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L’Irlande s’impose sans forcer face à l’Italie à Dublin
L’Irlande continue d’imposer sa marque sur le Tournoi des Six Nations 2024. Après une victoire bonifiée face à la France au Vélodrome en ouverture (38-17), c’est devant son public de l’Aviva Stadium qu’elle s’est cette fois imposée 36-0 face à l’Italie pour son 500e match dans le Tournoi.
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L’Irlande reprend la tête du classement à l’Angleterre qui l’avait provisoirement occupé après sa victoire sur le pays de Galles la veille. L’Italie retombe direct à la dernière place, celle occupée par la France après la première journée (les Français sont désormais 4e).
L’Irlande, la meilleure touche du Tournoi
Dès le début du match, l’Italie manque une pénalité par Paolo Garbisi, l’une des rares occasions italiennes de marquer, sous le vent fort de Dublin. L’Irlande prend rapidement l’avantage avec un essai de Crawley à la 7e minute, et continue de dominer, notamment en touche affichant une efficacité de 100%, la meilleure du Tournoi (64% pour l’Italie).
Le jeu se déroule principalement dans le camp italien (53% d’occupation), avec des moments forts pour l’Irlande à l’image de l’essai de Sheehan à la 24e minute sur une passe décisive de Henshaw. Malgré les efforts de l’Italie pour contrer avec des pénalités et des mouvements de jeu, ils n’ont jamais semblé en mesure de marquer.
Avec un troisième essai du troisième ligne centre du Leinster Jack Conan à la 37e, l’Irlande, brillante dans les 22 italiens, repart au vestiaire en pleine possession de ses moyens (19-0). La seconde période voit l’Irlande maintenir la pression, avec un nouvel essai du talonneur Dan Sheehan à la 50e minute après une touche à 10 mètres, leur garantissant le point de bonus (24-0).
Une Irlande très joueuse
L’Irlande joue beaucoup à la main (254 passes) et peu au pied (un coup de pied pour 9,4 passes). Les Irlandais sont dans l’avancée avec 492 mètres parcourus après contact (deux fois plus en moyenne que les autres équipes gagnantes ce week-end).
Un cinquième essai est refusé par la vidéo à la 55e minute à Henshaw malgré une belle séquence de 23 temps de jeu. Peu de temps après, le trois-quarts centre Tommaso Menoncello reçoit un carton jaune pour un jeu déloyal sur James Lowe, réduisant davantage les chances de l’Italie déjà bien maigres.
Il reste encore du temps pour que l’Irlande aggrave le score. A la 62e, Lowe aplatit malgré une résistance acharnée de l’Italie qui plaque à tour de bras (209 plaquages contre 91, 86% de plaquages réussis). En face, l’Irlande fait preuve d’une indiscipline inhabituelle – 11 pénalités concédées (contre 9 pour les Italiens) – mais qui ne la pénalise guère.
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Calvin Nash ajoute un dernier essai à la 78e minute – une autre tentative de Jamison Gibson-Park sera refusée sur un en-avant – scellant la victoire de l’Irlande avec un score final de 36-0.
Six Nations
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Ireland
2
2
0
0
10
2
England
2
2
0
0
8
3
Scotland
2
1
1
0
5
4
France
2
1
1
0
4
5
Wales
2
0
2
0
3
6
Italy
2
0
2
0
1
Comments on RugbyPass
A distinct discomfort with the officiating they were probably selected from the local IRA narcos branch along with the commentators bloody fly tippers.
1 Go to commentsWow, never thought I would read that
1 Go to commentsExcellent match. Great to see Keenan and Ryan back for Leinster. Super result for Ulster. Season is turning around.
1 Go to comments“We need eight or nine new players, who are hard-wearing and durable and experienced Premiership performers”. So why are they scouting a retired fullback who himself admits that his “body is broken”?
1 Go to commentsBrumbies hand, knocked a Crusaders hand. Therefore, knock on in goal. Crusaders, goal line drop out should’ve been awarded. most likely after that 24 each at full time, so extra time would’ve been the right an entertaining outcome. Act Jim
1 Go to commentsSpeell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
1 Go to commentsThey have been cruelled by injuries but almost nobody (Sevu Reece and Fletcher Newell big exceptions) has played above himself which regularly happened before. Surely Scott Robertson had maintained the recruitment programme and it looks like a reasonable squad. Last in this competition will stall a lot of careers. Penny seems likeable. But it’s not enough even though this was better. We haven’t been good enough and it’s not helped by the “it’s been 15 years since… “etc “after nearly every match. Seems somehow a soft gifting of something once valuable. Kieran Read giving comments last week almost choked describing the easy surrender of possession by the forwards. I’d love to think that the senior players some of whom are back can show enough pride in the jersey to test the Blues next week.
3 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
6 Go to commentsAlways reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
3 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
6 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
5 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
5 Go to comments