sexton did not perform to the standard we have seen of them for their respective clubs. On the plus side, their scrum and maul completely dominated throughout and their experience showed through. Nevertheless, a win is a win.
The USA can take heart from a spirited performance against a well established team. They seemed to run of steam after Ireland's third try but the tackling they did all the way through the game was outstanding. The try they scored at the end was well deserved after their tremendous effort. Their biggest weakness was the scrum and maul as they were totally overpowered by a heavier Irish pack. The Eagles can go into their next game with newcomers Russia full of confidence.
Man of the Match
Tommy Bowe: Showed fine skill and movement for both tries
Ireland
Tries: Bowe (2), Best
Conversions: Sexton, O'Gara
Penalties: Sexton
USA
Tries: Emerick
Conversion: Paterson
Penalties: Paterson
