skip to main content

Ireland struggle past Samoa in final RWC warm-up

Updated / Saturday, 26 Aug 2023 21:50
The Irish eventually go the job done to preserve their unbeaten run
The Irish eventually go the job done to preserve their unbeaten run

Ireland will head to the Rugby World Cup off the back of a record 13th consecutive win, but their victory against Samoa will have offered more questions than answers to Andy Farrell.

The 17-13 was by some distance the worst Ireland have offered over this 13-month winning streak, as they battled through dreadful weather conditions and what looked like a large helping of pre-tournament nerves before eventually getting the job done against a Somoan side who will take huge confidence into Pool D of the World Cup.

With Farrell set to name his squad tomorrow, the main aim of this game in Bayonne was to get in and out with a win and a clean bill of health. A first half injury to Cian Healy means only one of those objectives could be reached.

The Leinster loosehead looked in real discomfort as he was helped from the field with a lower leg injury just after the 20 minute mark following a collapsed scrum, and was unable to put any weight on his right leg as he was helped from the field.

With the World Cup just two weeks away, the subconscious self-preservation of players means we can read too much into what have been an interesting set of results across the board this weekend, but the performance will come as a major wake-up call for the world's number one ranked team.

The inconsistent lineout from the first two warm-up games was taken apart by Samoa in the opening half, and while it improved with the introduction of Rob Herring and James Ryan after the break, it will be the biggest area of concern for Farrell and Paul O’Connell.

For several players, this was the game to book their place in the World Cup squad, which will be named tomorrow, but those contenders on the fringe of selection did little to boost their chances.

Tom Stewart couldn’t find top form and found himself part of a struggling lineout in the opening half, while Stuart McCloskey will have a nervous wait after throwing an intercept pass for Duncan Paia'aua’s first half try.

That score had levelled the game at 7-7 after Jimmy O’Brien put Ireland ahead, but two Lima Sopoaga penalties nudged the Samoans into a 13-7 lead early in the second half.

To Ireland’s credit, they battled back well with tries for Conor Murray and Rob Herring, but were left to cling on in the final minutes after Jack Crowley saw both conversions go wide of the posts.

It was an unusually scrappy start from Ireland; Iain Henderson let a lineout slip straight through his hands on their first foray into the 22, while a pair of errors from Hansen and Crowley saw them backtracking and defending close to their own line.

Ryan Baird was in disruptive mood on Samoa's lineout throw, and it was his pressure that forced a turnover to see Ireland score their opening try on nine minutes.

Caelan Doris led the groundwork with a hard, direct carry through midfield that occupied the Samoan defence, before Crowley floated a perfect crossfield kick to Hansen on the right wing, and the Connacht man drew in the final defender perfectly, then passing inside to O’Brien who ran in to score his first international try.

Crowley converted to send Ireland 7-0 in front, but it wasn’t a score to open the floodgates as Ireland continued to get caught up in a scrappy game, in part down to the torrential rain that fell for much of the opening half, but also due to an impressive and aggressive Samoan defensive line.

Their launch-play off lineouts continued to misfire; a deep penalty kick from Crowley gave them an ideal attacking platform in the 22 but after their maul was halted, Hansen found himself bundled into touch. Shortly after, a clever lineout move couldn’t yield a dividend after Tom Stewart’s inside pass to Josh van der Flier was forward.

Healy’s injury sucked some life from the game on 20 minutes, only tightening the pressure on the group who started to grow more and more disjointed.

Having seen early attacks stall due to a struggling maul, their ability to win clean lineout ball also deserted them as the half wore on, losing five of their 12 throws in the opening half as Theo McFarland in the Samoa second row excelled.

When Samoa struck for the equalising score on 35 minutes, Ireland had nobody to blame but themselves.

Attacking down the blindside of the pitch, McCloskey threw a misguided flat pass the bounce forward off Duncan Paia'aua, and the Samoa full-back sprinted clear to run in and score.

On first viewing it looked to be a clear knock-on, but replays showed it to be a great call by referee Wayne Barnes after the ball had bounced off Paia'aua’s face rather than his hands.

Lima Sopoaga converted to level the game at 7-7, and when he added a penalty on the stroke of half time after a dominant Samoan scrum, it gave his side a 10-7 lead at the break.

The former All Black out-half extended that lead four minutes into the second half, tapping over a penalty from straight in front of the posts to make it 13-7 as Ireland again came under pressure.

On 50 minutes, Rob Herring was called in to shore up a struggling lineout, and the Ulsterman's first throw was perfect to Baird, giving them the platform for what would be their second try. Having mauled forward a few yards, Murray cleverly broke down the blindside before passing to Stockdale, who put a delicate kick forward into the 22. It was a perfectly weighted chip from the wing, allowing Murray hold off his opposite number Jonathan Taumateine and dive over for the try.

It brought Ireland back within a point at 13-12, but they couldn’t nudge in front with Crowley’s conversion pushed to the right and wide.

Further experienced replacements arrived in the form of James Ryan and Peter O’Mahony and Ireland started to settle into the game as the rain dissipated after the 60 minute mark.

With fitness concerns around Dan Sheehan and Rónan Kelleher, Herring was continuing to prove his worth, and after he found Doris with another pinpoint lineout, the Ulster hooker was rewarded with a try after he touched down at the back of a maul to send Ireland 17-13 in front after 63 minutes. They couldn’t extend the advantage, with Samoa charging down Crowley’s conversion and deflecting it wide.

It proved to be the final score of the game, as Ireland anxiously defended their own 22 in the final minutes, before the relief of a spilled Samoan lineout allowed Hansen clear the lines, and send Ireland to the world cup on a record winning run.

Ireland: Jimmy O'Brien; Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Jack Crowley, Conor Murray; Cian Healy, Tom Stewart, Finlay Bealham; Iain Henderson (capt), Tadhg Beirne; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.

Replacements: Rob Herring, Jeremy Loughman, Tom O'Toole, James Ryan, Peter O'Mahony, Craig Casey, Ross Byrne, Garry Ringrose.

Samoa: Duncan Paia'aua; Ed Fidow, UJ Seuteni, Tumua Manu, Nigel Ah Wong; Lima Sopoaga, Jonathan Taumateine; James Lay, Seilala Lam, Paul Alo-Emile; Chris Vui (co-capt), Theo McFarland; Taleni Seu, Fritz Lee, Steven Luatua.

Replacements: Sama Malolo, Jordan Lay, Michael Ala'alatoa (co-capt), Miracle Fai'ilagi, Jordan Taufua, Ereatara Enari, Christian Leali'ifano, Neria Foma'i.

Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU).

More stories on

Read Next