Injuries of more concern than scoreline as Ireland fire blank against New Zealand

Despite the defeat, Ireland still progress to the Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-finals though they will have injury concerns ahead of that knockout stage game. 

New Zealand's Braxton Sorensen-McGee scored a hat-trick of tries against Ireland. Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Women's Rugby World Cup: New Zealand 40 Ireland 0 

New Zealand’s combination of blitz, beef and pure speed was too much for Ireland in this closing World Cup Pool C encounter in front of 30,017 in Brighton, as both teams go their separate ways and into the quarter-finals.

For the world champions this is revenge for that shock WXV1 loss to the Irish in Canada last year. It should leave them an easier quarter-final, but Ireland really didn’t deserve the doughnut stuck to their side of the scoreboard.

News that a knee injury would keep loosehead Ellena Perry sidelined wasn’t a great start but confirmation that the issue isn’t serious, and that she should be good for next week’s quarter-final, did at least mitigate the blow.

That also spoke for the fact that, big an occasion as this was, it was of secondary importance given both had already booked last eight ties. The loss of full-back Stacey Flood, Edel McMahon and Eve Higgins to injuries, then, were really of most note here.

Flood departed in a moon boot and was clearly in pain while being attended to on the ground deep into the first-half. McMahon was at least able to walk off, if gingerly, five minutes into the second. Higgins needed a late HIA after taking a knee to the head.

Ireland can ill afford the absence of any of them next week., likely against France. Not with key back row Aoife Wafer yet to play a game at this tournament (though she warmed up here), and both Erin King and Dorothy Wall already unavailable for the duration.

Enya Breen and Fiona Tuite sat this out too, supposedly with minor knocks.

The game started on the back of a Mexican standoff with the Irish players refusing to disperse after the haka and the Kiwis doing the same. In the end, both seemed to break simultaneously. Challenge accepted.

Ireland started quickly, finding half-gaps in the New Zealand line and dominating possession and territory, but out-half Dannah O’Brien ignored three points for a kick to the corner and a couple of scrums and lineouts from a few metres out ultimately came to naught.

Worrying signs were soon emerging.

Twice Ireland were caught way behind the gainline by a blitz defence that would strangle room and creativity for most of the afternoon. The sense of a growing threat was confirmed when Stacey Waaka went over for the first try.

It came from an O’Brien kick that didn’t reach touch and that was all the electrifying backline needed. Well, that and an unpunished forward pass from Braxton Sorensen-McGee. Renee Holmes, not for the first time, kicked a superb conversion.

Not the first of key refereeing decisions to go against them.

Five minutes later and the dose was doubled.

Ireland’s defence was far too passive in allowing New Zealand ball carriers to make metres off a lineout inside their 22 and it was all but inevitable as loosehead Chryss Viliko rumbled over. That made it 12-0 with 20 minutes gone.

Flood’s injury followed, in the same ruck where Sylvia Brunt caught Grace Moore head high with a clearout that escaped any attention from the officials despite the long pause in play while Flood was being looked after.

Higgins replaced her at full-back but couldn’t bring a halt to Sorensen-McGee as the teenager weaved her way in for her side’s third try three minutes before the interval. Ireland had some thinking to do at the break.

Scott Bemand’s side had their moments after that. Niamh O’Dowd, Aoife Dalton and McMahon made one enormous schism in the Black Fern defence soon after the break that faltered only when Jorja Miller committed a blatant knock-on near her line.

Somehow, referee Hollie Davidson didn’t see fit to show the offender yellow.

Higgins made another big break but proof that this wasn’t Ireland’s day – aside from the injuries – came when Amee-Leigh Costigan chased down an O’Brien kick with no-one home for the Kiwis and the ball dribbled agonisingly into touch.

And over the end line. Rough.

The Kiwis had had their chances too and they finally began to take more of them with Sorensen-McGee claiming a pair for her hat-trick and replacement scrum-half Maia Joseph touching down for try number six in injury-time.

NEW ZEALAND: R Holmes; B Sorensen McGee, S Waaka, S Brunt, P Woodman-Wickliffe; R Demant, R Pouri-Lane; C Viliko, G Ponsonby, T Kalounivale; M Roos, Alana Bremner; L Sae, J Miller, L Mikaele-Tu’u.

Replacements: L Bayfield for Bremner (26-33); A Rule for Kalounivale (31); A Leti-I’iga for Woodman-Wickliffe (52); K Henwood for Viliko, K Tukuafu for Sae and L Bayfield for Bremner (all 55); M Joseph for Pouri-Lane (63); VR Green for Ponsonby and T Setefano for Brunt (both 69).

IRELAND: S Flood; B Parsons, A Dalton, E Higgins, AL Costigan; D O’Brien, A Reilly; N O’Dowd, N Jones, L Djougang; R Campbell, S Monaghan; G Moore, E McMahon, B Hogan.

Replacements: N McGillivray for Flood (34); C Boles for McMahon and A McGann for Parsons (both 45); C Moloney-MacDonald for Jones (50); S McCarthy for O’Dowd, S McGrath for Djougang, E Lane for Reilly, E Corri-Fallon for Monaghan for (all 61); B Parsons for Higgins (74).

Referee: H Davidson (Scotland).