Ireland hit the ground running against Canada

Ireland 50 Canada 7

Early days yet for sure, but this was the statement Ireland wanted to make. Having kept their powder dry in the phoney war, there was a variety to their game and a slickness that had shown the benefits of their 11-week pre-season. The bonus point was secured by the 35th minute and ultimately they ran out winners by seven tries to one.

The list of scorers reflected the variety in their game. The maul was responsible for the breakthrough, as the pack laid the foundations, not least with much quicker ruck ball. Iain Henderson, who added real ballast to the Irish mix, rumbled over for the second, before the backs took over.

Johnny Sexton, who gave the full repertoire in a man-of-the-match performance before being safeguarded for sterner tests, skated over himself before Dave Kearney sealed the bonus point before the interval. And after a scoreless third quarter, Sean Cronin bulldozed over before tries by Rob Kearney and Jared Payne completed the half century of points.

In a carnival like atmosphere, akin to an Irish home game judging by the green and volume of Irish support in the teaming streets and in the eye-catching 68,523 attendance, there appeared to be no injuries, with Cian Healy coming through the last quarter in his welcome return.

Irony of ironies, both of the grizzly captains, Jamie Cudmore and Paul O’Connell were sin-binned in separate incidents; the difference being that Ireland scored 19 points in Cudmore’s absence, and conceded none in O’Connell’s.

Canada were honest, and as willing for 80 minutes as ever, while lively in open play and always opting for quick taps or kicks to the corner, but were naïve defensively. Ireland clearly identified the narrowness with which they defended, and held their depth and width impressively, using decoy runners and the Sexton wraparound, to attack the Canadians out wide.

Ireland did leave a few tries behind, and won’t be happy with the 10-8 penalty count, but all in all this was a good first step. O’Connell looked in very good nick and Peter O’Mahony augmented his usual high work-rate with some lovely skill on the ball.

Behind the pack, Conor Murray looked in good form, bossing the game along with Sexton, and while Payne coughed up the Canadian turnover try with a poor kick, he was polished in practically all he did. There was also a real cutting edge to the back three and a bench high on impact fulfilled their brief.

Opening night nerves had afflicted both England and Fiji last night, and Ireland began edgily too. There was plenty of positive intent, as they went wide three times in the opening seven minutes. Alas, Keith Earls and Dave Kearney couldn’t work a switch, and a Sexton long skip pass off his left after a wraparound eluded Dave Kearney and went into touch. This was either side of Sean O’Brien spilling a ball made damp under the closed roof, but also a big blindside break by Murray off a strong first scrum.

After Gordon McRorie was wide from half-way, Sexton opted for territory with a superb, spiralling one-bounce 50-metre touchfinder reminiscent of you-know-who (ie his one-time kicking coach at Racing Metro).

A crooked throw led to an attacking scrum, and a seven-phase attack. Canada held firm, a Murray crosskick with advantage not yielding anything, and compensation came by way of a Sexton penalty.

The Canadians were wildly ill-discriminate at the breakdown, and after a fine tackle by Rob Kearney earned a penalty, Murray tapped and passed to Sexton. Thrice the Cannucks infringed in the ensuing phases, culminating in Murray coming just short with a blind side snipe, before a sly hand by Jamie Cudmore ensured that, yet again in his colourful career, the Canadian captain had fought the law, and the law won, so earning ten minutes in the bin.

The Irish pack scented blood and went to the corner. From a take by Henderson, a perfectly executed maul straight off the training ground led to a try by O’Brien. Back came the pack after a good strike move off a scrum moved the ball wide to Keith Earls, who showed good strength in bouncing Jeff Hassler. Slick hands from O’Mahony led to strong rumbles by Henderson, O’Mahony himself and O’Connell.

The captain was held up, but pack wouldn’t be for much longer. Canada curiously opted to put centre Nick Blevins into the back-row of a defensive scrum, and Murray launched a midfield attack off which Henderson was helped over the line by Rory Best.

With Cudmore still off the pitch, again Ireland launched Jamie Heaslip at the under-manned Canadian midfield from deep, and a few phases later, Sexton took a return pass infield from O’Brien to pin his ears back and scoot in by the corner flag from 35 metres out. Mind, he was disgusted with himself for missing the touchline conversion.

Nevertheless, that was 19 unanswered points in Cudmore’s absence.

The bonus point was safe by the 35th minute with the slickest try of all. At its hub was another well-executed wrap by Sexton, this time with O’Mahony, as Luke Fitzgerald held his depth for the pass behind, and the centre linked neatly with Dave Kearney. The winger dummied (to his two props on the outside, and it would have been fun to see Mike Ross on the end of it all) and stepped inside DTH van der Merwe.

The Canadians came desperately close to opening their account with the last play of the half after nice hands by Cudmore had given van der Merwe a run. After a tap penalty by Ray Barkwill, Canada pummelled close-in to work an overlap but good pressure on the outside by Keith Earls forced Hirayama to flick the ball on and recourse to the TMO showed the ball had gone forward.

So Ireland trotted off 29-0 up, but the second-half began badly when Glen Jackson, a little mystifyingly and a mite too hurriedly, sin-binned Paul O’Connell for a deliberate knock-on, when in fact he was retreating, had deflected the ball back on the Irish side, and as there’d been no ruck couldn’t have been offside.

As when Cudmore was binned, the Irish pack once again rolled up their sleeves in their captain’s absence. Twice they repelled close-range line-outs, O’Mahony and Sexton defending the fringe superbly and driving one of the Canadian carriers back, before Hirayama over-cooked a cross-kick for replacement Conor Trainor.

Murray and Sexton played territory and generally managed the 10 minutes effectively. Every Irish player upped their work-rate, and O’Connell not only returned to a huge roar but without any points scored in his absence.

Ireland ought to have added a fifth try soon after. Murray was alert to a stolen lineout and Ireland went through the phases before Earls got ahead of himself in knocking on with backs holding their depth to spare.

Whereupon Joe Schmidt opted to wrap Sexton in cotton wool by replacing him with Ian Madigan, and after a big Heaslip rumble, Madigan’s cross-kick eluded Fitzgerald.

After the entire Irish front-row was replaced, meaning a welcome 20 minutes for Cian healy, Murray was withdrawn and, as he does, Eoin Reddan injected some tempo. From a nicely worked decoy strike move off another strong Irish maul, Payne took a superb inside line off Madigan’s pass and from the recycle Sean Cronin took the ball from depth and at pace as he does to barge over under the posts.

Even the Irish supporters weren’t too disappointed to see van der Merwe pluck a poorly executed chip by Payne to run in a turnover try from halfway, and besides which it sparked Ireland into renewed life. From turnover ball, Madigan took Henderson’s pass and released the outside backs - taking a late hit from Blevins for his trouble - before Earls raced down the wing impressively and took out three players with a superb left to right inside pass for Rob Kearney.

The fullback duly thanked his winger before Madigan sliced through the Canadian and put Payne over - the centre holding his depth but still looking peeved with himself for the Canadian try.

Scoring sequence: 14 mins Sexton pen 3-0; 18 mins O'Brien try, Sexton con 10-0; 25 mins Henderson try, Sexton con 17-0; 28 mins Sexton try 22-0; 35 mins D Kearney try, Sexton con 29-0; (half-time 29-0); 66 mins Cronin try, Madigan con 36-0); 68 mins van der Merwe try, Hirayama con 36-7; 74 mins R Kearney try, Madigan con 43-7; 76 mins Payne try, Madigan con 50-7.

Ireland : Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster); Dave Kearney (Lansdowne/Leinster), Jared Payne (Ulster), Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster), Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster); Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary's College/Leinster), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster); Jack McGrath (St. Mary's College/Leinster), Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster), Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster), Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Paul O'Connell (Young Munster) (capt), Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster), Sean O'Brien (UCD/Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster).

Replacements: Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster) for Sexton (57 mins), Sean Cronin (St. Mary's College/Leinster) for Best, Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster) for McGrath, Nathan White (Connacht) for White (all 61 mins), Chris Henry (Malone/Ulster) for O'Brien (63 mins), Eoin Reddan (Old Crescent/Leinster) for Murray (66 mins), Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster) for O'Connell, Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster) for Fitzgerald (all 74 mins).

Canada: Matt Evans (Cornish Pirates); Jeff Hassler (Ospreys), Ciaran Hearn (Unattached/Atlantic Rock), Nick Blevins (Calgary Hornets/Prairie Wolf Pack), DTH van der Merwe (Scarlets); Nathan Hirayama (UVIC Vikes/BC Bears), Gordon McRorie (Calgary Hornets/Prairie Wolf Pack); Hubert Buydens (Unattached/Prairie Wolf Pack), Ray Barkwill (Unattached/Ontario Blues), Doug Wooldridge (Lindsay RFC/Ontario Blues), Brett Beukeboom (Cornish Pirates), Jamie Cudmore (Clermont Auvergne) (capt), Kyle Gilmour (Rotherham Titans/Prairie Wolf Pack), John Moonlight (James Bay AA/Ontario Blues), Aaron Carpenter (Cornish Pirates/Ontario Blues).

Replacements: Liam Underwood (Balmy Beach RFC/Ontario Blues) for Evans, Conor Trainor (UBCOB Ravens/BC Bears) for Hassler (both half-time), Djustice Sears-Duru (Oakville Crusaders/Ontario Blues) for Budens, Jebb Sinclair (London Irish/Atlantic Rock) for Gilmore, Phil Mack (James Bay AA/BC Bears) for McRorie (all 48 mins), Benoit Piffero (Unattached/Atlantic Rock) for Barkwill (63 mins), Andrew Tiedemann (Unattached/Prairie Wolf Pack) for Wooldridge ((68 mins)

Not used: Richard Thorpe (London Welsh),

Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)