Ireland wore down a rugged Georgian team, scoring at will while the tourists were twice down to 14 men, as they ran out 49-7 winners of today’s GUINNESS Series encounter.
An Aviva Stadium crowd of 40,156 watched Joe Schmidt’s much-changed side score six tries in the second half, including a brace from full-back Felix Jones, to continue their winning start to new international season.
Three penalties from the boot of Ian Madigan had Ireland leading 9-0 at half-time, the last of them coming after Georgia scrum half Giorgi Begadze was yellow carded for not rolling away.
Ireland punished the 14-man Lelos with an early try on the resumption from lively prop Dave Kilcoyne and his front row colleague Richardt Strauss dived over from a lineout maul in the 51st minute.
Madigan converted scores both but Georgia, restored to their full complement, hit back when Begadze released lock Giorgi Nemsadze for a well-taken try approaching the hour mark.
However, Ireland bossed the final quarter to score 26 points without reply – 19 of them coming while Georgian number 8 Dimitri Basilaia was in the sin-bin.
The tiring tourists were caught for numbers on the left as Darren Cave and Madigan combined to put winger Simon Zebo over in the 62nd minute. The Irish bench was unloaded with Stuart Olding passing for Jones (pictured below) to touch down in the right corner, six minutes later.
Robin Copeland, who joined fellow debutants Dave Foley and Dominic Ryan on the pitch, forced the turnover which led to the best try of the game. Kieran Marmion countered from deep and linked with fellow replacements Ian Keatley and Sean Cronin who set up Jones to come in off the left wing, beat the final defender and complete his brace.
Madigan missed the conversion but duly took his haul to 19 points when adding the extras to Olding’s first try for Ireland, which saw him dart away and in behind the posts after a lovely midfield switch with Keatley.
So, numbers wise it was a very good day at the office for Ireland – there were three debutants with one of them, second row Foley, winning the man-of-the-match award, a first-time captain in Eoin Reddan and three players scored their first Test tries (Kilcoyne, Jones and Olding).
Overall, eight players in the squad made their Aviva Stadium debuts and Ireland ended up posting their highest score and biggest winning margin at home since November 2008’s 55-0 defeat of Canada at Thomond Park.
Performance-wise, there were some holes which the coaches and players will look at, but that free-scoring final quarter keeps the momentum going heading in next Saturday’s GUINNESS Series finale against Australia.
Making their first trip to Dublin in 12 years, Georgia got off to a positive start with a couple of strong scrums and they might have threatened the Irish try-line had Basilaia held onto a pass wide out on the right.
Their full-back Merab Kvirikashvili was wide with a seventh minute penalty attempt, before his opposite number Jones stepped into space and Madigan’s tenth-minute touchfinder brought play into the Georgian 22 for the first time.
Two minutes later, Madigan punished Kote Mikautadze for not rolling away with a 35-metre penalty that opened the scoring. Ireland were beginning to threaten with ball in hand, Reddan’s quick tap leading to Kilcoyne charging over halfway and into scoring range on a memorable burst.
A skip pass gave Gordon D’Arcy the chance to mark his 80th cap with a try but he was quickly closed down by the powerful Georgian tacklers in the right corner. The attack yielded a penalty, nonetheless, which Madigan tucked away for 6-0.
The penalties were beginning to stack up against the Lelos, but Madigan pushed a long range attempt to the left of the target and Irish ball carriers got isolated at times due to a lack of support. In one instance, Zebo was pinged for holding on in the Georgian 22 after a promising long range attack than began with Cave and Reddan combining and new cap Ryan doing well to hold onto the scrum half’s instinctive pass.
There was further good approach work from Madigan with a lovely show-and-go in midfield. He fed Cave with a looping pass, however the centre’s decision to kick through did not pay off as Sandro Todua covered the danger.
Ireland continued to look the more threatening side, although number 8 Robbie Diack was isolated at another breakdown by the work-hungry Georgians, Gilroy knocked on a subsequent pass and Mike Ross infringed at scrum time.
An opportunist piece of play from hooker Strauss, who hacked on a loose ball and produced a follow-up hit on the retreating Lasha Khmaladze, sparked a prolonged spell of Irish pressure in the visitors’ 22. Georgia held out, though, as they defended a series of close-in lineout mauls from which back rowers Diack and Tommy O’Donnell both went close to scoring.
The Georgians lost possession at a lineout on the stroke of half-time, allowing Madigan to engineer an eye-catching break for winger Gilroy. Referee JP Doyle lost his patience with the Georgian infringements and an injury-time penalty saw Begadze sin-binned and Madigan take the three points on offer.
Ireland needed to kick it up a gear or two and they did just that, pressing early in the second half from another lineout drive. Possession was retained and a quick recycle saw Reddan feed the onrushing Kilcoyne who proved unstoppable as he crashed over on a short run to the left of the posts.
Turnovers continued to frustrate both sides, but 14-man Georgia were beginning to look a little leggy as Zebo saw more ball out wide and fellow winger Gilroy’s strong kick chase preceded another hard-earned penalty in the 22. Diack won the resulting lineout and Strauss was on the box seat for the maul which resulted in his second international try.
Madigan swung over the conversion for good measure, making it 23-0, only for penalties against Rodney Ah You and D’Arcy to invite Georgia forward. They mustered a fine 57th minute try in response as the powerful Nemsadze evaded Reddan on the way to the line. Kvirikashvili’s drop-kicked conversion reduced the arrears to 16 points.
That was as close as Milton Haig’s charges got, however, as Ireland went on to dominate the closing stages.
Kilcoyne and Diack drove forward with Basilaia infringing in the 22 to earn his side’s second yellow card. Good hands from Cave and Madigan then teed up Zebo (pictured above) for a simply finish for try number three.
Madigan converted for 30-7 and the newly-introduced Irish reserves swiftly made their presence felt, with Cronin gaining ground during two speedy carries – one of which was set up by a textbook offload from Copeland.
Keatley, who came on in the centre for his first Ireland cap since 2009, showed some nice touches on the ball and Ah You used his bulk to make the hard yards in the lead up to Ireland’s fourth touchdown. Georgia were caught for numbers on the right as Olding fed Jones to dive over.
With 72 minutes on the clock, Ireland swiftly turned defence into attack as Copeland and Marmion inspired a fleet-footed raid down the left flank and neat interplay between the supporting Keatley and Cronin sprung Jones through for his second try in quick succession.
Schmidt’s men completed a comprehensive victory when Keatley put Olding (pictured above) speeding through a midfield gap and the Ulsterman rounded final defender Todua to claim a classy seven-pointer.
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