Ireland warm up for Australian clash with a big win over Fiji
Ireland vs Fiji: Ireland's Craig Casey scores a try despite Fiji's Peni Matawalu
Ireland scored eight tries to easily see off the challenge of Fiji in their Autumn Nations Series fixture at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Ireland struck first in the 5th minute with a wonderful training ground move off the back of a lineout. Joe McCarthy collected Gus McCarthy’s throw in the air and popped it down to Josh van der Flier, who in turn fed the looping hooker Gus McCarthy and the debutant gave a delightful reverse inside pass to Caelan Doris, who was running a hard inside line, to crash over.
In the 7th minute Sam Prendergast, making his first start for Ireland, was brandished with a yellow card for shouldering Kitione Salawa into the head, and the young outhalf breathed a huge sigh of relief when it was not upgraded to a red a few minutes later.
Ireland doubled their lead while down to 14 men, when they showed some lovely ingenuity from a tapped 5m penalty to send openside Josh van der Flier over in the 15th minute, with Craig Casey kicking a rare conversion.
Fiji got themselves on the board with a Caleb Muntz penalty in the 18th minute, only for them to almost immediately go down to 14 themselves when loose-head Eroni Mawi was yellow-carded.
Ireland crossed again on the half-hour mark, as Gus McCarthy peeled off the back of a maul and gave a brilliant offload to Craig Casey, who scored in the right corner with a grid iron-style tumble, for his first international try.
Fiji’s lack of discipline kept giving Ireland attacking platforms in their 22 and they eventually made this count with the last play of the half when Prendergast had the simple task of kicking to the completely unmarked Mack Hansen to walk in the easiest of tries in the right corner, after Fiji had completely narrowed their defensive line, to ensure that Ireland led 28-3 at half time.
Ireland were immediately in the ascendancy in the second half as Bundee Aki walked in a simple try in the 47th minute after a huge hole had appeared in the Fijian line.
Openside Kitione Salawa burrowed over for Fiji’s first try in the 54th minute, but Ireland scored next when the impressive hooker Gus McCarthy marked his debut by crashing over at the back of a maul in the 64th minute to stretch Ireland past the 40-point barrier.
Almost immediately Muntz made a brilliant half-break through the Irish middle and offloaded to Satareki Turagacoke who raced home to score, although the try scorer was almost instantly sin-binned after the restart which allowed Ireland to dominate the last minutes, with a fantastic Casey pass putting Hansen away in the right corner.
Ronan Kelleher played a simple one-two with Doris off a lineout to go over for try number eight in the 78th minute, as the Fijian challenge had long since wilted.
S Prendergast (5 cons), C Casey (1 try, 1 con), M Hansen (2 tries), C Doris, J van der Flier, B Aki, G McCarthy, R Kelleher (1 try each).
C Muntz (1 pen, 2 cons), K Salawa, S Turagacoke (1 try each).
J Osborne; M Hansen, R Henshaw, B Aki, J Stockdale; S Prendergast, C Casey; A Porter, G McCarthy, F Bealham; J McCarthy, T Beirne; C Izuchukwu, J van der Flier, C Doris (c).
C Frawley for J Osborne (27), T O'Toole, T Clarkson, C Prendergast, S McCloskey for A Porter, F Bealham, J van der Flier and R Henshaw (47), C Murray for J Stockdale (49), I Henderson for C Izuchukwu (50), R Kelleher for B Aki (72).
V Karawalevu; J Wainiqolo, W Nayacalevu (jc), J Tuisova, P Loganimasi; C Muntz, F Lomani; E Mawi, T Ikanivere (jc), L Tagi; M Vocevoce, T Mayanavanua; R Meli Derenalagi, K Salawa, E Canakaivata.
P Matawalu for F Lomani (22), H Hetet for K Salawa (20), K Salawa for H Hete (28), S Tawake for L Tagi (40), S Matavesi for T Ikanivere (48), S Maqala for P Loganimasi (56), S Turagacoke, A Tuisue for T Mayanavanua; R Meli Derenalagi (59).
Hollie Davidson (Sco)
App?
