Happy Ending To An Historic Day

Saturday being the historic occasion that it was, it was fitting that Eddie O’Sullivan’s Ireland side kept their Six Nations championship hopes alive by writing themselves into the record books with a 43-13 dismissal of England at Croke Park.

2007 RBS 6 NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, February 24

IRELAND 43 ENGLAND 13, Croke Park (Att: 81,611)

Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Girvan Dempsey, David Wallace, Shane Horgan, Isaac Boss; Cons: Ronan O’Gara 3, Paddy Wallace; Pens: O’Gara 5
England: Try: David Strettle; Con: Jonny Wilkinson; Pens: Wilkinson 2

TIME LINE: 2 minutes – England penalty: Jonny Wilkinson – 0-3; 6 mins – Ireland penalty: Ronan O’Gara – 3-3; 20 mins – Ireland penalty: Ronan O’Gara – 6-3; 26 mins – Ireland penalty: Ronan O’Gara – 9-3; 29 mins – England sin binning: Danny Grewcock; 30 mins – Ireland try: Girvan Dempsey – 14-3; conversion: Ronan O’Gara – 16-3; 38 mins – Ireland try: David Wallace – 21-3; conversion: Ronan O’Gara – 23-3; Half-time – Ireland 23 England 3; 43 mins – Ireland penalty: Ronan O’Gara – 26-3; 47 mins – England try: David Strettle – 26-8; conversion: Jonny Wilkinson – 26-10; 56 mins – England penalty: Jonny Wilkinson – 26-13; 57 mins – Ireland penalty: Ronan O’Gara – 29-13; 65 mins – Ireland try: Shane Horgan – 34-13; conversion: Ronan O’Gara – 36-13; 79 mins – Ireland try: Isaac Boss – 41-13; conversion: Paddy Wallace – 43-13; Full-time – Ireland 43 England 13

IRELAND: Girvan Dempsey; Shane Horgan, Brian O’Driscoll (capt), Gordon D’Arcy, Denis Hickie; Ronan O’Gara, Peter Stringer; Marcus Horan, Rory Best, John Hayes, Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell, Simon Easterby, David Wallace, Denis Leamy.

Replacements used: Jerry Flannery for R Best (63 mins), Neil Best for Easterby (69), Simon Best for Hayes (71), Andrew Trimble for O’Driscoll (73), Isaac Boss for Stringer, Mick O’Driscoll for Leamy, Paddy Wallace for O’Gara (all 77).

ENGLAND: Olly Morgan; Josh Lewsey, Mike Tindall, Andy Farrell, David Strettle; Jonny Wilkinson, Harry Ellis; Perry Freshwater, George Chuter, Phil Vickery (capt), Louis Deacon, Danny Grewcock, Joe Worsley, Magnus Lund, Martin Corry.

Replacements used: Mat Tait for Morgan (30 mins), Tom Rees for Lund (half-time), Julian White for Freshwater (44), Tom Palmer for Grewcock (54), Shaun Perry for Ellis (67), Lee Mears for Chuter (72). Not used: Toby Flood.

Sin Bin: Danny Grewcock (England) (29 mins); IrishRugby.ie man of the match: David Wallace (Ireland)
Referee: Joel Jutge (France)