Centre Aoife Dalton goes on the attack during Ireland’s energised start in Brighton (©INPHO/Dan Sheridan)
RICHARD BULLICK IN BRIGHTON
TEENAGE sensation Braxton Sorensen-McGee claimed a hat-trick of tries as world champions New Zealand avenged last September’s loss to Ireland with a comprehensive 40-0 victory over Scott Bemand’s side in front of a capacity crowd of more than 30,000 in Brighton.
The outcome means that Ireland will face France in this Sunday’s quarter-final in Exeter (1.00pm), with New Zealand’s reward for topping Pool C being a last eight tie against surprise package South Africa at the same Sandy Park venue 24 hours earlier.
Both these teams had already qualified for the knockout stages courtesy of last month’s bonus-point victories over Japan and Spain, but there was still plenty at stake in this eagerly-awaited clash in the final round of group games.
Brighton had played host to unfancied underdogs Japan shocking South Africa in the men’s World Cup a decade ago and Sunday’s match took place on the 20th anniversary of David Healy’s winning goal for Northern Ireland against England in football.
So those seemed good omens but there was always a danger that the scoreboard could turn ugly given New Zealand’s exceptional talent and the injury-enforced absence of several leading lights from the Ireland team, notably Aoife Wafer, Dorothy Wall and Erin King.
Playing in front of an unprecedented sea of green, pumped-up Ireland did get off to a fast start for the third time in three matches at this tournament, but on this occasion couldn’t convert impressive pressure into scoreboard reward as the Kiwis weathered the early storm.
To rub salt in the wounds, when New Zealand did take the lead largely against the run of play, the try from Stacey Waaka wide on the right looked like it had come from a forward pass by Sorensen-McGee, who would later score her second hat-trick of the tournament.
The flying winger got her third touchdown of this World Cup Pool C decider in the penultimate minute of the match and the ambitious Black Ferns opened out from the resulting restart with seconds remaining to score a stunning try with the clock red.
Those two tries right at the death gave the scoreboard a demoralising look from an Ireland perspective and the emphatic 40-point margin of victory unquestionably flattered New Zealand, who had led 19-0 at the interval.
Rather than the floodgates opening, Ireland had conceded only once in the second half up until almost the end of an afternoon when they defended considerably better than their previous outing against a lower-ranked Spanish side who managed to score five tries.
But New Zealand’s defence, featuring claustrophobic line-speed, was really outstanding on the day as they held Ireland scoreless despite Bemand’s team, playing in white rather than green jerseys, having 57 percent of the territory and also shading the possession stakes.
Ireland also conceded just eight penalties to New Zealand’s 11, but the star-studded Black Ferns were simply much more clinical in attack, comfortably eclipsing their opponents in terms of clean breaks, defenders beaten and offloads.
As a result of finishing runners-up in their group, Ireland will now face familiar foes in their last eight tie at Sandy Park on Sunday after hitherto misfiring France predictably crushed South Africa 57-10 to top Pool D.
Bemand’s side have been targeting this potential showdown with the French ever since the draw was made and took confidence from the Six Nations clash between the countries at the end of March when Ireland felt they let an achievable victory slip from their grasp.
It remains to be seen what mental scars the New Zealand defeat may have left on Ireland in terms of affecting confidence and some of the physical knocks may cause concern, not least the foot injury which caused Stacey Flood to be taken off on a medical cart before half-time.
Ireland boss Bemand seems confident Flood may yet be available for the quarter-final along with skipper Edel McMahon and Eve Higgins, who passed her head injury assessment near the end, while a first appearance of the tournament from Wafer would be a huge boost.
Taliswoman Wafer, this year’s Six Nations Player of the Championship and Player of the Match when Ireland defeated New Zealand last autumn, hasn’t featured yet in the World Cup as she recovers from knee surgery.
Prop Ellena Perry was a late cry-off from the side selected to take on New Zealand so she must also be regarded at least doubtful for the quarter-final and, with just four other props in the squad, Ireland may even need to consider contingency plans.
Although both teams had already booked their passage to the quarter-finals, there was no shortage of interest in this concluding group game, especially in light of Ireland’s famous upset of New Zealand less than 12 months ago.
They faced an inevitable backlash and ultimately the Black Ferns won well but, after the anthems and a tense stand-off following New Zealand’s pre-match haka, Ireland began brightly when this much-anticipated clash got underway on a balmy afternoon.
Reprising her Vancouver role as a constant nuisance to the opposition, Perry’s replacement Niamh O’Dowd was up quickly to apply pressure from Dannah O’Brien’s kick-off and Ireland carried with real intent after Flood ran back the Black Ferns’ clearance.
A bustling half-break by Aoife Dalton raised the decibel levels but Ireland elected to go to the right corner from a kickable penalty during those early exchanges and Ruth Campbell was bundled out in the corner after coming round the front from Sam Monaghan’s lineout take.
Stacey Flood being shut down by star centre pairing of Sylvia Brunt (left) and Stacey Waaka
Ulster’s Brittany Hogan knocked on an unsympathetic pass from scrumhalf Aoibheann Reilly a few metres from the line and centre Higgins was stopped just short as Ireland absolutely bossed the first 10 minutes without scoreboard reward.
The dangerous Dalton had another couple of darting bursts, being just caught by the boot on one occasion, and although play stopped briefly for the UK’s emergency alert at 3pm it certainly wasn’t an Irish distress signal at that stage.
There was a nagging sense though that Ireland’s failure to turn pressure into points could be compounded by the Black Ferns being clinical when their chances came, and New Zealand duly led 12-0 against the run of play by midway through the first half.
Dalton hauled down the opposition No 8 after her initial break but New Zealand had numbers on the right and decorated outside centre Waaka crossed in the corner for the first try of the match, though the scoring offload from Sorensen-McGee should surely have been reviewed.
Experienced fullback Renee Holmes added the extras, though her second conversion attempt was successfully charged by Beibhinn Parsons and Flood after powerful loosehead prop Chryss Viliko had forced her way over the whitewash from a well-worked lineout.
There was danger just before the half hour when Ulsterwoman Neve Jones seemed to overthrow a lineout in her own 22 but New Zealand knocked on and Ireland forced a penalty at the resulting scrum, though the injury to Flood cast a cloud before long.
The Dubliner was left writhing in agony after team-mate Grace Moore stepped back onto her foot at a breakdown, though New Zealand were fortunate that Slyvia Brunt’s suspect clear-out on the Ireland flanker immediately thereafter wasn’t picked up on by the match officials.
Flood got a great ovation and applauded the crowd in return as she was driven off after a lengthy stoppage with the clock showing 33 minutes, with Nancy McGillivray coming on to partner Dalton in the centre and Higgins switching to fullback.
New Zealand’s third try followed soon afterwards, Dalton having to help Parsons snuff out the threat of the legendary Portia Woodman-Wickliffe wide on the left off turnover ball but the Black Ferns then spread it right where Waaka released Sorensen-McGee.
The young winger stepped inside the attempted tackle of makeshift fullback Higgins to score, with the well-struck conversion from Holmes extending New Zealand’s interval lead to 19 points and leaving Ireland’s hopes of another major upset looking very slim.
But Ireland again started strongly in the second half, Dalton making ground down the right flank after carries by O’Dowd, Moore and McMahon, but that platform led to 20 ultimately fruitless phases in the Black Ferns 22 and no sinbin for a cynical knock-on by the Kiwis.
That passage ended with McMahon leaving the field following treatment, replaced by Claire Boles from Fermanagh, and Bemand also surprisingly withdrew the dangerous Parsons on 44 minutes, Anna McGann taking over on the right wing.
Ireland were reprieved by a poor cross-kick from Holmes after great scramble defence on the other side of the pitch just before Cliodhna Moloney-McDonald replaced Jones at hooker with half an hour remaining.
Higgins almost got away wide on the left and then the crowd were on their feet as Amee-Leigh Costigan chased a teasing kick by O’Brien down the line on that same side, but the ball agonisingly screwed into touch-in-goal just before she could get there.
New Zealand’s bonus-point try came just before the hour mark, a deliberate knock-on by McGillivray resulting in a penalty to the left corner and then play going right from the lineout for Sorensen-McGee to get her second touchdown of the day.
Holmes brought the touchline conversion just inside the near right upright, followed by Bemand making four changes with Sadhbh McGrath, Siobhan McCarthy, Eimear Corri-Fallon and Emily Lane replacing Linda Djougang, O’Dowd, Monaghan and Reilly.
O’Brien belatedly tried a little dink over the top for Dalton to chase and Ireland hammered away at the New Zealand line for a sustained spell early in the final quarter but that elusive score simply wouldn’t come and Moloney-McDonald was eventually isolated and penalised.
A huge roar from the crowd greeted an Ireland penalty, which was superbly kicked into the right corner by O’Brien, and they got plenty more encouragement through the next few minutes, but the ball was eventually held up over the New Zealand line.
Higgins had another nice cut on the left that led to a penalty, which O’Brien surprised New Zealand by tapping, and she got to within five metres of the line but the world champions won a turnover and kicked the ball long downfield.
It was fumbled by Higgins and New Zealand raced clear for an apparent try by Holmes, which was retrospectively ruled out for a Kiwi knock-on, though there was nothing deemed untoward about the knee to the head which triggered the Ireland player’s gumshield to flash.
The departure of Higgins for a concussion check saw Parsons return to the field and a defiant Fields of Athenry rang around the stadium in another goosebumps moment, with the decibel level rising as Ireland’s replacement front row won a scrum penalty.
O’Brien’s knock-on of an overthrown New Zealand lineout left Ireland defending in their own 22 and, when they were penalised, the Black Ferns opted to take a midfield scrum 10 metres out which led to Sorensen-McGee completing her second World Cup hat-trick in seven days.
Holmes struck another superb touchline conversion and, although there were just seven seconds left when O’Brien restarted, there was still time for one final flourish from these formidable Black Ferns.
They launched a thrilling attack from deep in their own 22 which was finished off by replacement scrumhalf Maia Joseph, with Holmes’ fifth successful conversion as the final whistle went taking the New Zealand score to a painful 40.
It may not have changed the outcome in terms of who won and lost, but one can’t help thinking this game might have panned out a little differently if Ireland had managed to get over for an early try which would have caused the green army of fans to raise the roof.
In Vancouver last September, through that woman Wafer, Ireland were able to hit back each time the Black Ferns scored and they ended up with five tries but this time there was nothing at all to show for the heroic efforts by Bemand’s underdogs.
IRELAND: Stacey Flood (Nancy McGillivray, 33); Béibhinn Parsons (Anna McGann, 44), Aoife Dalton, Eve Higgins (Parsons, temp 73-80), Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe; Dannah O’Brien, Aoibheann Reilly (Emily Lane, 60); Niamh O’Dowd (Siobhan McCarthy, 60), Neve Jones (Cliodhna Moloney-McDonald, 50), Linda Djougang (Sadhbh McGrath, 60); Ruth Campbell, Sam Monaghan (Eimear Corri-Fallon, 60); Grace Moore, Edel McMahon (capt; Claire Boles, 44), Brittany Hogan.
NEW ZEALAND: Renee Holmes; Braxton Sorensen-McGee, Stacey Waaka, Sylvia Brunt (Theresa Setefano, 70), Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (Ayesha Leti-I’iga, 51); Ruahei Demant (capt), Risi Pouri-Lane (Maia Joseph, 63); Chryss Viliko (Kate Henwood, 55), Georgia Ponsonby (Vici-Rose Green, 66), Tanya Kalounivale (Amy Rule, 30); Maia Roos, Alana Bremner (Laura Bayfield, temp 25-30, 55); Layla Sae (Kennedy Tukuafu, 55), Jorja Miller, Liana Mikaele-Tu’u.
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland).
Dejected Ireland players (from left) Sadhbh McGrath, Ruth Campbell, Grace Moore, Aoife Dalton and Nancy McGillivray
