IRELAND 82 8 ROMANIA
Saturday 9 September Stade de Bordeaux. Attendance: 41,170
In this match Ireland got their biggest World Cup win and carried for over 1,000 metres in a RWC match for the first time. Johnny Sexton scored 24 points to match David Humphreys’s 1999 record and, at 38 years 58 days, replaced John Hayes as Ireland’s oldest men’s international. Nika Amashukeli became the first Georgian ref at a RWC.
Magic moment Romania striking after just 2min 11sec. Hinckley Vaovasa intercepted Sexton’s grubber, tore up the left and put Gabriel Rupanu over.
Winners’ podium Coach Andy Farrell: “In the second half we were composed and showed how in sync we were with ball in hand. Our fitness was great.”
And the losers… Captain Cristian Chirica: “Stay with us because as a small team we will fight with every drop of our energy to make Romanians proud.”
IRELAND H Keenan; K Earls (M Hansen 60), G Ringrose, B Aki, J Lowe; J Sexton (capt, J Crowley 66), J Gibson-Park (C Murray 60); A Porter (J Loughman 51), R Herring (R Kelleher 51), T Furlong (T O’Toole 51), J McCarthy, J Ryan (I Henderson 56), T Beirne, P O’Mahony, C Doris (J van der Flier 56).
Tries Gibson-Park 5, Keenan 12, Beirne 17, 80, Aki 34, 75, Sexton 40, 62, Herring 45, O’Mahony 50, 70, McCarthy 67
Cons Sexton 7, Crowley 4
ROMANIA M Simionescu; N Onutu, J Tomane, F Tangimana (T Manumua 66), T Manumua (T Gontineac 57); H Vaovasa (T Boldor 61), G Rupanu (A Conache 74); I Hartig (A Savin 49), O Cojocaru (F Bardasu 55), A Gordas (G Gajion 52), A Motoc, S Iancu (M Iftimiciuc 61), F Rosu (D Ser 61), V Neculau, C Chirica (capt).
Simionescu 31
Try Rupanu 2 Pen Rupanu
Ref Nika Amashukeli (Georgia). Star Man Peter O’Mahony
SOUTH AFRICA 18 3 SCOTLAND
Sunday 10 September Stade de
