Lions v Waratahs preview: Andy Farrell using the relentless tour schedule to build resilience ahead of Tests
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The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Paul O'Connell praises hungry Ireland squad after strong summer start against Georgia
PAUL O'CONNELL claims his Ireland cubs want to be kings of the jungle while the Lions are away. 2 Interim Ireland boss Paul O'Connell praised the young team for their win against a physical Georgia outfit 2 O'Connell says the players are hungry to make an impression with the Lions series underway in Australia The former international takes interim charge of Ireland for their summer series — with Portugal to come in Lisbon on Saturday — as head coach Andy Farrell and 16 stars are Down Under for the tour of Australia. Munster and Ireland legend O'Connell, 45, said: 'It's a very important game, a lot of players away with the Lions. 'We've had a load of guys dying for an opportunity and you wonder how they will take that opportunity. 'I'm very happy with how they went about their business, they had a load of intent and they were really accurate.' read more on rugby Minus a plethora of players — including injured duo Caelan Doris and Robbie Henshaw — Ireland showed their strength in depth with an assured display on a rain-soaked pitch. O'Brien raced over twice inside the opening exchanges before Craig Casey marked his captaincy debut with a fine try at the start of the second period. Nick Timoney wrapped up the scoring late on, while Sam Prendergast was faultless off the tee and kicked 14 points. Former Ireland Under-20 captain O'Brien only needed two minutes to get off the mark as he latched on to Prendergast's kick and touched down next to the posts. Most read in Uncategorized Leinster fly-half Prendergast's successful conversion was swiftly followed by a second score for Ireland in the eighth minute. It was the same combination again as the No 10 sent the ball over the top and club team-mate O'Brien crossed over in the right corner. Craig Casey shares hilarious 'fear' weighing on him before captaining Ireland for first time vs Georgia After Prendergast added the extras to make it 14-0, Georgia mounted a response, with boos following the TMO decision to disallow Aka Tabutsadze's superb solo effort. The TMO was required again to rule out a try by Prendergast before Ireland ended the half on a sour note. Jacob Stockdale was forced off with an arm injury before Georgia deservedly got on the scoreboard. With the clock in the red, the hosts broke through in the corner through Tornike Jalagonia. It was a poor end to a professional half, but interim Ireland skipper Casey stepped up after the break. The Munster star stormed over inside 60 seconds after he combined with Ryan Baird. Another Prendergast conversion was followed by two penalties as Ireland established a 22-point advantage by the midway point of the second half. POC then shuffled his pack with Tom Ahern and Jack Aungier sent on for debuts. It was followed by a fourth try as Timoney collected a bouncing kick to bundle over despite the presence of two Georgian players, a score that survived a TMO check. Georgia head coach Richard Cockerill added: 'We had opportunities that we didn't take, but Ireland were too good.' GEORGIA 5 IRELAND 35 SCORERS — Georgia: Try, Jalagonia. Ireland: Tries, O'Brien 2, Casey, Timoney; cons, Prendergast 4; pens, Prendergast
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Paul O'Connell content with how Irish went about their businss in Georgia
Ireland interim head coach Paul O'Connell hailed his side for dealing with a fired-up Georgian side in difficult wet conditions in Tbilisi before running out 34-5 winners. Two tries from Tommy O'Brien — one of half a dozen debuts on a rainy night in Georgia — and one apiece from stand-in skipper Craig Casey and flanker Nick Timoney, recalled for the first time in three years, was enough to ensure Ireland made it six wins from six in a real banana skin fixture. 'It was a very important game, a lot of players away with the Lions,' said O'Connell after his first game in charge of his country. 'We had a load of guys who were just dying for an opportunity and you wonder how they will take that opportunity, particularly some of them hadn't played games in a while. 'I'm very happy with how they went about their business. They had a load of intent in what they did and they were really accurate with that intent,' said O'Connell before his side departs to Lisbon on Sunday for their clash with Portugal next Saturday. Skipper Casey crowned his first game as captain with a try and the scrum-half from Limerick, who was in constant and concise communication with Italian referee Andrea Piardi (no stranger to Munster fans after the Bulls debacle last season) was understandably pleased with how it all went in difficult conditions at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi. 'Obviously, very happy,' said Casey. 'It was a bit wetter than we expected during the week and we had to adapt our game. I thought we managed the game fairly well. Our forwards were top class tonight so we have a lot to owe to them. 'The feeling in the group is awesome. It's a great start to the summer tour. There were a few lads making their first caps and we wanted to make it special for them and their families and thankfully we did that.'
RTÉ News
4 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Tommy O'Brien grabs brace as Ireland pass Georgia test
Ireland started their Summer Test series with a comfortable if scrappy win over Georgia in Tbilisi. A largely second string outfit, under interim coach Paul O'Connell, scored four tries and never looked in danger of a first ever loss to the Lelos. Tommy O'Brien marked his debut with two well taken scores inside the opening eight minutes, while captain Craig Casey and Nick Timoney helped themselves to second-half tries. Out-half Sam Prendergast was flawless off the tee, converting all four tries and adding two penalties. There were also debuts for Darragh Murray, Michael Milne, Jack Aungier, Tom Ahern and Ben Murphy as Ireland made light of the absence of 16 players on Lions duty, seeing off a Georgia team who had their eye on an upset. O'Connell said: "It's a very important game, a lot of players away with the Lions. "We've had a load of guys dying for an opportunity and you wonder how they will take that opportunity. "I'm very happy with how they went about their business, they had a load of intent in what they did and they were really accurate with that intent." More to follow... Georgia: Davit Niniashvili; Aka Tabutsadze, Demur Tapladze, Giorgi Kveseladze, Sandro Todua; Luka Matkava, Vasil Lobzhanidze; Giorgi Akhaladze, Vano Karkadze, Irakli Aptsiauri; Mikheil Babunashvili, Lado Chachanidze; Luka Ivanishvili, Beka Saghinadze (capt), Tornike Jalagonia. Replacements: Irakli Kvatadze, Giorgi Tetrashvili, Beka Gigashvili, Guram Ganiashvili, Ilia Spalacknderashvili, Mikheil Alania, Tedo Abzhandadze, Tornike Kakhoidze. Ireland: Jimmy O'Brien; Tommy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Sam Prendergast, Craig Casey (capt); Jack Boyle, Gus McCarthy, Thomas Clarkson; Cormac Izuchukwu, Darragh Murray; Ryan Baird, Nick Timoney, Gavin Coombes.
