Ireland ran in nine tries against the USA, and showed the gulf in class between the teams - as their should be, not all of the American players are even professionals. And half of them seemed to be Irish anyway! It wasn't a regular Irish team, so it worked well, and not so well. Carberry gifted two tries to the USA, and left a few conversions behind, but he combined well with the other backs to create at least two tries, so he was even for the match. How was Gary Ringrose taking his conversion though, is there nothing he can't do? I bet he could play tight head as well just for the lols. Luke McGrath put in a little gem of a performance, and Earls was hungry for tires. It was a bit rough around the edges, but with all those young players, not surprising, and that's what these matches are for.
The Lions got their mojo back in Christchurch with a controlled win over the Crusaders. It was the first time on tour the Lions got to flex their muscles with an all round performance. Their defense was epic - aggressive and suffocating, preventing the Crusaders from getting a foot hold in the game. They still left a few scores behind them - a bit more composure, a little better handling and they could have scored two or three tries. Of the Irish players, Murray was majestic, he's in a league of his own at the moment, and it's no coincidence that in his first match the Lions looked their best. Sexton came on and really made a difference - he looked sharp, controlled the game well, and formed a good partnership with Farrell. O'Brien and O'Mahoney played hard, uncompromising athletic rugby to keep the Crusdaders back - playing their part in a monster performance from the pack. Te'o and Watson were lively and creative. New Zealand will be sitting up and taking notice.
aturday 10th June
International Match
Japan 33 21 Romania FT
Italy 13 34 Scotland FT
South Africa 37 14 France FT
Argentina 34 38 England FT
Canada 0 13 Georgia FT
USA 19 55 Ireland FT
Crusaders 3 12 British and Irish Lions
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