Ireland (33) 55
Tries: Earls, Kearney 2, Heaslip, Bowe (2), D Wallace, Quinlan
Cons: O'Gara (5), P Wallace Pen: O'Gara

Canada (0) 0

Declan Kidney's reign as Ireland coach got off to an impressive start as the Canadians found themselves overpowered at a wet and blustery Thomond Park.

Debutant full-back Keith Earls set the tone with a try in the third minute.

Tries by Rob Kearney (2), Jamie Heaslip and Tommy Bowe and a 100% kicking record from Ronan O'Gara saw the Irish power to a 38-0 lead by half-time.

Replacements David Wallace and Alan Quinlan, along with winger Bowe, landed tries in the final quarter.

It all added up a highly satisfactory start to Ireland's new era and they can go into next week's much tougher test against New Zealand in good heart.

For full-back Earls, playing in front of his home crowd, the early try was a dream start.

After Justin Mensah-Coker failed to collect a high kick from O'Gara in his own 22 Brian O'Driscoll and Luke Fitzgerald fired the ball wide to the left for Earls to get over.

O'Gara stroked over an eighth-minute penalty before Kearney got a controversial second try in the 13th minute after a mistake by visiting full-back James Pritchard.

Canada winger Ciaran Hearn appeared to get the first touch down on the bobbling ball but the score was awarded by the TV referee.

Number eight Heaslip then barged over but had to wait for the video judge to confirm his first international try.

Another touchdown followed in the 31st minute when Ireland kicked a quick penalty wide and Earls off-loaded to Kearney to score his second.

O'Gara maintained his perfect record with a conversion from the right touchline.

In the final move of a one-sided half, Eoin Reddan fooled the Canadian defence by going blind from a ruck, affording Bowe the easiest of runs for Ireland's fifth try.

It went a bit quiet in the second half, during which Kidney gave game-time to the entire Irish bench.

One of the replacements, home star David Wallace, got the only try of the half.

His supporting run enabled him to collect Bowe's offload and O'Gara's replacement, Paddy Wallace, added the extras.

Quinlan, something of a folk hero in Munster, and Ospreys star Bowe landed late tries to cap Ireland's convincing display.

Ireland: Earls; Bowe, O'Driscoll, capt, Fitzgerald, Kearney; O'Gara, Reddan; Horan, Flannery, Buckley, O'Callaghan, O'Connell, Ferris, Jennings, Heaslip.
Replacements: R Best, Hayes, Quinlan, D Wallace, Stringer, P Wallace, Horgan.

Canada: Pritchard; Hearn, Keys, Smith, Mensah-Coker; Monro, Fairhurst; Tkachuk, Riordan, Thiel; Burak, Jackson; Stephen, Kleeberger, Carpenter.
Replacements: Pletch, Walsh, Hotson, Sinclair, Williams, Evans, Mackenzie.

Referee: Christophe Berdos (France)

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version