Ireland`s call a whisper

Ireland got their World Cup off to an ignominious start on Sunday, as the men in green laboured to a 32-17 win over Namibia in Bordeaux.

The Irish got off to a decent start, with tries by Brian O'Driscoll and Andrew Trimble, but Namibia's pluck got them to within ten points with a quarter of an hour remaining, as Ireland's foot slipped off the accelerator.

Eddie O'Sullivan's side had wanted to send a statement to fellow Pool elites Argentina and France, but a disjointed performance followed Scotland and Wales' offerings earlier in the day.

And now it seems there is a mountain of work to be done before the fast approaching Les Bleus test later this month.

Ireland had raced out of the blocks when returning talisman O'Driscoll spotted a gaping hole behind the Namibian defence. The centre's delicate chip and gather saw him touch down on his back to open the scores.

And then Ireland's intentions were cemented to the Bordeaux crowd. A kickable penalty for O'Gara was pushed into the corner - with Pool D point's difference obviously vital - as the Irish set-piece chanced their arm.

But the tough Namibians were up to the challenge and withheld the early onslaught. In doing so, wing Ryan Witbooi introduced himself to the soon to be retired Denis Hickie with a stinging tackle.

After receiving treatment, the Irish veteran then had a guilt-edged chance to put his name on the score sheet on 15 minutes. But maybe not fully recovered from the earlier tackle, he spilled the ball unopposed.

However, it didn't take long for Ireland to utilise their pressure and realise that three points is better than none as O'Gara slotted a penalty to extend the lead to ten.

And it was the number ten who created the Triple Crown holder's second try. O'Gara posed to dab a penalty into the left corner, but then changed his shape and picked out Andrew Trimble on the opposite wing with an inch-perfect cross-field kick to dive over.

O'Gara was unsuccessful in adding the extras.

But an additional five points soon followed on 31 minutes when sustained pressure in the tight exchanges ultimately saw Simon Easterby stretch out to extend the lead to 20, with the conversion drifting wide.

Then, on the stroke of half-time the Irish were penalised for holding on at the breakdown and the 'neutrals' cheered Emile Wessels' 40-metre penalty over the posts, bringing the score to 20-3.

Obviously, O'Sullivan had words to say during the interval and it was immediately taken onboard as the Irish pack set about putting the squeeze on their counterparts.

And the pressure soon told on 46 minutes when, after consecutive infringements at a close-range scrum, referee Joel Jutge plunged for a penalty try, which O'Gara duly chipped over.

However, the confidence continued to ooze out of the team ranked 24th in the world.

And on the hour, the impressive Witbooi raced through a gap between props Horan and Hayes on the Irish 22, bringing the crowd to their feet. The winger subsequently offloaded to the supporting flank Jacques Nieuwenhuis, who crashed over.

Wessels' excellent conversion reduced the arrears to 27-10, but the Africans were not done there.

Two minutes later, the continuity of Namibia proved too much for a shell-shocked Ireland.

With their tails well and truly up, Heini Bock kicked down the left touchline for centre Piet van Zyl to hack on and gather over the whitewash. Game on at 27-17, following Wessels' fine extras.

Ireland continued their iffy display entering the contest's closing stages with numerous handling errors.

But they finished with a late score out wide when replacement hooker Jerry Flannery squeezed over to seal the hard-earned win and send the Irish top of the 'Pool of Death'.


Man of the Match: Winger Ryan Witbooi was a constant thorn in Ireland's side. His ferocious early tackle on Denis Hickie set the mood for that contest, as the Leinster man seemed not at the races for the remainder of the game. The Namibian's pace and quick-thinking also led to Nieuwenhuis' score.

Moment of the Match: The return of BOD was always going to be crucial to Ireland's Pool progress, and his healing power was even more necessary on Sunday. His chip-and-chase on five minutes demonstrated his game-breaking ability as he opened Ireland's account.

Villain of the Match: Maybe slightly harsh on the retiring Hickie, but the speedster struggled to hold a pass in the Bordeaux evening sky. One to forget!


The scorers:

For Ireland:
Tries: O'Driscoll, Trimble, Easterby, Penalty try, Flannery
Cons: O'Gara 2
Pen: O'Gara

For Namibia:
Tries: Nieuwenhuis, Van Zyl
Cons: Wessels 2
Pen: Wessels

The teams:

Ireland: 15 Girvan Dempsey, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Denis Hickie, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Peter Stringer, 8 Denis Leamy, 7 David Wallace, 6 Simon Easterby, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Rory Best, 1 Marcus Horan.
Replacements: 16 Jerry Flannery, 17 Simon Best, 18 Malcolm O'Kelly, 19 Neil Best, 20 Isaac Boss, 21 Paddy Wallace, 22 Geordan Murphy.

Namibia: 15 Tertius Losper, 14 Ryan Witbooi, 13 Bratley Langenhoven, 12 Piet van Zyl, 11 Heini Bock, 10 Emile Wessels, 9 Eugene Jantjies, 8 Jacques Burger, 7 Heino Senekal, 6 Jacques Nieuwenhuis, 5 Nico Esterhuize, 4 Wacca Kazombiaze, 3 Jane du Toit, 2 Hugo Horn, 1 Kees Lensing (captain).
Replacements: 16 Johannes Meyer, 17 Johnny Redelinghuys, 18 Michael MacKenzie, 19 Tinus du Plessis, 20 Jurie van Tonder, 21 Lu-Wayne Botes, 22 Melrick Africa.

Referee: Joël Jutge (France)
Touch judges: Malcolm Changleng (Scotland), Federico Cuesta (Argentina)
Television match official: Paul Marks (Australia)
Assessor: Stuart Beissel (New Zealand)

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