Wallabies strike back

Press, 23 November 1981, Page 38

Wallabies strike back

NZPA Dublin Tony Shaw’s Wallabies walked tall again on Saturday after a tigerish, 16-12 win over Ireland at Lansdown Road.

Four days earlier, the Australians slunk off the field at Cork, stripped of their pride after a spiritless loss to Munster.

The ignominy of that defeat inspired a" performance of rare courage on Saturday. The juggernaut Irish pack would have crushed most sides and in the opening minutes it seemed that the rearranged Australian eight would be annihilated. But somehow Shaw’s mein absorbed the punishment, including three tight-heads, and still had enough in reserve to record a memorable victory.

*T am tremendously proud of them ... they showed a lot of good old-fashioned guts."

said the Australian manager, Sir Nicholas Shehadie. His sentiments were echoed by the Irish coach, Mr Tom Kiernan, who described the Australian forwards as magnificent. The record book will show that the trusty boot of the five-eighths, Paul McLean, set the seal with three penalty goals, including a magnificent effort from half-way, only metres in from touch, to secure a halftime lead, 12-3.

But only those who saw the game will relish the memory of total commitment from an inspired Australian pack, led magnificently by Shaw, and the tenacious defence from the backs.

With the rampaging back row of the number eight. Mark Loane. and the flankers. Greg Cornelsen and Simon Poidevin, blazing a trail to the break-downs, the Australian pack negated the "bomb" tactics of Ireland’s five-eighth. Tony Ward. Ward himself failed to cope with the incessant pressure anywhere near as efficiently as McLean and the Wallaby full-back. Roger Gould. Gould never faltered under the high ball and repeatedly took the steam out of. the Irishmen with his touchfinders.

He capped his finest game in an Australian jersey with a neat field goal, in the 14th minute edging the Wallabies to a 6-0 lead after McLean had potted a penalty minutes earlier. McLean added another

penalty in the 27th minute, boosting Australia to 9-0, but two minutes later Ward replied with a 30-metre penalty.

The Irish pack unleashed a fierce onslaught in the closing minutes of the first half and only a deliberate off-side by the half-back, John Hipwell, prevented a pushover try from a five-metre scrum.

Ward missed the sideline penalty but McLean, in the third minute of injury time, hoisted the flags with the longest scoring kick of his 26-test career

In the opening minutes of the second half, a penalty attempt by Ward, almost from the' same spot as McLean’s mammoth effort, fell short. Ward made amends soon afterwards with a gift penalty under the posts for a late tackle, cutting the Australian lead to 12-6. Four minutes later, the left-wing. Michael O’Connor, a controversial switch from the centres for this test, dived over in the corner for the only try of the match after some excellent lead-up work by Shaw and Loane.

The ’ wind deflected McLean's sideline conversion attempt and with 12 minutes to go Ireland edged remorselessly closer with a 15-metre penalty by Ward, awarded under the posts for a late tackle by Loane.

Two minutes later Ireland closed to within four points with another Ward penalty.

In spite of the. intense passion generated by the

35,000 Irish spectators, there were only two flare-ups. One at a scrum featured the props, Tony D’Arcy and Ireland’s British Lion, Phil Orr.

After the second incident — an all-in brawl midway through the first half — the referee called out both captains for a lecture.

A “Sunday Telegraph” journalist, John Reason, wrote later that an error by the referee cost Ireland victory.

The referee was unsighted when D’Arcy passed the ball off the ground after he had been tackled in front of the Irish posts. Reason said.