Ireland 50 Canada 7
Six Nations champions Ireland kicked off their World Cup Pool D campaign with a resounding bonus-point 50-7 victory over Canada on Saturday.
Ireland, superior to Canada in every facet of the game after a tight opening quarter of an hour, notched up four first-half tries through Sean O’Brien, Iain Henderson, Jonathan Sexton and David Kearney, three converted by Sexton.
The first three of those tries came when Canada captain Jamie Cudmore had been yellow carded for a ruck infringement, and left the Canadians with too big a mountain to climb at 29-0 down at half time at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
Sean Cronin crossed for Ireland’s fifth try before DTH van der Merwe grabbed a consolation for Canada.
Rob Kearney and Jared Payne and Henderson then put the icing on the Irish cake with two late tries, replacement Ian Madigan kicking three conversions of his own.
The result was a severe warning to Pool D rivals France and Italy who play later Saturday.
* Agence France-Presse
Georgia 17 Tonga 10
In Saturday’s first game, Georgia captain Mamuka Gorgodze led his country to just their third Rugby World Cup win with a 17-10 upset success over Tonga in their Pool C opener at Kingsholm, Gloucester on Saturday.
A record-breaking day for the east Europeans also saw their 18-year-old scrum-half Vasil Lobzhanidze become the youngest player in World Cup history.
Georgia, competing at their fourth World Cup, had only previously enjoyed wins at the showpiece tournament with a 30-0 success over Namibia in 2007 and a 25-9 defeat of Romania four years ago in New Zealand.
* Agence France-Presse
Read more: Geoffrey Riddle from Twickenham at the open of the 2015 Rugby World Cup
South Africa line-up news
Loose forward Willem Alberts has been withdrawn from South Africa’s line-up for their opening Rugby World Cup game against Japan on Saturday after injuring his calf.
Pieter-Steph du Toit will start in the No. 7 jersey with his place on the bench going to Eben Etzebeth, a statement from the South Africa team said.
“Willem felt some discomfort during the captain’s run and we took him out of the session as a precautionary measure,” said Springbok team doctor Craig Roberts of Friday’s final training session before the Pool B match at the Brighton Community Stadium.
“We reassessed him again this morning and decided it would be better to withdraw him from the team,” he said on Saturday.
* Reuters
Wales prop in good health
Wales prop Samson Lee has returned from a debilitating achilles injury the strongest and heaviest he has ever been, although his comeback has excluded any ferreting.
The Welsh were hit by a crushing double injury nightmare just before the World Cup when Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb were ruled out by injuries sustained in the final warm-up game against Italy.
There were fears tighthead prop Lee and full-back Liam Williams might also fail to make the cut.
But the duo have both been named in Warren Gatland’s side to face Uruguay at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Sunday. Lee suffered a ruptured achilles tendon in March.
“I’m glad to get back, after all the hard work I’ve been doing with the physios,” said Lee.
“There’s always been a doubt (of not making it), it’s been a lot of hard work, but the physios have been unbelievable.”
* Agence France-Presse
More to come...
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