CONNAUGHT DEFEAT MIGHTY MUNSTER 24-16

Conaught 24-16 Munster

Conaught claimed the prized scalp of provincial rivals Munster after fighting back from 13 points down to clinch a memorable 24-16 New Year's Day derby victory in gusty Galway.
Conaught’s first win over Munster since December 2008 - and only their second in the last 42 meetings - saw them extend their unbeaten home record this season to eight games.
Ian Keatley, the former Conaught fly-half, used his knowledge of the famed Sportsground wind to help Munster lead this hard-edged Guinness Pro12 derby 13-0 by the quarter hour mark.
He converted Peter O'Mahony's 10th-minute try and kicked two penalties in very difficult conditions, before a brilliantly engineered try by Kieran Marmion - started and converted by Craig Ronaldson - got Connacht back in touch.
Keatley's third successful penalty made it 16-7 to the visitors at half-time, only for wind-backed Conaught to respond with 17 unanswered points in the third quarter.
Well-worked tries from fly-half Ronaldson and lock Aly Muldowney were both converted by Darragh Leader, with Ronaldson's replacement Miah Nikora landing a 55th-minute penalty.
Although they threw everything at Conaught in a gripping climax, Munster endured a scoreless second half thanks to some defiant, disciplined defending from the hosts.
This interprovincial tie started as it finished, with Anthony Foley's side pinning Conaught back in their 22.
After returning captain O'Mahony forced his Conaught counterpart John Muldoon to concede a ruck penalty, Keatley gave the visitors a seventh-minute lead.
Conaught's maul defence has been particularly strong this season, but they were found wanting when O'Mahony found space to power over in the left corner with support from BJ Botha and Duncan Williams.
A superb conversion was swung over by Keatley for 10-0 and he soon added a second penalty, as Conaught desperately tried to bludgeon forward through their pack and lively centre Bundee Aki.
It took some terrific interplay between the home backs on the half hour to finally carve open the Munster defence.
Man-of-the-match Robbie Henshaw gobbled up Ronaldson's pinpoint kick over the top and he rode a tackle before passing for the supporting Marmion to dive over to the left of the posts.
Ronaldson drove over the conversion to close the gap to six points and just as the tide seemed to be turning, a high tackle by Aki on Simon Zebo allowed Keatley to close out the first half's scoring.
However, Conaught made the ideal start to the second period, Henshaw again hurtling through the Munster midfield and although Aki was hauled down close to the posts, a quick recycle saw Ronaldson crash over past two defenders.
The Conaught fly-half injured himself in the act of scoring, so winger Leader stepped up to add the conversion and make it a two-point game - 16-14.
The centre pairing of Aki and Henshaw did some further damage before an offside decision saw Nikora boot Connaught in front with 25 minutes remaining.
A storming carry by Quinn Roux soon got Conaught back into scoring range and from a subsequent scrum, the fast-breaking Marmion was stopped just short before Muldowney muscled over from a couple of metres out.
The home crowd roared with delight as Leader added the extras from the left and despite Paul O'Connell and company clawing their way back to the 22 through countless phases, Conaught survived a spate of late onslaughts to ensure they started 2015 with a considerable bang.
(c) Rte

POSSIBLE IRISH TEAM TO FACE AUSTRALIA THIS WEEKEND

Ireland play Australia in the last game of the Autumn Internationals having already beaten South Africa and Georgia thus far.

Here is my possible team to face the Wallabies on Saturday:

After the defeat of mighty South Africa and the downing of dour Georgia, a tough assignment awaits Joe Smidt's Irish team next Saturday.

Hopefully, Ireland can continue their 6 match winning streak against the Antipodians.

IRELAND WIN 6 NATIONS IN THRILLING VICTORY IN FRANCE

                FRANCE 20-22 IRELAND

 

The early belief in Ireland’s ability to masterfully carry out Joe Schmidt’s latest game plan was tested as soon as we entered a frenzied Stade de France this evening.

 

Any doubts that France would provide their finest performance of the championship were quelled by the volume and simmering atmosphere of an unexplainable Parisian confidence.

 

The coaches boxes are situated in the lower tiers of the stand, in amongst the supporters; would the messages from Schmidt and his coaching team be clear?

 Paul O’Connell seemed confused when Steve Walsh informed him his team were playing from right to left in the first half rather than vice-versa; was the Irish focus in tune?

 

Discipline had been a cornerstone of Ireland’s Six Nations campaign, but there was Chris Henry being pinged in the first minute and allowing Maxime Machenaud to give the home team a 3-0 lead.

 

Gordon D’Arcy and Brian O’Driscoll have built their careers on chopping down bigger men, but here was the beastly Mathieu Bastareaud careering straight through them in the third minute.

 

Brass bands at either end of the Stade de France reacted to les Bleus’ explosive start, bouncing their tunes off each other as if teasing the Irish players. There was an early sense that this was exactly how Philippe Saint-André wanted the game to play out.

 

But Schmidt’s Ireland are made of sterner stuff than so many of their peers in the recent past. They rode out the storm as the Fields of Athenry bellowed out, managing the frenetic French attack and then showing an utterly clinical edge to score two superb tries midway through the first half.

The second in particular showed what Schmidt has brought to the international arena. Conor Murray knew space would appear to the right of the ruck after O’Driscoll’s carry, Andrew Trimble knew he would get a pass from the scrum-half if he ran the trailing run from deep; Ireland’s players trusting the plan, a joy to watch.

   

And France came back again to make it a thrilling encounter; what better way for Ireland to win the Six Nations than by winning away against a team performing at their seasonal peak.

 

The precision and skill shown by Huget, Talès and a host of tryline-battering forwards to create Dulin’s try would have made Schmidt himself proud.

It took something extra from Ireland to get over their crippling Parisian hurdle. The stunning Chris Henry offload for Sexton’s first try, the exuberance of the counter-attack to create the out-half’s second; Irish players imposing themselves on the game rather than hoping it would fall their way.

 

The end-game pushed those present and watching at home to the edge of their seats, as we had suspected it would. Ireland just don’t cope with these situations, the noise descending on them in Saint-Denis, that feeling that everything could again slip away at the last moment.

Paul O’Connell admitted that he was disappointed with how Ireland closed out the game in those final 10 minutes, but he was overlooking his own team’s input in halting the desperate last gamble of the French.

O’Driscoll did enough to rush Vincent Debaty into forcing his pass, Iain Henderson enveloped Damien Chouly at the back of a scrum, Ian Madigan found touch superbly from the Irish 22. All the little actions, the little details, added up to ensure Ireland did enough.

 

It was a celebration of O’Driscoll’s career, and the iconic outside centre signed off in style as he contributed hugely both physically and mentally. Ireland's record try-scorer and record world caps holder enjoyed a fitting finale to end a glittering career.

This was the certain end of something that has been magical, but quite possibly the start of something that can provide further joy.

 

The Schmidt revolution is not even a season old, but he and his players have delivered.

 

(c)Journal.ie