New Zealand defeated Ireland 28-24 at the Stade de France, Paris, to qualify for the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup, inflicting Ireland’s eighth Quarter final defeat in the competition.
Ireland’s brave fight to close the gap despite going behind by massive tries in the first half was not enough to see them claim the victory. Ireland’s continuous wait for a first-ever Semi-final spot in the Rugby World Cup will have to continue.
Tries from Mo’unga and Fainga’anuku gave New Zealand a comfortable 13-0 lead in the first half, but Ireland mounted a fightback with efforts from Johnny Sexton, Mack Hansen, and Bundee Aki to narrow the points to 18-17, and the Irish men trail by just one point going into the half-time break.
Into the second half of the game, Aaron Smith was sent to the Sin bin after he was adjudged to have deliberately knocked an Ireland player to stop an attack. However, the man’s disadvantage didn’t stop New Zealand from going ahead through Will Jordan’s try. Ireland also failed to convert their chances in the 22-yard area.
After going two way behind from Jordan’s try, Ireland mounted pressure on New Zealand to even the score but failed to convert their penalty which was conceded by Codie Taylor for collapsing a rolling maul. Taylor was also sent to the Sin bin but Ireland failed to capitalize on their numerical advantage and thus exited the World Cup at the quarter-final stage for the eighth time.
Following the defeat, Ireland’s captain, Johnny Sexton expressed his disappointment on the outcome of the match and revealed that he felt bad that they couldn’t get the victory for their supporters.
He also pointed out that he is proud of his country and his team’s efforts to secure a place in the semi-final for the first time, even though they couldn’t go through.
For New Zealand, their triumph over Ireland means that they will be in the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup for the ninth time and are set to face Argentina on Friday.
