Ireland on Saturday ripped apart Scotland in an impressive 36-14 win to finish top of their group at the Rugby World Cup while England survived a scare to beat Samoa by a point.
England, the only northern hemisphere team to have claimed rugby’s biggest prize, squeezed past the Pacific Islanders 18-17 in Lille thanks to a late Danny Care try.
Yet in their demolition of the Scots at the Stade de France, building on their defeat of South Africa, the Irish underlined they have what it takes to become the second world champions from the northern hemisphere.
Photo: AFP
The Irish are to face three-time champions New Zealand in the last eight on Saturday seeking to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first time in their history.
James Lowe scored the first try as Ireland tore into the Scots with a devastating first-half performance.
Scotland suffered an early blow when they lost captain Jamie Ritchie following a crushing tackle.
Hugo Keenan grabbed two more tries for Ireland, either side of Iain Henderson touching down and they led 26-0 at halftime.
Dan Sheehan and Garry Ringrose completed Ireland’s six-try haul that guaranteed a bonus point.
It was only when Ireland decreased the intensity that Scotland scored two consolation tries through Ewan Ashman and Ali Price.
Ireland captain Johnny Sexton said that his side had made light work of Pool B, probably the toughest of the tournament.
“We’re delighted to win the pool, and we know this is where we want to be now. We’re in the quarter-finals against the toughest opposition we could get,” Sexton said. “The way the draw was made three years ago turned out to be a bit unfair, but it’s the hand that we were dealt and we have to be ready for New Zealand next week.”
Scotland have failed to make the quarter-finals in three of the past four World Cups.
“Ireland were excellent tonight, probably the best I have ever seen them play,” Scotland coach Gregor Townsend said. “It’s the reason why they are probably one of the two favorites for the World Cup.”
England, who were already guaranteed to finish top of Pool D after three wins, opened brightly in Lille with a try by Ollie Chessum and a penalty from Owen Farrell, which took the captain past Jonny Wilkinson’s points record for England.
“What a player he is,” said England coach Steve Borthwick, whose side are likely to face Fiji in the quarter-finals.
“I know everyone is going to talk about kicking the points, but what a phenomenal player and leader,” he added.
Samoa, who have sputtered through the tournament with defeats by Japan and Argentina, sparked into life in this game, with two thrilling tries from wing Nigel Ah-Wong. Playing with real passion and power, the Samoans might have had a third try, but Duncan Paia’aua’s effort was ruled out by the television match official for a knock-on in the build-up.
In Saturday’s other game, Wales secured top spot in Pool C with a 43-19 win over Georgia.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
VALUABLE POINT: Relegation-threatened Valencia snatched a thrilling 3-3 draw at CA Osasuna thanks to a remarkable backheel volley by Umar Sadiq Barcelona on Sunday secured a comfortable 4-0 win over Real Sociedad to move back top of La Liga. Aritz Elustondo’s early red card gave Hansi Flick’s side a comfortable afternoon, with Gerard Martin, Marc Casado, Ronald Araujo and Robert Lewandowski on the score sheet. Atletico Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao on Saturday to temporarily knock the Catalans from their perch, while Real Madrid, third, lost at Real Betis Balompie. Flick was able to rotate his side a little ahead of the UEFA Champions League round-of-16 visit to face SL Benfica tomorrow and still move one point above Atletico. “There were a lot of things that
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
RSS