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Mon 10 Jun 2013 | 01:37
Ireland take narrow win over USA in front of record crowd in Houston

6
Comments

Ireland scraped home against the USA in Texas at the weekend, coming away with a narrow 15-12 victory in a hard-fought game watched by a record 20 181 rugby fans. Ian Madigan kicked all the points for an Irish side without those touring with the Lions.

For the USA Saracens back Chris Wyles kicked four penalties, but it was their second loss in succession, following on from the opening Pacific Nations Cup defeat to Canada a week prior.

"We're trying to score tries," said Eagles skipper Todd Clever. "That's the only way we can make this game exciting and give the fans what they want and the players what they deserve.

"It was really hard to read that ref, and it was really hard to know what was going on, on the breakdown because I thought the boys were dominant at the breakdown," he added.

Ireland captain Peter O'Mahony was ultimately pleased with the win, despite it being tough going.

"It is an away from home Test win and I am thrilled to bits for the boys who won their first caps that the rest of the boys got the win on such a special day," he said.

"The overall thing is we got a win away from home, it was a tough game and we expected nothing less. The USA have really improved over the last 12 to 18 months, they have been really pushing on. It was tough out there, the conditions were tough and the ball was really slippy." 

Posted By: Grant Constable

6 Comments

  • scrummy87
    10:06 PM 11/06/2013

    Reff clearly not up to the level necessary to reff an international game as evidenced by the Yellow Card given to Todd Clever and the failure to even penalize Ireland for tackling a man while in the air, as well as the general inconsistency of his decisions around the breakdown.

  • 5:15 PM 11/06/2013

    Let's be sure to call out both sides for challenging the ref. The video shows the Irish captain arguing the penalty called near their goalline.

    The video doesn't include some of the things that created the American players' frustration, such as a player tackled in the air on a trestart with no penalty awarded (clearly a yellow-card offense) and Ireland twice kicking away the ball when penalties were awrded to USA to avoid the quick tap. That's why Clever suggested to the ref that the second time Ireland kicked the ball away it "deserves a warning." Pretty mild suggestion for something that should warrant a yellow card, especially when done repeatedly.

  • aconsya
    12:13 PM 11/06/2013

    Looking at this makes me feel ashamed off rugby. Both Ireland but defently the US can look themself in the mirror and ask themself if they not rather want to play a nice soccer game here and there. Got really annoyed by all the talking to the ref.... And surely the ref wasn't the greatest ref ever seen but still, it's rugby.

  • mskomu
    7:14 PM 10/06/2013

    I believe it was 2nd-tier team from Ireland, but nevertheless huge improvement from team USA.

  • upthelowend
    7:09 PM 10/06/2013

    Can I also add how disrespectfully the US captain was talking to the ref!

  • upthelowend
    7:04 PM 10/06/2013

    Cannot express (and im all for the US playing and everything) I could not stand listening to those American commentators talking about 'open field tackles' and how Ireland were 'playing defence'.

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