An impressive second-half performance from Ireland yielded a 19-16 victory against world champions South Africa at Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Ireland made it 10 consecutive home wins for only the second time in their history, having won 12 in a row between November 2016 and November 2018.

Johnny Sexton and Damian Willemse exchanged early penalties before Cheslin Kolbe was shown a yellow card for a tip tackle on Mack Hansen, but the hosts could not take advantage as a tight first half ended 6-6. 

The contest burst into life after that though as two well-worked tries early in the second half down the left from Josh van der Flier and Hansen gave Ireland a 10-point lead as they looked to overwhelm the visitors.

South Africa responded with 14 minutes remaining as Franco Mostert was able to force the ball over for a try after some sustained pressure, though another Sexton penalty looked to have sealed things for Andy Farrell's side.

Kurt-Lee Arendse nipped in down the South Africa left for their second try with four minutes remaining to cut the deficit to three points and test the nerves in Dublin, but Ireland were able to hold on to make it a perfect 10 on home soil.

New Zealand earned a 35-run win over Ireland to move into prime position for a spot in the T20 World Cup semi-finals.

The result sends the Black Caps top of Group 1 and, although England and Australia can both move level on seven points, Kane Williamson's men are in a position of strength due to their superior net run rate.

It was captain Williamson's 61 from 35 balls that set the tone for his side's innings of 185-6, with Josh Little (3-22) the pick of Ireland's bowlers as he claimed a hat-trick in the 19th over.

Still, there was little the underdogs could do to limit the damage, as Finn Allen (32), Devon Conway (28) and Daryl Mitchell (31 not out) also made valuable contributions.

Ireland, who stunned pre-tournament favourites England earlier in the Super 12s, were 68 without loss in reply at one stage but crumbled to 150-9 in the face of a fine New Zealand bowling attack and are now out of the competition. 

Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi accounted for Ireland's top four between them and there was scant resistance lower down the order, with George Dockrell's 23-run cameo ended by the impressive Lockie Ferguson (3-22).

Williamson leads by example

Skipper Williamson was back to his best for New Zealand with an aggressive knock that included five fours and three maximums.

He laid the foundations to set a daunting total for Ireland, who were not to be taken lightly after also overcoming West Indies amid an impressive campaign.

Reflecting on the victory, he said: "It was a good team effort really, that Ireland team has been playing beautifully, they've got a really well-rounded side, and it was a good match and good to get the win."

Josh's Little moment of joy

It may ultimately have come in a losing effort, but a hat-trick is always a thing of beauty and Little's was a joy to behold.

In three consecutive deliveries in the penultimate over he accounted for Williamson, James Neesham and Santner, becoming only the sixth man to rack up a World Cup treble.

That feat further enhanced the fast bowler's already glowing reputation and franchises around the world will certainly have taken note.

The fit-again Cheslin Kolbe will play his first Test at full-back when South Africa face Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Kolbe has not featured for the Springboks since July due to a broken jaw, but the versatile back will don the number 15 shirt against the top-ranked side in the world.

Kurt-Lee Arendse and Makazole Mapimpi will start on the wings in an exciting back three for the world champions' opening Test of their tour in Dublin 

Damian Willemse gets the nod at fly-half, with Jaden Hendrikse at scrum-half ahead of Faf de Klerk and Jasper Wiese selected as number eight in a loose trio with Pieter Steph-du Toit and Siya Kolisi

Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber said: "We selected a team we believe contains the best combinations to counter the threats posed by Ireland.

"Damian has done well for us at fly-half, and he is continuing to grow as a player in that role, while we think Cheslin has the potential to add a new dimension to our game at full-back.

"He was sidelined for a while after breaking his jaw against Wales, but he has played four 80-minute matches for Toulon since returning to play, and we are confident that he will step up to the challenge."

South Africa team: Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi, Damian Willemse, Jaden Hendrikse; Steven Kitshoff, Malcolm Marx, Frans Malherbe, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Siya Kolisi (captain), Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese.

Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche, Vincent Koch, Franco Mostert, Deon Fourie, Kwagga Smith, Faf de Klerk, Willie le Roux.

Aaron Finch isn't feeling "too bad" after tweaking his hamstring in Australia's T20 World Cup victory over Ireland, but will have to wait to see if it presents any further complications.

The hosts recorded a 42-run win over their opponents in Group 1 to get their title defence back on track, with their final Super 12 game against Afghanistan later this week.

After struggling with form so far this tournament, Finch returned to his best with a stirring half-century in the first innings, only to be forced off through injury as Ireland fell short in pursuit.

"I've had a bit of a hammy twinge," Finch said. "I don't feel too bad at the moment but generally overnight it can stiffen up a bit. Let's see how it goes. [I] will have a scan tomorrow."

Having posted a total of 179-5, Finch noted that he had hoped for a larger margin of victory for his side, but says they are not feeling the pressure yet.

"[It] wasn't the easiest wicket," he added. "[It was a] lot slower than we thought it would be. They bowled well, [and it] was hard to get into rhythm.

"[But we're] not feeling the pressure at all to be honest. The support from the changing room has been incredible.

"T20 is a high-risk game. Sometimes it comes off, sometimes it doesn't. It wasn't easy to come out and go after the bowling from the start."

Aaron Finch returned to form with a half-century but also suffered an injury as Australia moved up to second in T20 World Cup Group 1 with a 42-run win over Ireland.

Captain Finch top scored with 63 off 44 balls as the holders posted 179-5 at the Gabba on Monday, with Marcus Stoinis making 35.

Barry McCarthy (3-29) and Josh Little (2-21) were the pick of the Ireland bowler in Brisbane.

Finch was off the field due to a hamstring problem for the run chase, but Ireland were unable to inflict more pain on him as they were all out for 137 after being reduced to 25-5 in a devastating opening four overs that saw Mitchell Starc (2-43) and Glenn Maxwell (2-14) take two wickets apiece.

Maxwell and Starc dismissed Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Curtis Campher and George Dockrell between them, with Pat Cummins cleaning up Andy Balbirnie.

A superb innings from wicketkeeper-batter Lorcan Tucker (71 not out from 48) salvaged some pride for Ireland, but they were unable to pull off another shock after stunning England last week and are down in fourth place.

The hosts will play Afghanistan in their final Super 12 game at Adelaide Oval on Friday, with group leaders New Zealand and third-placed England meeting in a huge encounter on Tuesday.

Hosts reaffirm credentials

After a humiliating defeat to the Black Caps started their tournament on the wrong foot, Australia look to be back into the swing of things.

There will be concern over Finch’s injury, though, and David Warner missed out again as he fell for only three. Ireland’s rally also prevented Australia from significantly improved their net run-rate.

Tucker tucks in

Tucker demonstrated an array of dazzling shots to frustrate Australia, hitting a six and finding the rope nine times against a top-quality attack.

Though his efforts were ultimately in vain, he blew away the previous best score for an Ireland batter in this format against Australia, exceeding Kevin O'Brien's 35 posted back in 2012.

Jahrome Hughes put on a show as New Zealand won Rugby League World Cup Group C by hammering Ireland 48-10 at Headingley on Friday.

Hughes scored two and set up three of the Kiwis' 10 tries as they ended the group stage with a perfect record and are expected to face Fiji at the quarter-final stage.

Slippery halfback Hughes, making his World Cup debut after recovering from a thigh strain, ghosted in for an opening solo try after Ed Chamberlain's penalty put Ireland in front and his pinpoint kick put one of a plate for Jordan Rapana.

Peta Hiku's quickfire double extended the Kiwis' advantage following a Louis Senior intercept try at the other end and Ronaldo Mulitalo's four-pointer made it 24-6 at half-time.

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was perhaps lucky to avoid a red card for a high tackle on James Bentley late in that frantic first half.

New Zealand were not at their brilliant best, but Rapana and Hughes helped themselves to doubles, with James Fisher-Harris, Kenny Bromwich and Joseph Manu also crossing in the second half.

Senior pounced on a mistake to become the joint-leading try-scorer in the tournament with six as Ireland showed plenty of fight, but are on the brink of elimination with Lebanon poised to move into the last eight.

Ireland and Afghanistan were beaten by the weather as their T20 World Cup clash at the MCG was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The Group 1 fixture was hit by rain in Melbourne, a familiar experience for an Afghanistan team who suffered the same fate when their match against New Zealand at the same ground went the same way on Wednesday.

The no-result outcome left Afghanistan bottom of the group and at least briefly nudged Ireland up to second place, ahead of the scheduled match between England and Australia at the same ground later on Friday.

Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi said: "Most of the players are disappointed to not be playing in such a fantastic ground."

Ireland skipper Andy Balbirnie, whose side upset England in their second game, added: "We'd played some good cricket the other night and were looking forward to this fixture against a team we know pretty well. We can't do anything about the weather. We've just got two more games to give it our best to try to get into the semis."

Jos Buttler hopes to refocus England for a "massive" T20 World Cup encounter with Australia following their "poor" loss to Ireland at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday.

A rain-affected encounter ultimately came to a close with a famous victory for Andrew Balbirnie's side, with a five-run triumph via the DLS method.

With a win and a loss to their name so far, England's hopes of progression through to the semi-finals from a competitive Group 1 have taken a hit, though New Zealand's washout against Afghanistan will come as a boost.

Regardless, Buttler was left frustrated by his side's performance, and acknowledges their next match at the MCG, with their Ashes rivals, will be a do-or-die test.

"We were poor," he told the BBC's Test Match Special. "We were a long way short of where we needed to be, and we let Ireland get away from us. We won the toss, but we didn't take advantage.

"Friday is massive. This result has put a lot of pressure on us now, but it is as big as it can get, to get us up for it at the MCG."

Balbirnie, whose 62 helped lay the groundwork for Ireland's victory, hailed the result as "pretty special", particularly to achieve it on Melbourne's hallowed ground.

"It's amazing, and it is emotional," he said. "We've never played a game of cricket here. 

"To come here and play the tournament favourites, with so many big names, and put on a show in front of friends and family and so many people around the world is very satisfying.

"To do this at one of the most amazing cricket grounds in the world is pretty special."

England's T20 World Cup hopes were unexpectedly dented on Wednesday as they suffered a five-run defeat against Ireland in a rain-affected encounter at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Jos Buttler's side were 105-5 after 14.3 overs, chasing a total of 157, when officials were left with no choice but to bring an early end to the contest amid a downpour in Victoria.

With the weather having already forced a delay upon the Group 1 game, time subsequently ran out for a restart, and with England trailing the DLS par of 110 by five runs, it was Andrew Balbirnie's men who took a famous win.

The Ireland captain has initially helped fire his team to their first innings total with 62 off 47 deliveries, though a flurry of wickets forced a collapse from 103-1 to restrict their final score.

But early losses for England saw them fail to strike any sense of rhythm, with Buttler (0) and Alex Hales (7) dismissed inside the first three overs as they limped to 86-5 following a poor power play.

Moeen Ali (24 not out) provided some hope, with fellow big-hitter Liam Livingstone (one not out) also at the crease, but the rain ensured there would be no grandstand finish.

Irish delight

England were strong favourites to claim a sixth T20I victory in a row away from home but failed to deliver against Ireland, the second-lowest ranked side in the competition.

It blows Group 1 wide open and means England will now likely need to beat Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in their remaining matches to advance to the semi-finals.

No late heroics

Moeen surpassed 1,000 runs for England in the format, making him the eighth player to do so, in what appeared to be a turning point as he struck three fours and one six.

Rain put paid to any hope of a late turnaround, though that is not to say Ireland were fortunate, with their result very much a deserved win on the back of a heavy loss to Sri Lanka.

Kusal Mendis carried his bat and Sri Lanka's bowlers all impressed in an emphatic nine-wicket victory over Ireland in the T20 World Cup on Sunday.

Opening batsman Mendis made an unbeaten 68 at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart as Sri Lanka easily chased down a target of 129 despite the absence of the injured Pathum Nissanka.

Dhananjaya de Silva (31 off 25) and Charith Asalanka (31* off 22) also did their bit to open Sri Lanka's Group 1 campaign with a resounding win.

It had been Sri Lanka's bowlers who laid the foundations for Mendis. Maheesh Theekshana (2-19) and Wanindu Hasaranga (2-25) claimed a pair apiece, while each of their bowling unit took a wicket to limit Ireland to 128-8.

Paul Stirling opened with 34 off 25 and Harry Tector (45) ensured Ireland at least had something to defend, but the contest was decidedly one-sided.

COOL KUSAL LEADS THE WAY

Sri Lanka's route to this stage started with an embarrassing loss to Namibia but wins over the United Arab Emirates and Netherlands booked a spot in the Super 12.

Kusal ensured there would be no hiccup to begin this stage, whacking three sixes and five fours in his 43-ball knock, which he finished with a maximum off Simi Singh over deep-square leg, as Sri Lanka wrapped up the win with 30 balls remaining and nine wickets in hand.

BOWLING UNIT IN SYNC

One of the most pleasing aspects for Sri Lanka was the shared responsibility with the ball. Lahiru Kumara had already snared Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie in the second over by the time Theekshana encouraged Lorcan Tucker to glove onto the stumps.

Theekshana also took the bails off George Dockrell's wicket and Binura Fernando took out dangerman Tector prior to Hasaranga taking a couple of late wickets.

West Indies T20 captain Nicholas Pooran believes a bitterly disappointing end to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup should serve as a learning experience for the team.

On Friday, a dominant half-century from veteran opener Paul Stirling put an end to the campaign of the Caribbean team, in the first round of the tournament.  Stirling’s 66 from 48 deliveries led the Irish to a resounding 9-wicket win with 15 balls remaining and a spot in the Super-12.

The result confirmed a far fall for the West Indies, the two-time champions of the event lost two of three matches to teams who came through the qualification phase.  Once again, the Windies struggled with the bat on what looked like a fair surface, limping to 146 for 5 in their 20 overs, before Ireland easily moved down the total, with a little application, proving there were no demons in the pitch.

"It’s obviously a learning experience.  We have disappointed our fans back home and most importantly disappointed ourselves,” Pooran said following the match.

“It’s definitely hurting.  I definitely disappointed the guys in how I performed as well but we live to see another day,” he added.

In continuation of a general theme in the format this year, the team continued to find runs at the crease hard to come by and were well bogged down by the Ireland strategy.  Brandon King ended the innings unbeaten for the West Indies on 62 from 48.

“We haven’t batted well in this tournament at all.  On a really good batting surface coming out here and making 145 it was always difficult to ask the bowlers to defend that on this track.”

West Indies were sent tumbling out of the T20 World Cup after a nine-wicket humbling by Ireland in Hobart.

A dismal performance by the Caribbean side saw them post 146-5 in their final first-round pool match, before Ireland raced to 150-1 to win with 15 balls to spare.

Victory carried Ireland through to the Super 12 stage, joining Netherlands and Sri Lanka in advancing from the first round, with one further place to be decided later on Friday.

Brandon King, back from illness, made 62 not out for the Windies but found little by way of substantial support, with Ireland spinner Gareth Delany snagging 3-16 from his four overs.

West Indies are the only team to have won this World Cup twice, taking the 2012 and 2016 titles, but their total against Ireland looked on the low side.

Ireland confirmed that as they encountered little trouble in streaking to victory, with Paul Stirling rattling along to 66 not out from 48 balls at the top of the order. Captain Andy Balbirnie made 37 and Lorcan Tucker finished unbeaten on 45, cracking the winning four to complete the job.

Man of the match Delany said: "It's obviously an incredible day for us."

Saturday will mark a year to the day since Ireland lost to Namibia in their final first-round game at the 2021 edition of this tournament, meaning they were eliminated, and Delany said that had been "one of the toughest days for a lot of us".

"To get over the line today in the fashion that we did was amazing," Delany added.

Skipper Balbirnie said: "It means everything. We had a really disappointing loss last year at this same stage. We did a lot of thinking, a lot of things changed back home. Different personnel came in, a new coach [Heinrich Malan].

"Losing the first game [to Zimbabwe] and then coming back and beating a two-time champion in a must-win game, I couldn't be prouder."

West Indies recovered from their shock defeat to Scotland by defeating Zimbabwe in their second T20 World Cup match.

The Windies were stunned on Monday but atoned for that loss by claiming a 31-run win over Zimbabwe at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.

A better team than Zimbabwe might have punished West Indies for another unconvincing batting display, with Nicholas Pooran's side only able to reach 153-7 from their 20 overs. Johnson Charles (45) was their best performer.

Sikandar Raza was excellent in Zimbabwe's opening win over Ireland and he delivered with the ball against the Windies on Wednesday, taking 3-19 from four overs.

Fortunately for West Indies, their bowlers performed – Jason Holder taking 3-12 and Alzarri Joseph collecting a career-best 4-16 to skittle Zimbabwe for 122.

Each team in Group B is now on two points, with Michael Jones' brilliant 86 from 55 deliveries – a knock that included 10 boundaries – not enough for Scotland as they lost to Ireland by six wickets.

Scotland looked well set to claim a second win and put themselves on the brink of the Super 12s as they amassed 176-5.

Matters seemed bleak for Ireland when none of their opening four batters managed to score more than 20, yet Curtis Campher (72 not out) and George Dockrell (39no) put on an unbeaten partnership of 119. 

Scotland, spearheaded by the superb bowling of Mark Watt and Michael Leask, claimed a shock win over West Indies to get off to a flyer at the T20 World Cup.

Having seen Namibia stun Sri Lanka on Sunday, Scotland sealed a famous 42-run triumph against the two-time T20 world champions at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Monday.

It was the first T20I meeting between the teams and brought up Scotland's first win in the format this year. For the Windies, 2022 is now their worst year on record in terms of T20I defeats (14).

"Obviously it is a special win for us," said Scotland captain Richard Berrington, whose side snapped a seven-game losing run in T20Is. "It took a lot of work and has given us belief."

While the credit will go to Scotland's brilliant bowlers, opening batter George Munsey set the tone with an unbeaten 66.

Munsey struck nine boundaries as he stayed at the crease throughout Scotland's innings, guiding them to 160-5 as the Windies bowlers failed to get going.

Jason Holder was the pick of the bunch with 2-14 from three overs, moving him onto 48 T20I wickets, but Odean Smith (1-31) and Akeal Hosein (0-31) struggled to make the same impact.

Holder was the only Windies batter to step up and be counted, too, with his 38 the only score above 20 for Nicholas Pooran's team.

Watt was fantastic, claiming 3-12 – his first wicket, when he bowled the dangerous Brandon King, sparking a collapse as the Windies lost six for just 21 runs to fall from 58-2 to 79-7.

Leask claimed his two wickets – Pooran and Rovman Powell – as part of that run, and West Indies' defeat was confirmed when Chris Greaves plucked Holder's stray shot. 

"Tough loss for us, obviously disappointed," said Pooran, who must rally the Windies for matches against Zimbabwe and Ireland.

"We have to work hard and win two games. We have to take accountability and responsibility."

Jamaica’s Reggae Warriors' Rugby League World Cup debut got off to an inauspicious start on Sunday when they clobbered 48-2 by Ireland at Headingley Stadium in England.

The Irish team scored 10 tries against the Reggae Warriors porous defense that will need to improve if the team is to have a better go of it when they face New Zealand on Saturday, October 22.

Ireland scored first-half tries courtesy of Louis Senior, Captain George King, Brendan O'Hagan and Ed Chamberlain. Six tries came in the second half as Innes Senior, Louis’ twin brother, scored twice while Toby King, James McDonnell, James Bentley and Frankie Halton completed the rout.

Meanwhile, Kieran Rush scored Jamaica’s first-ever points in a Rugby League World Cup when kicked a penalty.

Reggae Warrior Michael Lawrence, who plays at loose forward, expressed his disappointment afterward citing several areas in which his team needed to improve going forward.

"I was disappointed with the way we dropped off a little bit. But it's a proud day for the team and nation. This was a starting point,” he said.

"We need to work on defense. That was a big area for me. We have to improve defensively. We've got to come out again and stick together. We have a great team spirit.

"This is massive, the way we perform. It's encouraging kids to pick up a rugby ball. We want to perform well but this is just the start. We want to keep coming back to the World Cup."

This was the second meeting between the two teams and their first in the World Cup.