Heaslip seeks payback for controversial Cardiff defeat

JAMIE HEASLIP helped his side into a World Cup quarter-final next week against old rivals Wales and said Ireland would be looking for payback for a controversial Six Nations defeat at the Millennium Stadium last March.

Ireland were beaten 19-13 in Cardiff nearly seven months ago, with the Welsh claiming victory after edging in front with a second-half try from scrum-half Mike Phillips that Ireland contest should not have been allowed.

Phillips benefited from a quick throw-in by hooker Matthew Rees that should not have been allowed because it was made with a different ball than the one kicked into touch by Jonathan Sexton.

Phillips touched down as a result but, bizarrely, linesman Peter Allan told referee Jonathan Kaplan the same ball had been used and so the try stood and Wales won.

Seven months on and both teams are on a high after progressing into the last eight of the World Cup, but Heaslip has not forgotten the infamous incident.

“We’re now in the knock-outs, we’re playing Wales, we know them so well, they know us so well and we want a bit of payback for Cardiff this year,” Heaslip said.

Heaslip also took pride in Ireland’s unbeaten start to the World Cup which enabled his team to achieve top spot in Pool C.

“I think we’re the first Irish side to do that, it’s nice to do something that hasn’t been done before, despite what was said before the tournament.

“So I think we’ve proven ourselves as a squad and as a team, and we’re in a good position. We set the goal of getting out of the group, that’s what we’ve done and now we’re in to Cup rugby and we all know what that’s like. It’s about whoever turns up on the day, it’s anyone’s game.”

Ireland played their final Pool C game directly after Wales’s 66-0 demolition of Fiji in Hamilton but Heaslip said he had been impressed by what he had seen of Warren Gatland’s side at the tournament so far.

“I’ve only caught glimpses of them,” Heaslip said. “George North is looking like he’s in flying form, they’ve got some big, direct runners in their backs so they can set very good targets.

“I’m sure we’re going to have our work cut out for us. I see our video analysts recording every game in the team room so I’m sure they have plenty of footage and we’ll be hard at work.

“We’ve a quick turnaround so we’re just going to kind of switch off today and tomorrow, and then it’s back into it. It’s new to us that it’s every week you’ve got a Test game, but the cup format is not new to us, so we know now we’re into knock-outs so it’s anyone’s on the day.”

Ireland were in something of a cup final yesterday against Italy in a winner takes all game and Heaslip praised the way his team toughed out a result against a difficult side.

“I think we were very direct. We knew they wouldn’t give us a lot of space out wide, especially of set piece and first, second phases. So I think we were very direct.

“It was tough going at the rucks. I was involved in a lot of rucking purely because they were so aggressive and competitive at the breakdown that they made life hard for us. But I think we broke them down there and you could see that at the 50 minute mark, because we were working so hard at being direct and being competitive, particularly at the rucks, that the game just opened up and the backs cut them apart.”