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.

Five years on from its last iteration - and a year after it was originally set to take place - the 2021 Rugby League World Cup kicks off this weekend when England face Samoa at St James' Park in Newcastle.

Shaun Wane's hosts will be one of 16 sides jockeying to be crowned the best national team on the planet, alongside holders Australia, world number one New Zealand and a host of other countries.

Set to run for just over a month, through to the final at Old Trafford on November 19, there are already plenty of narratives for what is shaping up to be one of the most enthralling tournaments the sport has ever seen.

With that in mind, Stats Perform is here to run down who will be gunning for the prize, who is likely to fall by the wayside - and who just might capture hearts and minds along the way.
 

The usual suspects

There have only been three nations who have ever laid their hands on the Paul Barriere Trophy - and you can expect the two of them in the competition this year to be in the mix once again.

Australia have won this tournament a record 11 times, and despite a dearth of international rugby for Mal Meninga's side since they last hoisted it aloft, the Kangaroos firmly remain the side to beat.

In Michael Maguire's New Zealand, they will likely face a familiar foe before the final.

Australia and New Zealand have been drawn in Group B and C respectively, meaning there is no path for them to meet in the showpiece game, despite being the two most highly fancied teams with the bookmakers coming into the tournament.

The Kiwis soundly underperformed in 2017, knocked out in the quarter-finals; here, they'll be desperate to make amends.

Fifty years of hurt

England have never won the Rugby League World Cup - or rather, as a solo nation, having been part of the Great Britain side that last won the Paul Barriere Trophy in 1972.

Preparations have been less than ideal for the hosts too, with a host of key faces - including Super League Grand Final-winning St Helens trio Jonny Lomax, Mark Percival and Alex Walmsley, plus Wigan Warriors back-rower Liam Farrell - all struck off from consideration through injury.

But that has opened the door for a slew of surprises, with Salford duo Marc Sneyd and Andy Ackers handed maiden call-ups alongside Australian-born loose-forward Victor Radley.

Throw in NRL young guns Dom Young and Herbie Farnworth, and there's plenty to be excited for. Could they upset the odds and end a half-century wait for glory on home turf?

The upstart crowd

Last time a World Cup took place, Samoa endured a dismal tournament, with a draw against a gutsy Scotland side their only positive mark of the competition.

Now, it is a different story - Matt Parish's side are stuffed to the gills with NRL superstars, including six of Penrith Panthers' Grand Final-winning squad.

They'll hope to follow in the footsteps of Tonga, who caused a shock five years ago with a remarkable run to the final four, where they then ran England close.

Both teams have taken maximum advantage of rugby league's chop-and-change eligibility rules, and are now credible dark horse contenders.

Perennial semi-finalists, Fiji - who knocked out New Zealand last time around - look as if they will be considerably off the pace of their Pacific rivals, but the Bati's roaring spirit means they are unlikely to go down without a fight.

Throw in Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands, and the Southern Hemisphere will have plenty to boast about.
 

The rest of the pack

It won't be a lock-out from below the equator if England and the other nations in the tournament have their say.

Wales - coached by the eternal John Kear - Scotland and Ireland ensure a Home Nations lockout for the United Kingdom, while France and Italy bring continental flavour from Europe.

Lebanon, meanwhile, are led by a familiar face from across the rugby code divide - ex-Wallabies supremo Michael Cheika, who will juggle this tournament with his role in charge of the Argentina union national team.

Then there is the two teams making their World Cup debut - Greece and Jamaica.

The former hail from a nation where rugby league has fought to even be recognised as a sport, while the latter stunned the USA to achieve a tournament bow.

While neither team is expected to make a long run, they are sure to earn their fans over the coming weeks.

Excitement levels for the 2023 Rugby World Cup have ramped up another notch with Thursday marking exactly one year to go until the tournament gets up and running.

For some teams, the next 12 months will present a chance to continue building momentum ahead of the showpiece event. For others, a year of uncertainty awaits.

While it is still too early to pick out a strong favourite to win the event, a handful of teams – major issues or not – stand out among the top candidates to lift the famous trophy.

Here, Stats Perform looks at how the leading lights are shaping up ahead of the quadrennial world championship in France.
 

SOUTH AFRICA

Where better to start than with the reigning world champions? The Springboks triumphed somewhat against the odds in Japan three years ago, becoming the first team to win the title after losing a match in the pool stage.

Owing to the coronavirus pandemic, South Africa went 20 months between beating England in the 2019 final and cruising to a 40-9 victory over Georgia in July last year, though series victories over the British and Irish Lions, England and Wales have helped get any rustiness out of the system over the past 12 months or so.

The ongoing Rugby Championship is a better litmus test of what to expect in a year's time, and the Boks find themselves third with four matches played, albeit with only a point separating the four sides. Consistency is proving to be a major issue, having strung together successive wins only twice in their past 14 outings, something that must be put right.

NEW ZEALAND

Perennial World Cup favourites New Zealand won back-to-back tournaments prior to South Africa's triumph three years ago. If they are to have any chance of wrestling back the Webb Ellis Cup, then a number of issues must be resolved.

The All Blacks opted to put faith in under-fire boss Ian Foster amid a run of desperately disappointing results, which included three successive home Test losses for the first time in their history, with Ireland winning their maiden Test series in the country.

Defeat against Argentina two weeks ago may well have forced New Zealand chiefs to reconsider their options before it is too late, but Foster's side responded with an emphatic 53-3 victory against the same opponents in Hamilton to move top of the Rugby Championship standings and send out a message to their critics.

Back-to-back fixtures with Australia, followed by Tests with Wales, Scotland and England, will provide a better indication of exactly where this New Zealand side are ahead of the World Cup after a turbulent period.

IRELAND

Ideally for Ireland, the World Cup would start this week rather than in a year's time on the back of what has been a stellar period. Andy Farrell's side closed out the momentous series win in New Zealand in July and have won 13 of their past 16 matches.

Despite that consistent run of results, Ireland have gone four years between Six Nations titles, with their solitary loss to France in this year's competition prolonging their wait for silverware.

Ranked at number one in the world a year out from France 2023, Ireland need to fine tune one or two areas and ensure they keep their star players – Johnny Sexton among them – fit and firing.

FRANCE

Having lived up to the hype by ending a 12-year wait for Six Nations success, followed up by their recent series win over Japan, France are now under pressure to win the World Cup for the first time in their history on home soil next year.

Les Bleus have won 10 in a row since their most recent defeat, coming at the hands of Australia in July 2021, and will test themselves against Australia and South Africa prior to their Six Nations title defence getting under way in February.

A fit Antoine Dupont remains crucial to any chance France have of ending their World Cup hoodoo following a record three defeats in finals. Beyond wrapping certain players in cotton wool, Fabien Galthie must ensure the hunger remains and that his men can cope with the pressure that comes with being the host nation.

ENGLAND

If results in both hemispheres over the past few months have taught us anything, it is that any of the major rugby nations can beat any other on their day. Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Argentina have each produced some big victories, for example, while Australia as ever will fancy themselves on the biggest stage of them all.

The same is very much true of England, who earned an impressive series win Down Under to silence Eddie Jones' growing list of critics following yet another underwhelming Six Nations campaign.

And therein lies the problem for England. Jones has constantly said hitting form in time for the World Cup is all that matters, and the Red Rose simply cannot afford for one of their off days to come in a knockout match. 

As runners-up last time around, and as one of only four teams to have ever lifted the trophy, this will be another win-or-bust tournament for England in what will be Jones' final bow before being replaced.

Wayne Parnell starred with the ball as South Africa won by 44 runs to complete a 2-0 T20I series victory over Ireland.

Medium-pacer Parnell took 5-30 on Friday in Bristol, leading South Africa's bowling attack as they successfully defended a total of 182-6.

Opening batsman Reeza Hendricks led the way in the Proteas' innings, striking six boundaries as he mounted 42 before succumbing to Gareth Delany, who with figures of 2-24 was the pick of Ireland's bowlers.

Hendricks' stand came to an end in the 13th over, with Delany taking his second wicket two balls later when he dismissed Aiden Markram, who had plundered 27 from just 10 balls.

Yet Heinrich Klaasen (39) and captain David Miller (32 not out) steered South Africa to a strong total, setting the stage for their bowlers to do the rest.

Parnell was on a hat-trick in his first over when he dismissed Andy Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker for ducks, but Harry Tector (34) provided some resistance before also falling to Parnell, who had just sent Curtis Campher packing.

Dwaine Pretorius (3-33) took quickfire wickets to further damage Ireland's hopes, and he wrapped up the win when Barry McCarthy picked out Markram at deep midwicket after Parnell had sealed his five-for by dismissing Andy McBrine.

It was a tale of four batsmen in Bristol, with Reeza Hendricks playing a key role as South Africa sealed a 21-run victory against Ireland in the first of two T20Is.

A partnership of 112 between Hendricks (74) and Aiden Markram (56) helped the Proteas to a total of 211-5 from their 20 overs.

Gareth Delany (2-31) dismissed both in consecutive deliveries, but additional help from Tristan Stubbs (24 from 11 balls) and Dwaine Pretorius (21 from 7) at the end of the innings ultimately made all the difference.

Ireland's reply got off to a steady start, but a middle order collapse left them on 84-5 after 9.2 overs.

Lorcan Tucker and George Dockrell stepped up to mount a comeback, with Tucker hitting 78 from just 38 balls, including seven fours and five sixes, while Dockrell ably supported with 43 from 28 deliveries.

However, like Hendricks and Markram, both were out to consecutive balls to Tabraiz Shamsi (2-37) and Pretorius (1-44), with Ireland's tail unable to produce the same support that South Africa's middle order had as they closed on 190-9.