Wooden performance

Ireland runs away with victory over U.S.

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Posted: Saturday October 02, 1999 05:00 PM

U.S. rugby players (from left) David Niu, Kurt Shuman, and Mark Williams talk together during a visit to Lansdowne Road stadium in Dublin. AP

DUBLIN, Ireland (CNN/SI) -- It wasn't luck that led Ireland to a 53-8 victory over the United States, but rather an inspired performance from their hooker Keith Wood.

The bald-headed Keith Wood, nicknamed Fester after the Addams Family character, grabbed four tries, taking his tally to nine in 28 tests.

Ireland scored seven tries to one in a strong warm up for next week's defining group match against Australia.

The scores were not really representational of much of the match. At half-time the teams were more evenly positioned at 17-8.

Wood, easily Ireland's favorite rugby player, only increased his profile by soaring to the top of the World Cup scoring charts. And he capped the performance in style with a wingers' try, running on to a kick to cross for the final score.

"I said to him before the game 'I think you're going to have a big one,'" said Ireland coach Warren Gatland. "He was like a spring ready to uncoil."

Captain and No.8 Dion O'Cuinneagain was outstanding in the loose and three of the tries came after he decided against the easy option of kicks at goal.

The US fielded just four players who earn a living from the sport, compared to the fully professional Irish squad, and the team was battered by a huge penalty count from referee Joel Dume.

Frustrations boiled over at the finish as players from both teams threw blows in midpitch.

From the start the Americans were hit by an Irish surge, like the green train which rattles under the awning of Lansdowne Road's West Stand.

A vocal crowd crammed into the terraces at each end of the cold old concrete ground and was in good voice when Ireland converted two minutes of attacking play into the first points through David Humphreys' penalty goal.

The Irish went 10-0 ahead on seven minutes when they opted to kick for the sideline instead of goal after winning a penalty five meters out from the US line.

Paddy Johns won the lineout and naive US defense was badly caught out when winger Justin Bishop looped in to take the second pass off the ruck and score untouched.

The Americans were unable to settle after the opening blast and found it hard to hang onto the ball as they sent it along the backline.

But the visitors did get a breakthrough from an Irish error. Ireland fullback Conor O'Shea lost the ball in midfield and it flew straight to US scrumhalf Kevin Dalzell who had untroubled 40-meter run to the try line.

Ireland's next try also came from an error, Tomasi Takau's lost ball on the US quarter allowing Ireland to clean it up and send over center Brian O'Driscoll.

Humphreys' conversion gave the hosts a 17-5 lead but Dalzell cut it by three with a penalty on 26 minutes.

Ireland increased its lead with a third try, through Wood, after O'Cuinneagain again chose a lineout over a penalty attempt when the US was penalized near its line.

O'Cuinneagain brought down the ball and after the Americans repelled one rolling maul Wood finished off the second.

The US kept Ireland's lead to 24-8 at halftime but some hard tackling and strong running, particularly by captain Dan Lyle and center Juan Grobler, was being squandered through poor discipline and ball control.

Ireland increased the pressure after the break and after the US spoiled two attempted push over tries, Dume awarded a penalty try.

The try ended American resistance but it was a better effort than the demoralizing 106-8 loss to England in a tuneup game.

"Our scrum was very strong, that was the difference the two teams," said Gatland. "Basically we were a lot stronger than them up front."

Australia meets Romania in the second Group E match in Belfast on Sunday.

Ireland

United States

 

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.