Ireland build up a head of steam as they blow Romania away in Rugby World Cup opener

Ireland 82 Romania 8

This could never be the most significant performance or result of the sweltering opening weekend to the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but as a first offering from Ireland this 12-try rout could not have gone much better.

In the event, they waited for the tournament proper to deliver their statement win.

In a temperature of 36 degrees under clear blue skies, there were plenty of empty seats at the start due to the slow crawling queues outside, and as the match wore on the supporters in the 41,170 crowd were grateful that the stadium became increasingly shaded.

As this was, most probably, a last hit-out for the core of this team before facing South Africa, it was important that they rediscovered some solidity in their set pieces and some fluidity and rhythm in their attacking game.

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Ireland blow Romania away in Rugby World Cup opener

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The French in the crowd, buoyed by the events of the previous night, were eager to adopt Romania but by and large were given little chance to do so due to Ireland’s grip on the game.

While there was a clunky spell in the second quarter and there were mistakes as the attempted offloads mounted in an increasingly one-sided exercise, the shape and variety to Ireland’s attack were excellent. The speed of their ball, the ball-playing interlinking of backs and forwards, deciding when to crowd the midfield channels or go wide, with options to do both continuously, showed what a difficult side Ireland are to contain with front-foot ball.

They looked very fit too and finished the match strongly in baking heat.

[ Ireland 82 Romania 8: How the Irish players rated in their Rugby World Cup opener ]

Romania put in 150 tackles, some of them thunderous hits, the backrowers Vlad Neculau and Cristi Chirica leading the way with 30 between them, and the versatile Hinckley Vaovasa is a fine player. Only in the last 10 minutes did they seem to lose heart and defensive shape.

Pulling the strings for 65 minutes in that grandmaster style of his, Johnny Sexton belied his 38 years and his six-month absence with an encouragingly typical display. Looking fit and strong, he chipped in with 24 points too, inching closer to Ronan O’Gara’s Irish record.

Peter O’Mahony has rarely had so many touches on the ball (his 12 passes were the most of any forward in the game), and what a creative player he is, and Bundee Aki looks in the shape and form of his life. He made four clean breaks, beat eight defenders and made 151 metres in scoring two tries and setting up another, while there were big games from Joe McCarthy, Tadhg Beirne, Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan.

The Irish fans were stunned by the start. Sexton ran out of numbers as Ireland attacked from inside their own half, and his chip was gathered by Romanian outhalf Vaovasa, who was operating here in his more familiar role of fullback, and he sped past Keith Earls.

With only Andrew Porter attempting to cover the ground inside, Vaovasa had scrumhalf Gabriel Rupanu in support to run around the posts, although even then he missed the conversion.

Uh-oh?

No, within a couple of minutes Keenan went away from the kick-tennis by countering, and some after nice interplay by Sexton and the midfielders, Aki slipping through as Jason Tomane shot up to link with Garry Ringrose, and Gibson-Park ran a typical ‘9′ support line for the try.

Sexton pulled the strings in trademark style for the next two tries. First, James Ryan steamed on to O’Mahony’s deft transfer to pop the ball up, the excellent Keenan running the support line for the finish.

Then, after McCarthy won a muscular turnover off a Romanian maul – which looked significant in the context of the South African game – James Lowe came off his wing to place a right-footed grubber in behind, which Keenan regathered.

Sexton climbed to his feet after his pass inside to O’Mahony to call for the ball behind the screen of three forwards, and Lowe’s long pass afforded Beirne a left-winger’s finish.

[ Ireland 82 Romania 8: As it happened ]

Then, after a Rupanu penalty, came the clunky part. Two good moves went unrewarded when Lowe’s attempted offloads inside to Earls and Gibson-Park didn’t go to hand and there was a miscommunication as Rob Herring steamed on to a hard pass by Gibson-Park clearly intended for someone else.,Tadhg Furlong also had a pass picked off.

Sexton reignited Ireland with a tap penalty on the run just outside the Romanian 22, and Lowe in support. Marius Simionescu was binned for playing the ball on the deck, though it looked like someone else was the guilty party, and in his absence Caelan Doris was, as usual, the identified ball carrier off a goal line restart.,Porter then pulled the ball back for Ringrose and Aki finished impressively from 30 metres to earn the bonus point.

Aki made further incisions when supporting Gibson-Park’s quick tap to put the supporting Sexton over, although the Irish captain and every Irish person watching wouldn’t have been happy with Tomane sliding in late and catching Sexton’s left wrist with his knee.

Tomane was apologetic and thankfully there was no damage as Ireland went in 33-8 ahead.

On the resumption, after Sexton arrowed a scrum penalty into the corner, the lively Herring was unstoppable with his low leg drive off his own tap penalty and the hooker then pierced the white Romanian line when powering on to Furlong’s deft tip-on to link with Aki. Sexton hit Lowe on the edge before Gibson-Park picked out O’Mahony with a try-scoring skip pass.

Andy Farrell will have been happy with the impact of his replacements as the Romanians wilted, Ireland piling on five more tries in the final quarter.

Mack Hansen, called up on the day in place of Robbie Henshaw on the bench after the latter pulled out with a supposedly minor niggle felt in the captain’s run, was launched off a lineout and a succession of close-in carries culminated in Sexton crashing over from Conor Murray’s pass – the old one-two!

Cue a standing ovation as the great man was called ashore.

Having just been denied by Simionescu’s wonderful corner-flag tackle, McCarthy scored his first Test try on his World Cup debut with trademark athleticism. Soft hands by Iain Henderson gave O’Mahony his second untouched close-range finish and Hansen again came off his wing to take lineout ball to the line for Aki to beat two tackles and power over again.

The best was kept until last, Ireland refusing to kick the ball dead even from near their own line as Hansen ran and danced daringly before Jack Crowley chipped for Aki to gather, and both Ringrose and Beirne were in support for the former to put the latter over for his second try.

The Irish crowd joined in as the Cranberries’ Zombie was blasted out on the PA system as they saluted the players as both sides walked around the pitch.

They couldn’t have asked for much more really.

SCORING SEQUENCE – 3 mins: Rupanu try 0-5; 5: Gibson-Park try, Sexton con 7-5; 13: Keenan try, Sexton con 14-5; 17: Beirne try 19-5; 21: Rupanu pen 19-8; 34: Aki try, Sexton con 26-8; 40: Sexton try, con 33-8; (half-time 33-8); 45: Herring try, Sexton con 40-8; 46: O’Mahony try, Sexton con 47-8; 62: Sexton try, con 54-8; 67: McCarthy try, Crowley con 61-8; 70: O’Mahony try, Crowley con 68-8; 75: Aki try, Crowley con 75-8; 83: Beirne try, Crowley con 82-8.

IRELAND: Hugo Keenan (Leinster); Keith Earls (Munster), Garry Ringrose (Leinster), Bundee Aki (Connacht), James Lowe (Leinster); Jonathan Sexton (Leinster, capt), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster); Andrew Porter (Leinster), Rob Herring (Ulster), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster); Joe McCarthy (Leinster), James Ryan (Leinster); Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Peter O’Mahony (Munster), Caelan Doris (Leinster).

Replacements: Rónan Kelleher (Leinster) for Herring, Jeremy Loughman (Munster) for Porter, Tom O’Toole (Ulster) for Furlong (all 51 mins); Iain Henderson (Ulster) for Ryan, Josh van der Flier (Leinster) for Doris (both 56), Conor Murray (Munster) for Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen (Connacht) for Earls (both 60), Jack Crowley (Munster) for Sexton (65).

ROMANIA: Marius Simionescu (SCM USV Timisoara); Nicolas Onutu (CS Vienne), Fonovai Tangimana (CSA Steaua), Jason Tomane (CSM Stiinta), Tevita Manumua (SCM USV Timisoara); Hinckley Vaovasa (CSA Steaua), Gabriel Rupanu (SCM USV Timisoara); Iulian Hartig (RC Bassin d’Arcachon), Ovidiu Cojocaru (CS Dinamo), Alexandru Gordas (CS Dinamo); Adrian Motoc (Biarritz Olympique), Stefan Iancu (CSM Stiinta); Florian Rosu (CSM Stiinta), Vlad Neculau (SCM USV Timisoara), Cristi Chirica (CS Dinamo, capt).

Replacements: Alexandjru Savin (CSA Steaua) for Hartig (50 mins); Taylor Gontineac (Rouen Normandie) for Manumua (59); Marius Iftimiciuc (US Carcassonne) for Iancu, Dragos Ser for Tosu, Tudor Boldor (CS Dinamo) for Vaovasa (all 62); Alin Conache (Timisoara Saracens) for Rupanu (76).

Not used: Florin Bardasu (CSA Steaua), Gheorghe Gajion (Stade Montois.

Sinbinned: Simionescu (32-42 mins).

Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia).