Rugby: Ireland unbeaten against New Zealand

It’s not often you get a chance to make a statement that might have someone checking their specs, rubbing their eyes, and re-reading something two or three times to make sure they read it right the first time.

So here goes: Ireland are now the only rugby nation with a 100 per cent win record against New Zealand. In the Rugby World Cup.

The last seven days have seen a remarkable shift in the game of rugby union. A shift that has seen the Southern Hemisphere knocked off their perch and sent packing. One would have thought such a momentous occasion might have merited a headline or two on the Roar, but I searched in vain for even one word of the Rugby World Cup that’s on at the moment.

That’s the Women’s Rugby World Cup – to give it its full distinguishing title from the men’s game. Currently being held in Marcoussis in France.

It’s been distinguished in other ways too. We’ve seen a much more balanced tournament with some of the old familiar teams getting their comeuppance on the pitch as the emerging teams in the women’s game have improved considerably in the four years since the last tournament, even if many of them are still amateurs with day-jobs to hold down.

Alongside the usual suspects from New Zealand, Australia, England and France, the traditional powerhouses, have emerged USA and Canada, as well the more unfamiliar names of Kazakhstan and Spain, and more familiar but traditionally weaker teams from Wales, Samoa, Ireland and South Africa.

New Zealand have won four of the previous World Cups, and haven’t lost a match since 1991. Oddly in that time, they’d never played Ireland until they landed in their pool as third seeds during the draw last October. The USA were also in their pool and they had roundly thrashed the Irish side by 40-odd points in the previous World Cup. No worries then for the mighty Black Ferns as they took to the field on Tuesday last week, having crushed Kazakhstan 79-5 in their opening match.

25 minutes in, and they were a try and penalty to the good. New Zealand fans relaxed in their armchairs happy to watch the onslaught slowly build from 8-0.

Except, the Ireland team didn’t take the expected backward step. They’d won the Women’s Six Nations in 2013, but the naysayers said it was only because half the England team were away playing Sevens at the time.

Still, a Grand Slam was a big forward step for the women in green. And now they were about to take another.

Before the match, their captain, Fiona Coughlan, had spoken honestly and openly about how they didn’t fear the women in black. They’d look for the chink in their armour and exploit it as best they could against the World Champions. They believed they could find it and beat them.

They found the chink a few minutes later – up front.

As the game ticked past the half-hour, the Black Ferns found themselves under increasing pressure in the ruck, the maul and at scrum time.

The Irish moved relentlessly forward, keeping the ball, gaining position, knocking back defenders, and then they were hammering on the New Zealand try-line. The pressure built and then the line cracked as the Ireland No. 8, Heather O’Brien touched down at the posts.

Halftime came and as the teams trooped towards the sheds, it was the women in green who had the bounce in their step albeit 7-8 down.

The second half kicked off with the expected blacklash, and the Ferns swarmed over the ball, pounding the Irish backwards. Seven minutes later, they had a penalty and they extended their lead to 11-7.

Coughlan took her group under the posts and reminded them what they had come here to achieve. From the kick-off their intent was there for all to see. They hunted down every Fern who took a ball in her hands, and knocked them down and scrambled for possession. Back and forth across the field went the Ferns seeking an opening.

As they reached the hour mark, the Ferns attacked again. Their full-back Winiata received the ball, and looking up thought she saw a gap and kicked downfield hoping to get behind the defensive line. Her back line rushed up in support.

On the other side, one woman had her eyes glued to the ball as it came down out of the sky, and there was only going to be one result as far as she was concerned. Niamh Briggs, caught the ball on the run and powered her way forward, jinxed one Ferns player, then another, then stepped out into the open and put her head back in the clear.

The Ferns rushed towards her and Briggs timed her pass to perfection as her winger teammate, Alison Miller came screaming down the outside calling for the ball.

Miller caught it, and then shifted a gear. The New Zealand scrum half was facing her ready to take her down, Miller pinned her ears back and went ’round the outside hugging the wing and hurtled to the try line and touched down as the late-arriving Kelly Brazier did her best to put her in touch.

The crowd took off as Ireland took over the lead. Briggs stepped up from the touchline and slotted the conversion. 14-11 to Ireland.

The Ferns kicked off and sought to make their skill and experience pay. They came at the Irish in droves but their passing let them down as the time ticked away. Another burst and suddenly New Zealand were over the line.

Three Irish players held the player up and the Ferns walked away empty handed. Back they came again and eventually won a penalty for their efforts. Now it was 14-14 with 66 minutes on the clock. Irish fingernails started slowly being chewed to the quick.

Both teams went at it hammer and tongs. Neither could seem to make a breakthrough although Ireland were looking the stronger to finish. And then, with just under ten minutes to go, Ireland won a penalty out on the right.

Briggs stepped up on the mark to take the kick, and readied herself. The ref stepped forward and shifted her more to the right saying that was the spot. Briggs didn’t blink. She re-placed the ball, stepped back, and then calmly slotted the ball straight through the posts. 17-14.

As New Zealand prepared to kick off, the camera swept across the waiting Irish players’ faces, and suddenly you could see the difference – these Irish women knew they could win this.

The Ferns swerved and feinted but to no avail as the clock ran down. No way through. And then in the dying minutes, unlike their male counterparts last November, Coughlan and her troops did what all good teams do to close out a match – they attacked. Backward went the Ferns as they tried desperately to win the ball.

The Irish marched relentlessly forward – breaking here, mauling there, and as they reached the final minute, Ireland were camped on the New Zealand try line with the Ferns desperately defending their losing bonus point. To their relief, the clock ran out and Ireland kicked the ball into the stands and the whistle blew.

On the sidelines, the watching subs and coaching team looked at each other, wondering had they heard right, and then as it sank in, they swarmed onto the pitch to congratulate their team mates. Coughlan and Briggs sank to their knees, exhausted to their bones, tears of joy running down their faces. They had done it. They had taken on the World Champions for the first time, and won.

Three days later, the Ireland team over-ran Kazakhstan 40-5 and now find themselves in the semi-finals for the first time.

For the Ferns, there was more misery to add to their heartbreak. As they waited to play the USA in the hope of finishing as the best runner-up of the pools, the news came through that England had forced a last-minute draw against Canada, putting Canada ahead on points and couldn’t be overtaken. New Zealand were out.

By the end of the third round, with France routing Australia 17-3, four northern hemisphere teams remained.

The semifinals, Ireland v England and France v Canada will be played on Wednesday evening (Thursday 6am in Australia) and the final is on this Sunday evening (Monday morning).

They should be cracking matches. And women’s rugby will get a massive lift no matter the result.

The old order has been toppled. The game is growing. Celebrate.