This was the pick of the day’s matches, a contest between the world champs and a nation ranked a proud fifth.
It didn’t work out like that.
Ireland started strongly, winning around 75% in the first ten minutes. But, like other losing sides on the day, they couldn’t maintain this dominance. For all the possession and territory they won, they didn’t score a point.
This was just the game the Kiwis needed, against strong opposition for the first time this tournament. By the final whistle the odds on the trophy winners must have altered radically. The defence coach will be especially pleased that the Irish achieved nul points.
After weathering that opening storm, the Black Ferns got down to business. A sudden transfer of the ball, and it was winging its way right to Stacey Waaka who sped over the line. Who needs a winger, even when she’s Portia Woodman-Wickliffe?
This was a sad outcome for the Girls in White and Brown since they had won two scrum penalties.
A perfectly executed line-out offered Chryss Viliko a second try.
The half was interrupted by unwanted injuries, not least to McMahon and Kalounivale.
A third one, to Stacey Flood, was to have serious consequences for Ireland. She left the field on a trolley.
It’s to Ireland’s credit that they allowed the opposition only one more score before the intermission.
Half-time: Ireland 0 New Zealand 19
The Kiwi staff may well be pleased with the wearing-down process their team inflicted. The Irish remained obdurate, but it couldn’t last.
Three tries came in a rush between the 78th minute and the end.
I suggested in my preview that too much depended on Dannah O’Brien and her left boot. So it proved. The NZ back three were well prepared; by the end O’Brien was spending more energy scrambling back to collect counter-kicks than chasing up after her own.
She bravely attempted a sudden tap-and-go late in the game – why was this not on the Irish menu from the start? – but it didn’t bring a score.
It was a concern that Irish recycling was so slow. Reilly at 9 didn’t help with her body positions protecting the ball at some clearances; it meant that the wide backs presented fewer problems than expected.
No wonder O’Brien looked exhausted at the final whistle; was there really no alternative to her at the pivotal position of 10? And there is a quarter-final still to come.
Credit is due to the Irish for keeping the Kiwis to a modest 40 points, but the game gave European doubters the chance to alter their opinion of two young starlets in particular, Jorja Miller and Braxton Sorensen-McGee, who scored a brilliant hat-trick. Renee Holmes was almost faultless off the tee too.
Bookies will have already altered their odds radically on the likely trophy winners.
Result: Ireland 0 New Zealand 40
Player of the Match: Sylvia Brunt
Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU)
Attendance: 30,017
Teams
Ireland:
1 PERRY 2 N. JONES 3 DJOUGANG 4 CAMPBELL 5 MONAGHAN 6 MOORE 7 McMAHON 8 HOGAN 9 REILLY 10 O’BRIEN 11 COSTIGAN 12 HIGGINS 13 DALTON 14 PARSONS 15 FLOOD
16 MOLONEY-MACDONALD 17 O’DOWD 18 McGRATH 19 CORRI-FALLON 20 BOLES 21 LANE 22 McGILLIVRAY 23 McGANN
Note: Niamh O’Dowd wore the number one shirt on the field.
New Zealand:
1 VILIKO 2 PONSONBY 3 KALOUNIVALE 4 A. BREMNER 5 ROOS 6 SAE 7 MILLER 8 MIKAELE TU’U 9 POURI-LANE 10 DEMANT 11 WOODMAN-WICKLIFFE 12 BRUNT 13 WAAKA 14 SORENSEN-MCGEE 15 HOLMES
Q6 GREEN 17 HENWOOD 18 RULE 19 BAYFIELD 20 TUKUAFU 21 JOSEPH 22 SETEFANO 23 LETI-I’IGA
