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O'Connell 'loved' Ireland's 'hunger and intent'

O'Connell 'loved' Ireland's 'hunger and intent'

Yahoo21 hours ago
Ireland interim head coach Paul O'Connell said he "loved" the "intent" and "hunger" his players showed in Saturday's 34-5 Test win over Georgia in Tbilisi.
An inexperienced Ireland squad, which featured six debutants, proved too strong for their hosts thanks to Tommy O'Brien's early double and second-half tries from first-time captain Craig Casey and Nick Timoney.
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O'Connell, who will also lead Ireland in next week's encounter with Portugal in Lisbon while head coach Andy Farrell is with the British and Irish Lions, was buoyed by how his side adapted to the rainy conditions.
The former Ireland captain said: "We prepared for a certain type of conditions.
"Unfortunately, today, it ended up with different conditions and that's what's most most pleasing: our half-backs and the leadership in the team were able to flick a switch and change the plan and deliver a really accurate plan given the conditions we had.
"I loved the intent the players played with, I loved the hunger they played with, I loved how tough they were and how accurate they were."
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O'Brien was one of two Ireland debutants in the starting line-up, with Michael Milne, Tom Ahern, Jack Aungier and Ben Murphy earning their first caps off the bench.
"In terms of our new caps, it's exciting because we actually haven't had a massive amount of injuries in the past few years," added O'Connell.
"Sometimes you need someone to have an injury to get a chance, so for the team to have done so well to allow so many players to go on the Lions and give these players an opportunity is brilliant for us.
"They all have a story to tell. Tommy O'Brien played against Georgia in 2018 as an under-20 player, he's been through a lot of stuff with injuries. Other guys have had to move province to try and get game time. They've been through a lot to get their opportunity."
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Casey, whose early second-half try dented Georgia's hopes of launching a fightback, said captaining his country is "certainly up there" with the best moments of his career.
"Very nice feeling feeling in that dressing room afterwards," said the Munster scrum-half, 26.
"Building all week, winning is the most important especially as the captain and it's certainly a nice feeling, so it ranks highly."
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Clayton Kershaw makes his 11th All-Star team. James Wood the youngest All-Star at 22
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