Ireland 15-6 Asutralia
Jack Leahy
Ireland produced the shock result of the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the biggest in the history of Irish rugby by overcoming Tri-Nations champions Australia 15-6 at Eden Park.
Johnny Sexton and Ronan O’Gara landed two penalties each to supplement Sexton’s first-half drop goal. All that Australia could manage in response were two James O’Connor penalties as they missed out on losing bonus point.
The game ended with a flourish as Tommy Bowe was caught 5m short by a brilliant tackle from O’Connor having intercepted Quade Cooper’s pass in his own 22 and raced towards the Australian line. Replacement scrum-half Conor Murray went one better in crossing the line but play was brought back for an offensive offside.
While this was a stunning team performance, particular credit has to go to the Irish forward pack, who consistently drove their opposition numbers into the ground in the scrum and earned their side a number of penalties.
It took a superhuman effort to deny the Australians a try in a half dominated by the kickers, with both Sexton and O’Connor missing the target twice as doubts persist over the suitability of the tournament ball.
Sexton slotted a penalty in the 16th minute and, when a period spent camped in the Aussie 22 looked to have ended fruitlessly, he stabbed home a drop-goal to put his side 6-3 ahead. A succession of needless penalties gave O’Connor the necessary number of opportunities to equalise.
The Irish back-row did superbly to marshal half-backs Will Genia and Cooper, repressing the creative urges of Australia’s super-talented back division.
Yet when the half-time whistle went, the omens still favoured Australia – the memory of how Italy got on having gone in at 6-6 on Sunday was still fresh in the minds of those watching. Despite being stifled, there was the looming danger that Cooper could create something from nothing if allowed space.
However, Declan Kidney’s charges summoned one of those Irish performances to force their opponents onto the back foot. Scrums went down on a consistent basis and Stephen Ferris and Sean O’Brien denied the Australians the quick ball on which their game is built.
Gordon D’Arcy was replaced just after half-time with a worrying injury, with Johnny Sexton slotting into the inside centre position as Ronan O’Gara came on.
Despite O’Gara’s presence on the pitch, captain Brian O’Driscoll was unperturbed by handing the ball to Sexton when a kickable opportunity presented itself. The gamble didn’t pay off, however, as Sexton’s effort rebounded off the post and O’Driscoll couldn’t gather the loose ball.
The pack continued to turn the screw on their opponents, who fatally lost the services of David Pocock and Stephen Moore before the game. Penalties continued to come and, with O’Gara having assumed kicking duties, Ireland pushed themselves beyond the reach of a converted try with two penalties. The score was 15-6 with nine minutes remaining.
The remaining time was played out breathlessly, as a rare functioning Australian scrum brought Genia within centimentres of the Irish line. Anthony Fainga’a could have put James O’Connor over the line had he looked before he played his ultimately touch-bound pass.
At the other end, Murray’s try was disallowed, allowing Australia one more platform to attack. Once again, they looked set to score before Bowe intercepted Cooper’s loose pass and sprinted 90m before ending up in touch.
It didn’t matter, however, that he didn’t score; the ball was 100m from the Irish line and the clock was red. Game over, and history made as Ireland beat Australia for the first time in a World Cup.
