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FEATURE STORY
Ireland Over USA
On a day when Ireland spoiled England’s 6 Nations Grand Slam aspirations, the Irish rugby league team made it a double for the Emerald Isle by downing the USA Tomahawks 26-8 in the Donnybrook Cup international in Philadelphia.
It was the Wolfhounds’ first win against the US since 1996 and brought an end to the Tomahawks’ run of four straight against the Irish.
In front of a good crowd of around 2200, Ireland got out of the blocks early and had ground out a slender 10-2 lead by halftime.
Unlike their outings during the Atlantic Cup last fall, the Americans were out of sync and could not get into a rhythm.
Their ball handling let them down on a few occasions and their defensive lines were a little suspect at times. Conversely, Ireland got better as the match wore on and put another 16 points on the board to seal the deal.
It was a five tries to one domination by the Wolfhounds. Getting on the board for Ireland were Adam Hughes (2), Simon Deevy, Brian Flanagan and Ben Moriarty. Sean Carmody was good on three conversions to round out the visitors’ scoring.
“Absolutely ecstatic for the players,” Ireland head coach Alan Robinson told WeAreRugby. “It was my first proper game as a coach and the guys did everything I asked of them. I’m happy how they controlled the game defensively.”
For the Tomahawks, their lone try was scored by Luis Tulio. Nate Smith got the conversion and an earlier penalty goal.
“We turned the ball over on three occasions and Ireland controlled the ball,” said USA head coach David Niu. “I'm disappointed in the result, but I'm not disappointed in the process.”
Next up for the Tomahawks is the two-game home and home Colonial Cup series against Canada this summer and then the USA hosts South Africa and Jamaica in the Atlantic Zone Rugby League World Cup qualifying series in October.
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