The world tuned their televisions in at 8pm last night as the Australian Kangaroos played host to the Irish Wolfhounds to decide who would leave the highly successful tournament as World Champions. While the number one seeded Australians went in as favourites, the Irish and their fifteen game winning streak couldn't be written off.
AUS IRE
1 Darren Lockyer 1 Steve Prescott
2 Mat Rogers 2 Brian Carney
3 Wendell Sailor 3 Chris McKenna
4 Matthew Gidley 4 Brian O'Discroll
5 Timana Tahu 5 Tommy O'Reilly
6 Brad Fittler 6 Ronan O'Gara
7 Andrew Johns © 7 Tommy Martyn
8 Shane Webcke 8 Barrie McDermott
9 Danny Buderus 9 Keith Wood
10 Jason Ryles 10 Craig Greenhill
11 Ben Kennedy 11 Chris Joynt
12 Gorden Tallis 12 Luke Ricketson
13 George Smith 13 Kevin Campion ©
++Interchange
14 Luke Bailey 14 Terry O'Connor
15 Nathan Hindmarsh 15 Michael Cassidy
16 Craig Wing 16 Danny Williams
17 Dominik Bush 17 Shannon O'Reilly
The siren sounded and the game got underway with Tommy O'Reilly driving it low and hard at the Australian line in an unexpected ploy. It paid immediate dividends, Timana Tahu fumbling the ball and giving Ireland a golden opportunity to start the game with some points. Ireland began to grind out a set, only to have an altercation between Barrie McDermott and Jason Ryles delay play. While Ryles was cautioned, the Irish mounted another offensive, but a dangerous Ronan O'Gara grubber was deftly picked up by Darren Lockyer. It was Australia's turn to make inroads, big George Smith cutting through some feeble backline defence to make easy metres on the return. The Irish hadn't made it this far to be dominated however, Luke Ricketson ending the set prematurely when his jarring tackle forced the ball out of Matt Gidley's arms.
It took five minutes for a side to cross the whitewash, and came when Tommy O'Reilly leapt above Wendell Sailor to clasp a spiralling Tommy Martyn bomb. The referee wasn't convinced, and on a second look it was ruled that Brian Carney had held back a chaser and the try was disallowed.
The eighth minute came about with Australia mounting a promising raid, continually being repelled by desperate sliding defence from Nathan Hoy's Irish. Ben Kennedy looked to have scored Australia's first when he collected a pop up pass from Jason Ryles, but once again the video referee found fault- this time calling play back for Danny Buderus' knock on from dummy half.
The second penalty of the game, this one against Ireland for Keith Wood's extra work in the tackle, laid the foundation for the first points of the game when Andrew Johns' touch finder bit off plenty of yardage and got the Kangaroos where they needed to be. Two nothing plays ensued, with Keith Wood's aggressive marker defence meaning the Australians didn't make a single metre. Enter Wendell Sailor, who plucked the ball up from dummy half and danced the remaining eight metres to the line- O'Reilly and McKenna hanging off him when he planted it down for the first four pointer of the final. Andrew Johns was able to convert, and the Kangaroos lead 6-0 much to the roared approval of the gathered Aussie fans.
Ireland weren't deterred by the try, and instead looked to pick up their intensity with their next set. Brian Carney and Brian O'Driscroll looked to single handedly reverse the Irish fortune- the dangerous pairing causing nightmares for Mat Rogers and Matt Gidley. However, it was Kevin Campion who proved the crucial factor in Ireland's most promising attacking raid- the big Coffs Harbour forward drawing the defence before throwing a wobbly pass to Tommy Martyn. Martyn's long pass was spot on, and Brian Carney was able to fend off Timana Tahu to score Ireland's first try of the game. O'Gara was left with a difficult conversion, but the Irish faithful cheered it home as the scoreboard read a six all draw.
It was a short lived status quo, Australia's attempted short kick off not coming off and the Irish being further relieved when Gorden Tallis was penalised for raking the ball in a two man tackle. Ronan O'Gara, still forty from the Australian line, made the decision to shoot for goal- and it was the right one, Ireland up 8-6 after the ball dropped just over the black dot. With only ten minutes remaining until halftime, the final was really heating up.
As the halftime siren drew closer, fighting again marred what had been a quality clash between two star studded lineups. This time it was Keith Wood responsible, the North Sydney hooker cited for giving Danny Buderus a few quick punches in the tackle. Whilst a melee had followed, with Jason Ryles knocking Barrie McDermott down in apparant retaliation for earlier events, it was Ireland's offense that was penalised, and Andrew Johns stepped up to make it 8 all with an easy penalty attempt.
HALFTIME Australia 8 drawn with Ireland 8
More fighting followed the kick-off, the spirited Irish not holding back after Gorden Tallis' stiff high tackle on Chris Joynt left the New England forward reeling. Even the smaller guys got in on the action, Tommy O'Reilly literally jumping on another player's back to throw punches. The downfield kick didn't give Ireland points, but did make Australia's return set all the harder. It didn't matter either way, a brilliant Darren Lockyer run on the third tackle carrying Australia sixty downfield. With the ball only five out, it was always a tall ask for Ireland to hold out, and George Smith plowed over in the 43rd to make it 12-8. Johns, his boot definitely on song, made it 14-8.
A change in troops seemed to stem the flow of points, and Shannon O'Reilly's injection gave the Irish backline plenty of spark. In fact, the young Crusade winger's combination with Brian O'Driscroll was inspirational- the two making metres with every touch of the ball. But even the dangerous combination didn't have the desired effect, with the Irish unable to cross the line as fulltime drew inexorably closer.
Australia looked to have put a stop to any hopes of an Irish fightback when Jason Ryles powered over in the 55th, the big Sydney prop being put into a hint of a gap by a brilliant George Smith offload. Ryles' try was easily converted, and with the last quarter of the match fast approaching it looked like the Australians had successfully defended their title. It would take a minor miracle and a mammoth Aussie choke for the Irish to scream back into the game, and the latter didn't look like happening as the Australians began to make good metres at will against a tiring Irish pack. However, in the 62nd minute Brian O'Driscroll came up with one of the great tackles of World Cup football- driving Matt Gidley into touch only twenty out from the Australian line to give the Irish a wonderful chance. It wasn't wasted, Luke Ricketson finishing off a movement started by Tommy Martyn with a painful fend on Timana Tahu. O'Gara wasn't phased by the pressure, converting to put Ireland six down at 20-14 with fifteen minutes remaining.
The try had the desired effect on Ireland, and they lifted a notch in intensity to really pressure the Australian defence. Shannon O'Reilly in particular was firing up, skipping out of an attempted Hindmarsh tackle in the 70th to embark on a dangerous downfield run. The Australians weren't without their stars, Mat Rogers and Gorden Tallis also making threatening runs. But as fulltime drew closer it became clear that Australia intended to hold onto their slender lead and let the Irish come to them.
And come they did. It was fitting that Ireland's best player had a hand in the try, Brian O'Driscroll chipping over the Australian line, regathering, and flipping the ball out to a supporting Chris McKenna as he was brought down by Darren Lockyer. McKenna continued downfield, a long pass finding Tommy Martyn who nimbly evaded the pursuit of a desperate Andrew Johns to put it down underneath the posts. The atmosphere was positively electric, Irish fans going crazy as Ronan O'Gara calmly knocked over the crucial conversion to level things in the 78th minute. Australia made the obvious ploy of going for a short kick off, but the Irish recovered he ball and backed it up with an uninspired set, ending with a poor kick from Martyn. Pressure was mounting, and the Australian fans were on their feet when Timana Tahu was put into space and raced forty downfield. His pass to a supporting Brad Fittler was put down however, and fulltime sounded with the game still locked at 20 all.
FULLTIME: Australia 20 drawn with Ireland 20
The whistle went on twenty minutes of extra time, in which all points scored would be added to the fulltime score to decide which side would be crowned world champions. After some early stage fright from both sides, Gold Coast's Matt Gidley was the first to make a threatening run- the talented centre trailing a Gorden Tallis run and being put into space by a popped up pass. O'Driscroll was everywhere, rolling up Gidley five out to prevent a possible try.
Tempers flared as the tenth minute and halftime approached, Tommy Martyn biting off a little more than he could chew when he got involved in a fist fight with Gorden Tallis. Predictably the veteran Irish stand off was put on his backside, but it was Tallis who was penalised. O'Gara lined up a long distance attempt at goal, which, thankfully for the Aussie fans- fell well short.
The return set proved inspiring, the Australian forwards finding some hidden reserve of energy despite playing eighty nine minutes of intense football already. First Tallis, then Kennedy, and then Webcke made strong hit ups. Fittingly, it was Australia's best forward for the night who went over, Jason Ryles monstering his way across the line to make it 24-20. Andrew Johns' conversion came as the siren sounded signalling halftime, Australia leading 26-20.
EXTRA TIME HALFTIME: Australia 26 lead Ireland 20
The final ten minutes of the 2004 World Cup were somewhat disappointing following the intensity of the first ninety minutes, as Australia lifted and the Irish faltered. Whilst the Australian players seemed to make metres at will, the Irish game was marred by handling errors. You know something's wrong when Danny Williams is making your only line break and even O'Driscroll looks bad. The 3.....2......1 countdown came, and the Irish had to watch as Brad Fittler ran the ball into touch to end the game. Australia had defended their title, and in the most exciting of circumstances. An extra time final.
FULLTIME
Australian Kangaroos 26
Darren Lockyer
George Smith
Jason Ryles 2
Johns 5/5
defeated
Irish Wolfhounds 20
Brian Carney
Tommy Martyn
Luke Ricketson
O'Gara 4/4
MAN OF THE MATCH: Jason Ryles
George Smith...........2 points
Brian O'Driscroll......1 point
