2023-10-07 23:50:10
There was finally something human in this Clover XV so precise and mechanical that it crushed its Scottish opponent for more than an hour (36-0 until the 63rd minute) before leaving him a few crumbs of his feast (36-14) this Saturday evening in Saint-Denis. This fourth success propels Ireland to first place in its group ahead of South Africa, which it had dominated on September 23 on the same pitch (13-8), qualifies it for the quarter-finals where it will face, on this lawn still, New Zealand Saturday October 14 (9 p.m.). As expected, the Springboks will challenge the Blues the next day (9 p.m.) at the same place. In a Stade de France, transformed this Saturday evening into Aviva Stadium.
We would have thought we were in Dublin in fact. The Irish were at home in Saint-Denis. A magnetic green tide, spreading, behind its good humor and its pints of beer, its ancestral ballads. “Flower of Scotland”, the Scottish anthem, faded away like a soft song, leaving fans from the Highlands and Lowlands to mourn their lost hopes. The Scots were beaten. Off the field, already, where they were far from competing in numbers with the emerald-colored cohort who came to admire their diamonds. Then on the pitch, where the Irish expressed a superiority which must challenge the All Blacks, their future opponents in the quarter-final on Saturday evening (9 p.m.), in this same garden which they quickly made their own.
The XV du Chardon, now eliminated from the competition, showed itself to be spicy, but not enough and not long enough. Winger James Lowe’s first try from the 2nd minute on a three-quarter move like the Irish have the secret of did not extinguish his enthusiasm. But after repeated attacks and repelled for twenty minutes, the second try, scored by the back Keenan, ended all suspense (26th).
The rest looked like an Irish stroll, only troubled by a few frictions at the very start of the second half. Scottish full-back Ollie Smith, who tripped Jonathan Sexton, knocked the former Racing opener out of his hinges. General commotion.
Referee Nic Berry held up the yellow card for Ollie Smith and everyone calmed down. Sexton, 38, was quickly exfiltrated, just to rest his old bones. He finished following the meeting from the edge of the field (45th). It was then 31-0 and the Scots had their tongues in their socks. The demonstration continued for a while longer, promising a beautiful night in the streets of Paris.
Dots
Ireland: six tries from Ringrose (2nd, 58th), Keenan (26th, 39th), Henderson (32nd), Sheehan (44th), three conversions from Sexton (26th, 32nd, 39th)
Scotland: two tries from Ashman (64th), Price (66th), two conversions from Russell
#Rugby #World #Cup #Ireland #sweeps #Scotland #challenge #Blacks #quarterfinal