28-10-19 ireland rugby league
RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD
CUP
SPAIN 8-42 IRELAND
MC CARTHY MADE
Spain took an early lead, dashing scrum half Romain Pallares
landing a sixth minute penalty after Julien Agullo was taken late when
instigating a move to the right.
Twice the home defence was called into a desperate
rear-guard action, Joe Keyes thrown back into the field of play as he looked to
side-step over between the posts going solo, and Irish skipper Bob Beswick held
up over the line by Antonio Puerta.
Ethan Ryan was looking increasingly dangerous, not least on
kick returns and, after hard-working George King had handled twice, Oliver
Roberts was held up over the line as the home defence remained solid.
Puerta covered Greg McNally’s grubber on the last after expansive
play from Liam Byrne, King, Keyes, Roberts and Roland Podesta on debut, as the
visitor’s pressure built.
They gained reward with two tries in quick succession just
before the quarter time mark, Ryan setting up the first handling three times in
a 90-metre move, from a kick, linking with Frankie Hatton and then producing a
fine lobbed offload for McNally to cross.
On the re-start set, Ireland exploited the left, Roberts
with the telling pass, Ryan linking from the back and Podesta going round
behind the posts and adding his second goal in a faultless display of kicking.
Spain gained rousing applause for their defensive fortitude
on the half hour that prevented a further score, Roberts was then denied and
otherwise near-impeccable James Bentley couldn’t gather a McNally cross kick as
the half ended.
Spain kicked out on the full towards the end of the opening
set of the second half on their own 20 and, after Bentley had created the
position, Keyes jinked his way over.
The scrum half was then sinbinned in the 47th minute for
taking exception to a late challenge, along with Anthony Delgado, but it was
the hosts took advantage of the extra space.
Pallares’ long pass freed winger Alexis Escamilla and he
kicked back inside, Romain Franco winning the race to the ball and Pallares
converting to narrow the gap to 10 points.
As the play became scrappy, Podesta was pulled back for a
forward pass, Matthew Coade was just held out after a fumbled high kick and
Alex Doutres intercepted into the clear only to be brought back for a knock on.
But, as the pressure on the home line mounted, Tyrone
McCarthy plunged over and the floodgates opened and Beswick and Keyes combined
for Bentley to deservedly go over in the corner, Podesta with the touchline
conversion.
Agullo was sin binned for a dangerous tackle as tempers
continued to fray, McCarthy claiming his second, again powering over from close
in, and the returning Beswick’s fine cut-out pass finally sent Roberts across.
MY
OPINION
Ireland now get the chance to
play a home game that they should win but they should not be in this position
in the first place and they should qualify automatically but the match against
Wales really did harm them you do hope that they can learn and maybe bring in a
team to the lower leagues of Rugby League they could do well
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