DUBLIN :A dominant Ireland thrashed a disjointed and undisciplined Fiji 52-17 at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, running in eight tries, three of them assisted and one scored by debutant hooker Gus McCarthy.
The Six Nations champions made a stuttering start to their November series, relinquishing a 19-game home unbeaten run to New Zealand before almost giving up a big halftime lead in last week’s narrow victory over Argentina.
They were too strong on Saturday, though, and were handed the initiative when Fiji conceded 11 penalties in the first 40 minutes. The hosts capitalised throughout the half with tries from Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Craig Casey and Mack Hansen.
A second try for Hansen, and one apiece for man-of-the-match Bundee Aki, Ronan Kelleher and McCarthy either side of a couple for Fiji, completed the rout as Ireland prepare to close out the autumn against in-form Australia next Saturday.
“It was a lot more pleasing than the last couple of weeks,” Ireland captain Doris said in a pitchside interview, crediting his side’s much-improved discipline though he said it would need to be better again for next week.
The hosts got off to the perfect start with the kind of attacking line-out they have struck from time and time again, with McCarthy making up for a wobbly first throw to loop around and send Doris through with an inside pass.
Much of the attention before the game was on the first start for 21-year-old Ireland flyhalf Sam Prendergast and the Leinster man’s mixed afternoon began with an eighth-minute yellow card for a shoulder to the head that he was lucky was not upgraded.
Ireland came away from the ensuing period unscathed thanks to some organised defence and added a second try while down to 14 men, with McCarthy in the thick of it again, flicking the ball behind his back to Doris who sent Van der Flier over.
Fiji’s persistent fouling sent prop Eroni Mawi to the bin and before the half was up Ireland’s busy and impressive scrumhalf Casey and wing Hansen went over in the corner to put the hosts in total control.
Prendergast’s calmly timed cross kick for Hansen’s try – at the same corner where he had earlier overcooked a penalty – went down in the plus column, alongside some slick passing throughout that showed why he has emerged to challenge Jack Crowley for the number 10 jersey.
There was clearly to be no repeat of Fiji’s surprise 24-19 win over Wales last weekend but they got tries in the second half with Kitione Salawa and 18-year-old replacement Setareki Turagacoke scoring either side of Aki and McCarthy.
The 21-year-old McCarthy is third choice at Leinster behind Kelleher and the injured Dan Sheehan but his all-action debut showed just how stacked Ireland are at hooker and he even finished the game playing at flanker for good measure.
Kelleher’s try and Hansen’s second put Ireland over the 50-point mark with Turagacoke in the sin bin as the visitors’ poor discipline added to their woes.
