Autumn International: Ireland v Samoa Rugby Union

It's the start of Ireland's traditional autumn Rugby 7's. A new

international season and a new coach for island. That brings new

expectation. The new era starts today in Dublin at the Aviva Stadium

against Samoa. That afternoon. It's the first of three November

internationals live here on the BBC. Australia and New Zealand are coming

up in the next fortnight, Ireland will hope to give their coach a good

start. Eddie O'Sullivan and form astray Liam International Ryan

Constable join me. What is the first international game like fora new

coach? Nerve racking, to say the least. They need a good start and a

good win. It is in at the deep end. I suppose this is the problem, this

game is not as easy as it seems. People think we can beat Samoa but

they are ranked above us. They have nothing to lose today. This is their

big game so it is a tough one. Joe Schmidt has been a very successful

provincial coach with two Heineken cup victories. It is much different,

though, coaching an international team. He was the popular choice. But

he was also the right choice to take this team forward. He will be used

to a season-long preparation, but now he has limited preparation, P

has his own ideas is trying to bring on that group of players, and he has

to do it quickly. It is all about results. There is huge expectation

around his arrival which needs to translate into winning performances.

Optimism is one thing they have. The last time these two teams met was

back in 2010. The skipper at 42 years of age is

going to lead to this one. Well, the traditional sirens start

didn't strike fear into Northern Ireland -- into Ireland. It wasn't

long before the Samoans hit back with a try of their own.

Wonderfully creative! Stringer and O'Gara got a hard-fought victory.

What do you make of Joe Schmidt's first selection? It is interesting.

He hasn't got full strength. He has got a very strong bench. Healy,

O'Brien, you would expect them to start. This is an opportunity to do

some experimenting. This is his only chance for that. We have a couple of

selections we didn't expect, but at the same time, you've trying to

balance that with the result. Do you think the coach will need that

firepower like O'Connell and Healy to get Ireland over the line? We've

seen the nature of the game. to get Ireland over the line? We've

Some of the changes are going to be enforced. With Samoa, some players

will need to come off. Tactically, you will make substitutions in the

different parts of the game to capitalise on opportunities so it is

a 23 man game, and I expect him to use all of the resources he has at

his disposal. Here are the thoughts of the new coach on his Number Ten.

I've been impressed by him. He is independent, he is quietly spoken.

He's pretty strong minded at the same time. He does his homework. He

knew exactly what we were doing this morning. He had the guys following

his lead. And that is a good small step before he takes a grand stride

this weekend. I think we are a work in progress but the work ethic is

great. Hopefully, with the hard work, you will see some continuity,

some ability to utilise the ball and space. And, hopefully, that will

lead to a great performance. An massive opportunity for Paddy

Jackson. His form has been great, he has played great. He needs

experience. We all assume guys are the finished product but you never

are. At his age and experience, he needs to get into his own and get

something else under his belt. Is his goal-kicking erratic? He has

missed a few, but we forget that the best players weren't consistent so

he needs time to bed in. You don't get a lot of time but you've got to

back him with this. He might miss a couple but he will get better and

better. It was criticised Lott after his international debut when he

missed a lot of kicks. But he took it on the chin and he really has

matured as a red player in the last 12 months. That's the thing. He's

relating back but he's very mature. He is very good, but he doesn't

listen to people when they say he is good or bad. He is very self

critical and analytical and he knows what he needs to do. It is about

work ethic. If you identify weaknesses, you get better. He has

applied himself certainly, and we have seen some wonderful kicking

performances through this season. Let's take a quick check on the

Samoan team. Whatever 15 they pick, we know they are going to be

abrasive and physical. Yes, they've matured as a team. If you go back a

few years, we expected the big hits. One of these guys are now playing

professionally, they are playing more structured, so they know how to

control the game better than they used to. They will bring the

physicality. They are missing some players but you can be sure that

that team is very balanced. Very few guys over 30, a lot of them playing

professionally. That is solid. Eight of them today help beat Wales last

year so they will be a tough that to crack. It is quality. Not only are

they playing in Europe but for the top teams. You've got them at

Northampton, Toulouse. These are guys being exposed to the top end of

European rugby and they will look to bring that experience through to the

international arena, lose the struck -- use the structures they've got

and combine it with the power and pace. For the Samoans, this is their

one big game in the Autumn Internationals. They then he got one

nation they've got to play. They will play the French Barbarians,

which will not matter to them, and they will play Georgia, so this is

their big game. Thank you for the moment. Time to see how Ireland will

fare against this Samoan team who have beaten Scotland, Wales and

Italy in the last 12 months. Reggie Corrigan and Jim Neilly are

the commentators. It is a very warm good evening. It

is cold, crisp and dry. We will have a minute silence in memory of Peter

Faialofa who died earlier this week at the age of 54. And straight into

the anthem of Samoa. A fairly decent number of Samoan

supporters at Lansdowne Road. More than 40,000 seats occupied. The

biggest attendance here for what is a good time.

Come the power and the glory. We have come to answer our country's

call. From the four proud provinces of

Ireland. Ireland, Ireland.

Together standing tall. Shoulder to shoulder.

We'll answer Ireland's call. Ireland, Ireland.

Together standing tall. Shoulder to shoulder.

We'll answer Ireland's call. We'll answer Ireland's call.

Jamie Heaslip takes his top off, as does Rob Kearney, they are Lyons

players. A great looking back 34 Samoa.

Looking at the replacement panel for Ireland, the pitch is in fantastic

condition. The Irish team line up and wait for the challenge which

will be laid down by the Samoans. It is their version of the Haka. The

skipper, over ten years ago when Ireland beat Samoa, you remember

that day well. I do indeed. Memories, good memories, slightly

different conditions to this. It was about 33 degrees over there with 98%

humidity. It was a hot day. But it is a beautiful evening. This is the

really only serious game the Samoans have at the moment. And they are

number seven in the rankings. Should France and Wales both lose,

Testament the Samoans could move up to fifth. Pressure to get results

today, but the Samoans are justified in their rankings and they will

create a big challenge even though they are missing players. A big test

for Ireland. A great four Nations tournament in June, they beat South

Africa and Italy. They are fielding ten of the side that played against

South Africa so this is a very good side. A couple of players missing

and not available and players injured. They will lay down this

challenge to Jamie Heaslip and his Irish side. And they have brought

along their own leader of the Haka. They are obviously not feeling the

cold and they have no sense of emotion, Brian O'Driscoll and this

Irish side. The Schmidt era gets underway. When Barnes and Luke

Pierce are the officials -- the assistance. And the Commissioner is

from Scotland. The referee is Steve Walsh. Conditions are perfect.

Ideal, and from an Irish point of view, they would want good

conditions to get off to a good start. It would have been nothing

worse than wind and rain. But it is absolutely perfect here at the Aviva

Stadium and hopefully it will lead to entertaining. The kick-off by

Ireland. Tusi Pisi was born in New Zealand and he and everybody else

would prefer it if they could be supplied with a football! What are

they doing? Where is the football? It has been handed to somebody in

the sidelines who wants to hang onto it. Steve Walsh are saying, can we

have it in the middle of the park? -- is saying. An element of fast!

They have overcome those difficulties now. -- farce. Has that

gone to ten metres? It has not, but Ireland have swept it up. The

referee has decided Ireland knocked it forward. That is very

interesting. The ball did not make it over the ten metre line when it

was played so I thought it would be brought back for a scrum. Steve

Walsh seemed to come up with a different interpretation. Unless the

laws have changed, that should have been a scrimmage back in the middle

of the park. Once they play at, they have to go for the ball. But Ireland

had the intent is to play so they have gone for the scrum. A big day

for 24-year-old Leinster prop Jack McGrath. A first cap for him. He has

worked very hard. That is good by Ireland. It is going to be a scrum

for Ireland. A superb start for Jack McGrath, perfect body position.

Power came through and he absolutely destroyed his opponent. He has given

away two kilos to his opposite man but that did not affect him. He has

a strong case for that position. Cian Healy, on the Irish bench, will

be thinking, what have I let myself in for? Jack McGrath did very well

against the Tigers. That is a solid looking Irish scrum. Slipped away to

O'Driscoll. In the middle of the park is Ole

Avei. The hooker for Samoa. Ireland get the penalty, so a good set

piece. A pressure produced on the early penalty. We are seeing a lot

of power in the Irish pack. A scrum have been excellent. A fantastic

setup, everybody is organised and in good positions and getting the drive

one. Before this game, the that would be crucial would be the set

piece. If they could dominate the line-out and set piece, but the

scrum was going to be questionable but they are dominating that area.

If that continues and they invite that kind of quality, it could be a

long way for the Samoans. Paddy Jackson. And Joe Schmidt does not

give much away. All eyes on the 21-year-old Paddy Jackson. His fifth

Irish cap. He struck it nicely. It did not look

easy. Such a lot of pressure on goalkeepers and Paddy Jackson has

but Ireland ahead with just over three minutes played. It is

important for Paddy Jackson to get that cake and get his confidence

where it needs to be. That will settle him into the game nicely.

Already, we are seeing intent from the Irish team. If they get that

quality ball from the scrum, the Irish team could do real damage in

that area. Gordon D'Arcy has let that loose. Just not concentrating.

His opposite number Johnny Leota comes through. And this is the

hooker. Ole Avei. Good solid work at the breakdown by Henry. Teofilo

Paulo, good work by him. And that has given the Samoans a chance. But

nudged forward by the men in blue, Viliamu Afatia comes through. There

was a mix-up is Johnny Leota came through. Just got knocked on. The

Samoans are not afraid to have a go. A mistake was punished very quickly,

the Samoans were on the ball and looking to move it when they got the

opportunity. After five minutes gone, this is the sixth game between

these sides. Ireland have won four, an impressive win in 1996. 40 points

against 25 at Lansdowne Road. The old Lansdowne Road. Much loved.

He thought about the pass and changed his mind. That was rather

awkward. Taken in by Samoa. This is Tii Paulo, he likes to run.

A good wraparound and that is well done. There is a big gap. The right

wing had come right across the wing, this is good stuff for the visitors

and it shows what they can do and the game they like to play. Good

tackle by Mike McCarthy. Jack McGrath thought better of putting

his hands on. A penalty against Mike Ross. He got himself offside. That

is what happens if you are struggling and the defensive line is

broken. Too easy from the Samoans with a simple wraparound pass which

caught everybody out. I am watching the way the Samoans are setting up,

they are putting very few layers into the breakdown area so there are

plenty of opportunities in the backline with big men taking balls

and running at smaller men in the Irish backline. And when the Irish

defence is scrambling, they find themselves offside and that was Mike

Ross slow getting back onside and now the Samoans have a great chance

to equal the scoreline. Concern in the Samoan camp about their tight

head prop. Logovi'i Mulipola seems to have done something to a calf

muscle and is having that heavily strapped. But he is under severe

pressure in those scrums. He is turning game because the pressure is

coming in from Jack McGrath on the outside and he may well have injured

his calf muscle. Tusi Pisi in front and he makes no mistake and we are

back to level pegging. I am not sure the tight head prop will be able to

continue, he is hobbling very badly. Ireland's inability to make

something of the restart kick has cost him dear and he is going off.

That is not good for Samoa because they already struggling, you have do

imagine if that is the first choice that the second choice might also

find it difficult against Jack McGrath. It will be interesting to

see in the next scrum how that affects the Samoans. A sympathetic

round of applause for the player from the Leicester Tigers. And the

player coming on is James Johnston, easier to pronounce! And here comes

Brian O'Driscoll. It did not go to anybody in particular. The ball is

all over the place and Jack McGrath could not control it. James

Johnston, number 18, all over it. The referee is playing advantage to

the Irish knock forward. Kahn Fotuali'i trying to organise his

troops. Ireland and Rory Best try to hold them up, no advantage to the

men in blue. We will see how Mr Johnson gets on. It will be

interesting. The Samoans are going into the contact area very high and

that is playing into the hands of the Irish team. The Irish or expert

poachers and they are good at holding the man up and avoiding them

going to ground. -- or expert. The Samoans are facilitating that so

they need to get to ground quicker and provide a better scrum-half

Hall. Another -- ball. Another injury.

Brian O'Driscoll is shaking his head, not happy about that flick

which did not know to anybody in particular. When they work, they

look wonderful. But if they are out by the smallest amount, it creates

an opportunity for the opposition and the Samoans were quick to react.

They got there in numbers. Samoa will not want to lose another

player. They have had to make a late change in the replacements panel and

the coaching staff looking anxious. But happy enough with the scoreline,

three each. Ofisa Treviranus played for several seasons with the men

from the West. How it works out, I do not know. The man on the right

wing is the brother. Samoan genealogy is not my strong point! I

would not be able to help you! The Samoans are trying to get the height

and trying to lock down the right-hand side but they seem unable

to do that with Jack McGrath and Rory Best opposite. Difficulties in

the scrum for the Samoans. Somebody is playing drums. This is new for me

at Lansdowne Road. That is another good scrum from Jack McGrath. The

human -- the Samoan scrum under huge pressure on -- and if Jack McGrath

stops now and comes off, he will be happy. It started with Jack McGrath

at Mike Ross on the tight head side, and this is the most difficult

thing, but his side of the scrum up, got the power, and the three

combining brilliantly together. To see that power reading from the

tight head side, it does suggest that as this game goes on and

tiredness comes into it, the Samoans will be under massive pressure at

scrum time. Has the new sequence made a difference? I think it has

made things different, there seems to be less collapse.

The new scrum Lawes are set up to hurry this up. Free kicks could come

aplenty. Conor Murray, his 20th cap this evening.

Inside the 22 of the opposition. And across the line they go. The

Samoans, I have a feeling, will get a scrummage. That was a nice little

sequence. It was. I am very interested to see the Samoans are

committing nobody at the breakdown. They are allowing Ireland to have

free ball, to move it as much as they want. It is an indication they

fear the backline and they are worried about them getting past

them. But they need to compete at the breakdown. They need to slow

down the quick ball. If Ireland continue in this vein and the iron

out all those little errors, you'd have to imagine it is only a matter

of time before they start to break down the Samoan defence. Kahn

Fotuali'i wasn't able to go to the four Nations tournament in June. A

slightly better scrum. That was an interesting dummy. There they go.

That was a wonderful tackle by O'Driscoll.

Well, O'Driscoll, still plenty of pace in those 35-year-old legs. Cut

him down beautifully. It was McFadden he gave the penalty

against. He released himself from the tackle and went back in, and

according to the referee, he lost his footing and wasn't supporting

his own weight at the crucial moment as he put his hands on the ball. You

can go in and compete, he is in a good position originally but loses

his feet. And a penalty given against them, some might say a

little bit harsh. That's knocked forward by Samoa. The

referee decided otherwise. The crowd have disagreed with him.

What a piece of acceleration there. Good tackle. Johnson is in the

middle of that. Ireland will be relieved to get that penalty.

There's all sorts of gaps opening up but the Samoans are creating those

gaps. And in particular George Pisi is creating them. He's taking on the

defence of Ireland, and he has got through a number of tackles. He is

making a real impression. They are bringing in their players back on

the inside and it has caught the Irish on two occasions. The Irish

defence seemed to be standing off and a little bit naive in the fact

he is coming into the line. He almost got away there. A bit of a

stoppage, some tension -- some attention to Jack Lam. It's

interesting watching the Samoans. In attack, they look confident, they

are happy on the ball, but the opposite is true when they are in

defence. The defensive line is just waiting for the Irish to run at

them. They need to change that around. They need to get off the

defensive line, both forward and get in the faces of the Irish backline

and put them under pressure. If they stand back and if they let the Irish

move the ball, they will be in trouble. A lot of them have been

playing in the Rugby 7's circuit. The style of game they play, they

are very confident going forward. Often, the defence lets them down

because that is an aspect that needs to be looked at. That's got to

change because they will be punished by this team.

After that early setback, Samoa are gaining in confidence.

That was a clever kick by Paddy Jackson.

He's more annoyed at the fact he didn't manage to take that ball

because it was a very bad ball from Pisi which almost went behind him.

McFadden was in a good position, but he was in the end unfortunate that

he wasn't able to hang onto it. That was a let off for the Samoans. Jack

McGrath is having a word about the scrummaging law. You can expect some

pressure from this scrum. Every scrum now for Ireland, both

opposition and their owner, is going to be ones they will attack. All the

back row is standing down on this one. A serious surge on this one.

If the Samoans can win this, they might think of running this. A

slightly better scrum by the visitors.

They might have turned that one over. Well, they haven't, but that

was great work from D'Arcy. Everyone was in there. That is the thing with

this Irish team and the way they play. If they see a sniff of an

opportunity the ball can be turned over, they are counter rucking,

going back through the middle and driving the Samoans back off the

ball, which is what you want from your team. Interesting enough, in

that phase of play, the Samoans had about five players walk on the

left-hand side to the island three in defence. If they could have found

some quick ball, Ireland could have been caught out but because of the

rate work at the breakdown and D'Arcy in particular, you can see

those two arms going up in the air to show the referee you're legally

going in. That work alone got the turnover for Ireland. Luckily

enough, as I said, because of the overlap on the left-hand side the

Samoans had created. Initially, that was a great tackle by Paddy Jackson.

He has picked up that loose ball, made some ground, he has kicked

cleverly, kept the ball in play, it wouldn't be their intention to put

the ball out. He has deliberately kept the ball in play.

So, so far, a very good start from Jackson. Still three apiece with

almost 19 minutes gone. They've got to man out to the far side, D'Arcy

and Bowe. O'Connell looking directly back from the scrum. If they can get

quick ball, this is an ideal situation where a team would look

for a ball straight back to the number eight's feed. The defenders

are split. They've got D'Arcy on the right side and Bowe to worry about.

There are also looking at Heaslip. Jackson has options on the inside

and the outside as well. The way defence is going, the scrum has been

won and the penalty has been given. At the edge of Paddy Jackson's

range. He might be asked to put it in the corner. We will see. That was

a good scrum and I think he will go for three points. The important

thing to do in a game like this is to try to get points on the board,

push away from the Samoans, if possible, and put out into their

minds. As the game progresses, you might find gaps in the defence. You

don't need to score tries at this early stage of the games by forcing

it. The opportunity is there to take three points, and that is a wise

decision. Paddy Jackson was the only source of points when Ireland played

in the Six Nations. He struck that nicely. That is a

very good kick by Jackson. That is a confidence boosting kick for Ireland

and Paddy Jackson, and for the fans. That was a great kick. The

interesting thing is that there was at least ten metres to spare on that

kick. So, you know, he wouldn't be renowned for his distance kicking,

Knocked forward by the Samoans. The initial knock forward was by the men

in blue and it is an Irish scrummage. The differences the

Samoans are committing a lot more people to the breakdowns. They are

securing and getting ball. That means they don't have the same

numbers and run as they did have for those opening 20 minutes. And just

at that point, they pretty run out of numbers. It was a bad mistake, a

knock on that shouldn't have happened. It was well marshalled and

probably would have been driven back into tackle. It is very difficult

for the Samoans. What do they do? Commit less to the breakdown and not

get to the ball? They really need to be committing three to four players

maximum to every breakdown so the players have to make sure they are

making an impact. Well, there is the view the referee is getting. Ireland

are just inside their own half. Peter O'Mahony captained the team in

the USA. A both of those teams -- both of those -- they won both of

those games. I am surprised Steve Walsh has not taken a stand on this

area and has not started giving free kicks because it is a bit messy.

Chris Henry and Jamie Heaslip are looking to their right to see what

is going on with the Samoan defence. It is about winning a Queen ball. --

a Queen ball. -- clean. That had to be able penalty and he is giving

them a severe warning. Johnston is taking that down, no question. It is

clear to anybody, the tight head prop is on his knees before the Wall

has come in. When you see the shoulders topping the low height and

the head dropping to the ground, it you know what the problem is. A good

kick by Paddy Jackson has put Ireland in a good position as we

approach 25 minutes. Samoa have conceded four penalties. Both of

those have been at the scrummage. A bit of damp weather and Rory Best is

making sure there is nothing damp about the ball. Well taken by Devin

Toner. Chris Henry has it. Ireland shunting forward, they have got a

head of steam. Samoa are coming in and making no attempt to disguise

that. The referee has his hand out for the penalty, can Ireland

complete the job? Henry is in the middle. They seem to be over the

line! The referee has given the try. Conor Murray at the bottom of it but

it is Peter O'Mahony who has got his first Irish international try. Well

worked all the way. You could see the Irish team, the forward players

together as the kit went into touch, a good touch by Paddy Jackson. --

kit. -- kick. It is important to have total upfront between the

forwards. Get yourself going and they set it up perfectly. The

important thing is they were patient. They had a penalty but they

did not get frustrated, they did not get overly excited and nobody went

on their own. A good try, a good start. A 20 metre shunned by the

Irish pack. -- shunt. A tight angle by Jackson. No conversion. I think

George Smith will be pretty pleased. There has been decent backplate I

Ireland. -- act play by Ireland. -- back. They have worked on those week

after week. A lot of experience. Nobody better than a Munster man to

know how to get over the line. Peter O'Mahony, 24 years of age, the

Munster captain for this season. Playing his 13th game in a row for

Ireland. Let's see if Ireland can gather this again. Well taken by

Fergus McFadden. Outside the 22. Murray is looking to kick. That was

well gathered by the Samoans. Good strong work. That was by 35 macro.

Good stuff by the men in blue. A good switch of direction, to CPC

-7 macro. Well tackled by Chris Henry. Taken on by Jack Lam, that

was nudged forward. I think that was called for Steve Walsh. A slight

nudge in the contact area, a good call by the touch judge that was

missed by the referee. Tried to get that flowed and a slight knock-on.

-- that flowed. -- off-load. As the Samoans try to launch the attack,

Tusi Pisi is winning -- is running sideways towards the line and is

putting on pressure. He needs to get the past slightly earlier. It is

about primary possession and Samoa have very little coming up to half

an hour played. Steve Walsh is going to have to take a more acerbic view

of this. I think you will, he has already given a penalty against this

-- a think you will, he has already given a penalty against the Samoans.

Unless he does, we will watch a number of resets at a time and that

is not what we want. Devin Toner is almost seven feet

tall, the tallest man to play for Ireland by some distance. A lovely

pass, Brian O'Driscoll is back inside. That was well read by the

blue defence. Mike McCarthy steps it up. Chris Henry, did he come in from

the side? He did not, but somebody went over the top and prevented the

ball from coming back, it might have been the Irish try scorer. A lovely

pass by Jackson. Very well read by the Samoan defence. He just mind it

up perfectly and for a moment, I thought McFadden was gone. A

brilliant defensive tackle. Offence and Steve fans as they call it. --

defence. I thought the Samoans were going to kick the ball into the

corner but they went for more points on the board. If this is

successful, this could be a converted try. They are doing a

Mexican wave. They will be dizzy! Tusi Pisi has given that a decent

kick and that is a very good kick. He plays outside half for

Wellington. He is on -- he was born in Apia. The Samoans need to keep in

touch with the game. They cannot afford to let Ireland get away too

much. Not the most orthodox style, what it went over. The referee is

happy enough to play on. It came back on the Samoan side. Kahn

Fotuali'i is complaining and Ireland giveaway another penalty. A lack of

discipline. A clear call by Steve Walsh, a green release. I think he

gave the penalty against Brian O'Driscoll. Held onto it to one.

O'Driscoll shaking his head, -- held onto it for too long. That is a good

kick to set up a decent field position, courtesy of Tusi Pisi?.

You mentioned the Mexican wave and people getting involved, it has gone

a bit quiet in the stadium. There is an expectation for fans they were

going to see intrinsic backline moves that we have seen Joe Smit

bring to teams before -- Joe Schmidt. There has not been much

penetration at the back end, they have not been able to get past the

Samoans as much as they thought they could. That is a free against

Ireland, taken quickly either Samoans. That climate takes it

forward. This is Tii Paulo, from the Cardiff Blues. A good sidestep by

Jack Lam. Mike Ross stands firm. Good work by Mike McCarthy. But

Ireland have given away the penalty. That was given against McCarthy.

Steve Walsh has been very clear in his directions. He is ordering the

players away and he is calling out the numbers. You can clearly hear

him saying that. But Samoa on making ground in that area. They do not

have many options outside. The back seem to get tied up and it looks

like everything is broken down but somebody takes it up. I am

particularly impressed with the hooker. When they take that direct

route, they make ground and penalties like this, suddenly they

are only two points behind. Getting a bit of treatment, I think

that is Chris Henry. And that is of the post! McFadden takes it from

Devin Toner. Good support from Rory Best. Another

man who has captained Ireland. That is not a bad kick by Tommy Bowe. And

the Samoan fullback had no option but to step into touch. He did not

even gather the ball and it was a clever decision. Ireland keeping the

ball in play, that is putting pressure on Samoa. That pressure is

present because of the good chasing wine. He could feel the green

jerseys breathing down his neck and he knocked the ball into touch.

Ireland have lost Chris Henry so that means a reappearance by Sean

O'Brien. A bit of a trip, I think that was accidental. The crowd

disagree. Well is issued by Rob Carney. -- well-positioned. A good

strike with his left foot. That is moved out wide to 25 macro.

-- 25 macro. Just brushing off Sean O'Brien,

which does not happen too often. A good forward ball by the Samoans.

Jack Lam goes on his own. Good work in the breakdown by Ireland. Gordon

D'Arcy takes his weight on the feet. The referee says, play on. Good work

by Jack McGrath. A good steel. And he has won a foot in the scrum. I

have been watching him play at various junior levels and they are

playing a lot of rugby for Leinster and he has worked hard at his game

and his fitness and his strength. Everything you have said is correct.

He is really committed to making it as a professional rugby player and

he has made sacrifices to get to this level, he deserves to be there

on his form and he has held his own today in the scrum. He has been very

good. And in the loose. Three and a half minutes remaining. After the

try by Peter O'Mahony, Ireland are taking the foot off the gas. They

would dearly like something before the interval. A lot of mistakes by

Ireland. Going into contact. I am sure that is something Joe Schmidt

will talk to them about at half-time, cut out the mistakes. A

good Irish scrum. McFadden passes for word. The palace

was forward but every single Samoa on this side was offside, so as he

tried to run into the area, there is nothing but five players in an

offside position. It should be a penalty to Ireland in that situation

because it was almost forced forward pass because of the wall of blue in

the way. The referee wasn't looking and his assistants were not looking

either. Well, Ireland have made more and missed more tackles. The Samoans

have been outstanding in terms of the carries. Statistically, Samoa

have had the better of the first half so far. But the school board

does not reflect that. They should have had three points. There wasn't

one player following up to get the rebound off the post.

Sean O'Brien, first game at this level since the Lions tour.

Referee has given a penalty, or scrummage? There was an off-load,

but he was under a lot of pressure as he was receiving that ball.

Joe Schmidt, with his first half of international rugby under his belt.

Still a very tasty Irish bench to be unleashed. The scrum has gone down

but the referee is happy to play at. McFadden can't quite make it. Touch

judge puts his flag up. O'Driscoll denied one of his trademark close

range schools. The referee will bring them back to have a look.

There may have been a legal tackle after the ball was passed. I missed

that one myself. I was busy looking back at Johnny Leota. He was trying

to make the tackle, and Steve Walsh made a great tackle. Great off-load

by Ireland. O'Driscoll did his trademark move, but good defence

from the Samoans, just managed to keep them out. I think it was a foot

in touch. He didn't get across the line but we will have to see if

there was an offence before that. Now, what was the problem? The ball

was passed. Oh, that is dangerous. Now that is dangerous. I am pretty

sure that was George Pisi. I expect there will be action. There will be

action taken against that. They have come down very strongly this year

against anything which looks like that tackle. Is it a penalty only?

His whole upper body was lifted way up the and the horizontal and he was

dumped down. I think it could be a yellow card. He has asked for a

recommendation. I don't know what the delay is because there it is up

on the screen. There is the tackle. Up he goes, down he came. That was

dangerous. He eased off just as Bowe was reaching the ground. It looks

pretty bad. He has made his decision now but it looks like he flicks the

legs up into the air. The issue is he got up, he was twisted and he

wasn't put around safely. It is a yellow card. -- put to ground. That

is pretty good of the referee. There is clear guidelines on it, everybody

knows the dangers. You can see the twist in the tackle and that is the

giveaway. And then the legs come up so quickly into the air. There was

no care to bring the player down. Even if you've made that mistake,

you don't need to do that, and you got to try to control the player.

There was no control, that is a yellow card and it is a big blow.

They know what they are doing at this level. He could have tackled

Tommy Bowe. He chose to do the uplift. As you say, the ball was

gone, there was no need for the tackle. He had gone past it at that

stage. This is going to be the last of scrappy first half. That is a

lovely kick. A fine kick by Paddy Jackson. Ireland will not be

altogether unhappy. It has been a scrappy start from Joe Schmidt as

the brand-new Irish coach. Ireland lead at Lansdowne Road, 14-6.

It has been a stop start first 40 minutes. The Samoans threw down

their traditional challenge, Paddy Jackson answered it. He has kicked

pretty nicely in the first half. Ireland rumbled over for the only

try of the half. Peter O'Mahony with the touchdown. The Samoans have kept

themselves in the game thanks to Irish indiscipline. Although Paddy

Jackson opened up that 8-point lead with that excellent penalty before

half-time. What has been a pretty first half.

It has been scrappy. It is down to the tactics more than anything.

Ireland have kicked a lot of ball away. Samoa have been in possession

a lot, running around. They did have to defend for a long period, but

Ireland have kept their shape, they've done a good job, they've won

a lot of turnovers. So there has been a lot of scrappy play. Was that

the first half Joe Schmidt had imagined at the start of his

tenure? Not as fluent as they would have liked, which is a clear tactic

from Ireland. They are not playing in their own half, and that is

unusual to see a team struggling so much at set pieces have such a glut

of possession. That's come from their kicks and they've had a lot of

ball in hand, but it has been that defensive work at the breakdown that

has allowed Ireland to come out on top. Lots of scrums, very few

line-outs, but from one of them Ireland scored that excellent try.

Yes, I think they were always going to take the ball. The Samoans were

always going to struggle against the Irish drive. It is classic, they

kept their composure, their discipline, and you can see the

Samoans falling off and Ireland keep their shape. They were in penalty

territory as well. Here is good execution. They've done very well.

That is the one set piece play they executed well and it led to the

school. It lays down a marker against a team which prides itself

in its physicality. It does. Technically, they are a team who

have struggled come set pieces. The scrum has been the prosaic --

pervasive feature in this game and Ireland are on top. A couple of

line-outs, they have fared better in that aspect as well, so expect to

see Ireland look to exploit that advantage they have there. They

played a controlled game, they don't want this to get loose and the

Samoans love to play with wit and tempo. Ireland have managed to

control that but they will need to focus on those areas of strength in

the second half. What about Paddy Jackson? He has done very well. He

has made the tackles, he has also kicked well. He's missed

conversion, it wasn't easy but he has been solid and he has got the

backline moving. I think he is in control, he is calm and collected.

He is doing what Ireland need him to do. He has kicked well but his game

management has been good as well. That is one of the extracts of its

game. -- that is one of the strengths of his game. We see

defensively he's very brave. No area of weakness in his game. It is these

refinements, this long click, real confidence builder, and overall,

he's managed the game well, he is performing his role, and his

distribution has been up to the mark. You surprised Ireland have

kicked so much ball away in the first half? I am surprised. I would

say that Joe Schmidt would say about the accuracy of the kicking. Joe

Schmidt likes kicking and he uses it effectively at Leinster, but you

don't kick the ball away loosely. That is a loose kick. The Samoans

will run back. If you click loosely, this should be in the stand

if you are playing Samoa. It hits the grass, Samoa will come back. And

they are a team that thrive on this open field broken play situation.

O'Driscoll gets picked up, they come back. What is the key? You've got to

make them go back to their defensive line-up. You've got put it out of

play because their line-out has struggled. The reason we've only had

to make line-out is because we haven't kicked the ball out of play.

With Samoa, you've got to create the tempo and not create those broken

field situations, where they thrive. Probably Joe is saying, let's

control our kicking more, let's create some opportunities. The scrum

isn't glamorous part of the game. And we have seen plenty of it. It

has been very effective for Ireland. Whether in a tackled offensive.

Technically, they are very good. That scrum comes around, and once

you get the dominance, those 50-50 calls tend to go your way. Ireland

certainly have got the upper hand in that facet of play, and it is giving

them possession, albeit they are not utilising it. With so much dominance

there, should they have more points on the board? They shouldn't, in a

way, because what has happened is that they've kicked their possession

away. Most of our set pieces have been in our own half. The tactic is

not to run out of our own half but kick out of our own half.

Territorially, we haven't done well. So, you know, I think we need to get

more field position and when we do that, we will score. Unfortunately,

we have dominated the scrum but it has not been comfortable to watch.

As you say, when you kick the ball away, we will take a look at the

example of this, of what's Samoa can do when they get the ball.

Individually, they've got the ability, the power to push through

the tackle to create possession. And they like to play with wit. They are

making some clean line breaks, unable to finish it off, but they

are able to breakdown defences but they rely on that front foot

possession which creates uncertainty defensively, which they can exploit

with their power and pace. I suppose, important penalty on the

stroke of half-time from Paddy Jackson. Ireland start the second

half with a man up as well. They start against 14 men, they need to

get some field position, grind out some scores. And the game could be

over. If they don't take advantage, when Pisi comes back it is going to

give them a lift. The first ten minutes will tell us a tale of

whether this game will be one comfortable yet or whether it gets

more difficult. That penalty at half-time certainly tips the

advantage towards Ireland in a major way in the fact that Paddy knocked

it true. It will also give him confidence. This next piece, it is

time for a little nostalgia. Exactly 30 years ago, the British and Irish

Lions toured New Zealand. The manager was the great Willie

McBride. The team included a host of Irish players, including David

Owen. He decided to reunite the whole squad for a night of

celebration. And he invited us along to take a look back at some of the

great memories. Great recovery! All the way!

We all made a great effort to get there and they are having a ball. It

is important. It is fantastic playing rugby but the friendships

you make TV more important. -- or even more important. It could have

been 30 days ago, it is like we never parted. There are some guys

here I have not met for 30 years. But it has been handshakes, hogs,

and the conversations have just continued on. -- hugs.

Queen round him. -- clean. I played for the first test and it was the

pinnacle of my rugby career, to represent the British and Irish

Lions, it was fantastic. Going for the first try and getting

it, beautifully done. The guys enjoyed it. A lot came back

much better players and most would agree with that. But it is always

tough to play well in New Zealand. Erwin... Never had a chance.

A lot of people will remember the successful tours, but the 1983 tour

was successful in many ways. They did not win the series but they are

the same effort in as those who won in Australia in the summer.

Paxton, the driving run. Chasing, what a tackle! But the try is given.

Wonderful to see the guys, a privilege to be part of this fine

body of men. Some of the boys, I have not seen for 30 years so it is

fantastic and we are enjoying beers together.

Great to see Campbell, one of my big sporting heroes. When you watch the

old actions, does it surprise you how much rugby has changed? The

physique of the players is the first thing. It has changed dramatically.

I suppose it is a different era. Which is still admire what they

achieved what they went through and they played phenomenal rugby. This

is the start of the Joe Schmidt Iraq, what do Ireland need to do to

close out this game? -- Joe Schmidt era. Performing the basics with pace

and precision and getting possession in opposition territory. They have

not gone through many phases with ball in hand. If they can get

decision into kicking contest for the ball in the air and get

possession in opposition territory to build phases and score tries,

they are clearly dominant at the set piece, they need to use this

platform to accelerate. What would you like to see more of? Controlling

the pace of the game and building field position. You get a feeling if

Ireland can get more schools on the board, Samoa will drop and the game

could be one comfortable in. But the longer we spent in our own half and

have to spend long amounts of time defending and depending on winning

at the breakdown, it could be a long and difficult game. I do not ring we

will lose but we could make it easier for ourselves with more

control -- I do not think. And to cut out the lack of discipline?

Without a primary possession, it is difficult to get possession in

general. Ireland needs discipline at the break down and they need to

exert their game plan proceedings. Thank you. Not a great game so far

but a great atmosphere at the Beaver Stadium. Let's see what Ireland can

produce in the second half. -- the Aviva Stadium.

No changes from the players that left the field at half-time. But the

Samoans are down to 14 men. Their centre. George Pisi is in the

sin-bin. Paddy Jackson gets the second half under way. Taken in by

26 macro, who plays his rugby in Japan. -- Faatiga Lemalu. Well

covered by Ireland and Paddy Jackson. This man has made an

impressive debut for Ireland, Jack McGrath.

Well taken down and well read by Jack Lam to squeeze them towards the

touchline. Rory Best at scrum-half. Shorn of Ryan will be a bit annoyed

that he got brushed off in a tackle before -- Sean O'Brien. And Ireland

were slowed to discover they had no scrum-half and the ball was pinched,

this could be interesting. What a tackle by Tommy Bowe! The referee

says to play on. What a tackle by Tommy Bowe! He took a gamble and he

had to because Ireland were found wanting on the wing. Tommy Bowe

decided to come in early and to wrap up that tackle. And he effectively

forced Samoa to knock-on that ball, so good decision from Tommy Bowe to

come in. A huge cheer. The Samoan right-wing was hit in the back by a

paper line. -- plane. If you had done that at school, you would be a

hero for ever and a day! First scrum of the second half and a free kick

against the Samoans. They did not study the scrum. A lovely pass. A

good sidestep by McFadden. He gets help from Jackson. This is better by

Ireland. That was well done by the Munster skipper. Swallowed up by

Samoa. A great opportunity and he needed somebody closer. Ireland

managed to put in the choke tackle. Peter O'Mahony is quite a talent.

That was a great run. He used McCarthy as his catapult. He used

his own man to catapult forward. A brilliant run and the Irish had a

job to catch up and offer the support needed. If we are looking at

what has happened in the second half, the message seems to have come

from Joe Schmidt that the tempo and the speed of the delivery needs to

be increased, and in particular the back row offering themselves as

runners. Coming on to the ball at pace to tie in the defenders quickly

and released the backline, something we did not seek in the first half.

Samoa still have a man in the sin-bin. Can Ireland capitalise?

Somebody may have said something and they have been marched back ten

metres. Advantage still going to Samoa. It could be a full penalty.

He has marched them back another ten metres. I think somebody said

something to Steve Walsh at half-time because we were looking at

too many resets and we have already had to Pisi kicks. So I think a word

was had in his ear. -- two free kick. -- kicks. It is a free kick

and they have taken the option of the scrummage. Replacement prop

James Johnston came on the early on for the Leicester Tiger player who

went off with a nasty cough injury. -- calf. Ireland were able to put

pressure on the scrummage in the first half. Better scrum by Samoa.

Reduce the width of the park. -- a good use of the width of the park.

Good Irish tackling. That is good work by Ireland and

good work by McGrath again. And I think they have turned that over. A

good switch of direction. A huge amount of space down that far side.

That has bounced awkwardly, a chance for Ireland. Here comes McFadden!

Jamie Heaslip in support. Taken by Brian! He is over! He has scored! --

O'Brien. That is what the game needed and that is what Ireland is

needed. That came from a brilliant kick by Paddy Jackson, a turnover

ball originally, Samoa ran out of support players. They ran out of

steam. A good turnover by Ireland. Rate work at the break. Rory Best

gets in. -- great work. Quick thinking from Jackson. As he kicked

it down, a piece of brilliance from Brian O'Driscoll, he flicked the

ball between his legs. The Irish team kept it alive and kept it in

field, a quick ball to the centre and Sean O'Brien came onto it with

nobody in front and he was never going to be stopped. Great strength.

You can tell by the mod on Paddy Jackson that he put his head where

people would not put their feet. -- mud. And he rounds it off and

Ireland are more comfortable. That was the kick, and only Brian

O'Driscoll would think of doing that. Look at the determination of

Sean O'Brien. It really was the quick thinking of Paddy Jackson.

With a turnover ball, coaches often say, move it along the line. Jackson

saw the space behind, they got fortunate with the bounds, but

clever thinking. -- bounce. Samoa still down to 14 men and you

need to be scoring at least six, ten points if the opposition are

short-handed. That is not a good pass and it puts pressure on. Tiny

-- Tommy Bowe. He has been outstanding, this player, for Samoa.

He plays his club rugby in France. Second row, 26 macro. -- Faatiga

Lemalu. That was good technique by McGrath. A good job of placing. And

it is going to be an Irish scrum. It is amazing what a try does to lift

the atmosphere. The supporters were waiting for something like that. The

Samoans are now forcing everything. They feel they have to run from

everywhere, there is little pattern, they are not going through phases.

The green jerseys are able to line out and to wait. They can organise

their defence and they can come forward. And because they are coming

forward in numbers and in a straight line, it is forcing mistakes from

Samoa. I think we will see more of that as Samoa start to tyre out and

Ireland will get the ascendancy. -- to tyre.

Murray again, it for by O'Mahony. Lovely hands by the Munster skipper.

-- that was beautiful by O'Mahony. And he gives the penalty away. The

referee is saying, number six. He has been consistent, Steve Walsh, he

gave penalties earlier in the game for losing his footing at the

crucial moment, and a penalty has been given to the Samoans.

They have conceded ten points since George Pisi was in the sin-bin. The

importance of having discipline. From a needless tackle when the pass

had been made and wasn't going to affect the play.

There are going to be a number of replacements made. The number 24 is

coming on. I have no idea who number 24 is! It is a Tekori. He was played

here three years ago. The Samoans penalised, their

left-wing, Brando Vaalu. They've got to slow the Irish ball down. If

Ireland get quick ball, they're going to be caught out. We've seen

great movement in the Irish back. Probably could've done with McFadden

coming inside to create that space and get away from the touchline but

the Samoans are getting in at the break and they are trying to slow

the ball down. They are giving more and more penalties away as the game

progresses. No sign of any Irish replacements in the second half. Two

pretty tough games coming up for Ireland. The Australians in a weeks

time, and then New Zealand in a fortnight.

Ireland haven't got the momentum for another try. Samoa are threatening

to come in from an outside possession.

Ireland are being patient. And giving away the penalty. And, again,

just going in off their feet. Mike McCarthy was guilty of that. At the

time when they need to have composure, keep the ball, they are

in the ascendancy. Watching the backline, they are moving along,

switching players, and although it looks good, they are not making much

ground. There are defensive pair is waiting for them. I don't know.

Maybe the players need to becoming a little bit deeper and trying to cut

back the line. Somebody like apartment Mac coming from a blind

position, cutting the angle back would serve better than switches in

that outside channel. -- someone like Kearney.

I'm glad that is O'Mahony and not me! That looks very sore. I wonder

if he has broken his nose. Probably not for the first time. He has

probably inflicted the same thing on one or two people. The clock has

stopped with 13 minutes gone in the second half. Ireland were 40-6 up at

the interval. -- 14-6. There is a raw in the throats of the Irish

supporters. One of the modern greats of Irish rugby is about to come on

after a break of 18 months. He has had an unfortunate couple of years,

lots of injury for O'Connell. Here he comes, and what a warm welcome

for Paul O'Connell. They are giving O'Mahony every opportunity to come

in to the game when he can. McCarthy has played in the back row

down the years. Much more lively stuff from the men

in blue. 15 points adrift, that could all change. Great turnover by

Ireland. There will be a lot of sore Irish

bodies tonight. Some of these tackles are immense.

The pass was judged to have gone forward to Rory Best, just when he

had done brilliantly to juggle it. He gets in there, gets his hands on

the ball, turns it over. Again, I think it was Paulo who came in for

the Samoans. He just tried to play it out into the contact area. Again,

it was good work from Devin Toner to get the ball back for Ireland. Now

the Samoans have got the ball back from that forward pass, but it was a

tough call. They have got all their backs here and also a back row

forward, they have got Jack Lam lurking. If they go around that, I

would be very surprised. Can they make this extra man work? No, they

can't. That collision looked nasty. The referee has blown the whistle

straight away. No foul play, head-on head collision. Lots of blood there

already. It was accidental, but it was Vaalu who flew in. One of them

was his own man. One of the Irish defenders as well. Oh, yes. It was

Pisi, got smashed in the face by his own player. Vaalu got a nasty one to

the side of the head. They got a thumping. It was accidental, they

were both coming in at an angle. As Pisi gave the ball, he got a shunt

from the Irish defender, and catapulted him into his own player.

Not nice to see these stretch is coming on and to see all that blood.

Absolutely not. It's been a tough game, as we'd expect. The Samoans

have had a mixed physical, but this is unfortunate. They will be losing

two players. It's not just a single impact, it is a double impact,

because both of them are very slow to get to the ground. Pisi, their

main playmaker, that would be a huge loss. They are going to bring on

Jeremy Su'a, a scrum-half. The worrying thing is that Pisi

seems to be out cold. Sporting a brand-new goatee beard, the

formidable Cain Healy. The bounce to the ball was awkward. Slippery

surface, the undoing of the Samoan. From that range, a brick wall was

not going to stop Sean O'Brien. You see the speed. Heaslip got over it

quickly, perfect ball from Murray, flicked it away, and Sean O'Brien

brought it in. Well, we can see that Tusi Pisi is up on his feet again.

Hello, everybody, back in Samoa. He certainly looks groggy. We are more

concerned for his colleague who's going to require a stretcher to

remove him from the field. So Jeremy Su'a will be coming on and Fautua

Otto will be coming on. Su'a is with Worcester, Otto is with Bristol.

There is a buzz all of the ground. When you have a one-man advantage,

you need to press it home, and Ireland got the penalty just before

half-time, and then Sean O'Brien got that try. Joe Schmidt will be

looking for more from this side. I think there could be some changes

made on the 60 minute mark. We will see him playing some other players

from the bench. But it has been a bit of a stop start affair, not

great continuity to the match, which is affecting the team, the Irish

team, they can't get into their patterns. The scrums were messy in

the first half we were looking at recess. There is no doubt that as

you are trying to bring in new patterns, it's important there is a

flow to the game, and that there is a continuity, and that there are

off-loads. It is a perfect day for rugby, but it hasn't come into the

type of game that the Irish would have wanted and it has affected

them. Again, we are seeing stoppages and play. Every time they get

momentum, it breaks down and stops again. A frustrating day for Joe

Schmidt, and he is wondering how exactly you can get that level of

continuity back. Ireland have got a number of players waiting to come

on. Declan Fitzpatrick is down below us, and number 21 is Airedale Air

Conditioning. A very generous round of applause

for the Samoan players injured in that clash. It is a long way from

the canvas stretcher carried on by two men. Player safety is everything

these days, and they are so well looked after. But it is a very sad

sight seeing a player go off. It's the last thing you want to see, the

sight of that medical card. The skipper is going to have to

readjust. Fotuali'i has gone to the outside half position.

Su'a is the replacement hooker. Su'a, good work from him.

Johnson into Mike Ross. Devin Toner hangs onto him. Nicely presented

either Samoans but Ireland have slowed it down, aggressive I Jack

Lam. Tackled by Jack McGrath. Good work by Jamie Heaslip. Kahn

Fotuali'i. There was an overlap but they brought it into the middle of

the park. Kahn Fotuali'i, that has come loose. A good tackle by Conor

Murray. The referee has played on, no knock forward.

Samoa are trying all sorts but nothing is coming together. This is

the enormous Johnstone. And they get the penalty. Good piece of

continuity by the Samoans. But a needless penalty by Ireland. It was

a penalty, you could see the hand of Jamie Heaslip. He came in on the

side of the tackle and it was in the long enough to delay the ball, there

was no need. There was no threat, the defensive line is organised for

Ireland. They would be happy to let the Samoans have the ball and stiff

and defend the corner but now they are under Russia with a line-out for

Samoa -- under pressure. Cian Healy I can see down below. You

wonder if Peter Mahoney -- Peter O'Mahony has come off and will come

back on again. Jack Lam tidies up with a good forward tried by

Ireland. A good piece of different -- aggressive defending. Paolo, the

tackle by Mike Ross. Isaia Tuifua. Ireland have stolen that, Rory Best

in a game, he is the master of that. And D'arcy. A quicker ball, well

away. McFadden. Disappointing. That was nearly away. Another great deal

by Rory Best, that is three, possibly four he has been a part of

and created the opportunity for Paddy Jackson. They got fortunate

with a bounce before. For the try that Sean O'Brien got. The bench has

unloaded and everybody is coming on. Mike Ross, Conor Murray is coming

off. Tommy Bowe has gone off. Jack McGrath, who has had a splendid

debut, has come off. McCarthy has come off the field. Peter O'Mahony

is back on the field. Untidy by Ireland at the outset but well Paul

Den by Declan Fitzpatrick. -- called in. -- pulled. That was given just

about the right amount of weight. Waiting for advantage and non-will

come for the Samoans. The men in blue will get a foot in the scrum.

And who wearing green has come on? That is Eoin Reddan. That will be

the difference between these sides, the quality Ireland have on the

bench to bring on. They certainly have strength and depth on the bench

and that will be the difference in the last 20 minutes. They will bring

a freshness and real contribution to this team and up the tempo. And I

think we might see some different style of play from the Irish. Chris

Henry has a hamstring injury. I hope it is not a tear. We do not know how

serious the Samoan scrum is. Has he overcooked that? Straight into

touch, very unfortunate and disappointing for him and his side.

Now you can really seep Paul O'Connor and Brian O'Driscoll came

in. -- see. There was real purpose about getting something organised.

They could try to move it out to the backline. Definitely some strong

words throughout the team. A knock-on from Gordon D'Arcy,

unfortunately. Referee is still playing advantage to the Samoans.

Dave Carney, wearing 23, has come on for his first cap. This is opening

up a bit and the more loose this is, the more it will suit the Samoans.

Great strength by the dreadlocked replacement. An opening tackle by

Isaia Tuifua. The referee had a hand-out for the penalty. Here come

the Samoans. Jeremy C A sit on. -- Jeremy Su'a. The penalty has been

given against Ireland. Great credit to the Samoans. That man has been so

ambitious all day. He has tried things. A good break from him. You

have to give the Samoans credit. They have come here to play, they

are having a go. Ireland will be so disappointed. They got into a

position to put pressure on the Samoans, they had a line-out, the

back row rocked of the line-out. -- dropped off. The past to D'arcy was

so low that he not get on and the whole thing broke down. -- he

knocked it on. Those mistakes are too common from Ireland. Kahn

Fotuali'i, in the absence of his partner, has stepped up to the kick

for goal. Still about 16 minutes of this game

remaining. The Samoans might be looking for a successful kick to

provide a chip with the back foot. It is just about perfect! 21-9 in

Ireland's favour. The Samoans have something to cheer about in the

second half. And with a number of replacements, the Samoans have had

to make a couple as well as they lost two men because of a nasty

midfield collision. Paddy Jackson to get this game underway again. That

was not forward. The ball has come loose. The referee is playing

advantage to Ireland. And Ireland will get the scrum. A good kick by

Jackson, he has played well today. Everything he has been asked to do,

he has done perfectly. He has kicked well, except that one that hit the

post. He can be happy with his performance so far. Ireland have to

think about this. The set piece, they did not concentrate and they

messed it up. The scrum has been dominant all day, perfect position,

we must see some decent first phase attack ball from this. It is an

Irish forward pack with five British and Irish Lions on the most recent

tour in it so they should be pretty comfortable at this. That is a good

scrum. Got the back nice and parallel. McFadden, a good angle.

Inside to D'arcy, this is better. D'arcy is still going. Good support

from Sean O'Brien. Ireland within touching distance of the line. Cian

Healy. Good presentation, eight Whickham ball. -- a quicker ball.

Carney! It is pretty close! What a moment for the Carney family! The

53rd set of brothers to play for Ireland. And Dave might just have

marked his debut with a try in the corner. There is no doubt

whatsoever, he definitely got over and got the touchdown before anybody

was anywhere near the touchline. We can see it again. No question

whatsoever. A great try and a brilliant pass from his brother. You

will have two wonder afterwards when they are having a chat if that was

deliberate! -- you have to wonder. Williams skills. Winning your first

cap is always extremely special. -- valiant skills. Scoring a try is the

icing on the cake and Dave Carney gets his first Irish try on the

occasion of his first Irish cap and he can hardly contain himself. He is

delighted and like -- and rightly so. It was inevitable, it came from

a solid set piece. Jamie Heaslip got the ball away, a great run by

McFadden. Changed direction and a brilliant off-load to D'arcy who

they could not tackle. He kept going. He was able to set it up and

Paddy Jackson provided another great conversion. Great continuity from

Ireland to set that try up. And McFadden is in the middle of it.

D'arcy showed immense strength and great footwork and when the ball was

released... The dancing was perfect and the finish was exquisite! And a

first Irish try for Dave Carney in his first Irish appearance. We still

have about 13 minutes remaining. The Samoans will not hold back, I am

sure. Well taken by Devin Toner. Eoin Reddan. Rob Carney. That was

well gathered by Kahn Fotuali'i. That was well set up by Samoa. Cian

Healy with the tackle. Paulo divides the cover. He slipped up a big bump.

But he has made it available and this is a good chance.

Bounces off four defenders. The momentum is with Ireland. That was

not offside. This is Dave Carney, is he going to get two on his debut? A

breeze is starting to pick up and the crowd getting excited. Rory

Best, who has had another wonderful day, on the ground. Cleverly done by

O'Driscoll. Cleared by the Samoans. That will be an Irish line-out, and

a very good position. Jamie Heaslip picking himself up slowly after that

challenge. I did not think any arms were used in that tackle when they

went in on that which Jamie Heaslip and he certainly seemed to get

smashed in that tackle. -- with Jamie Heaslip.

Another Samoan is down at this stage. Paul O'Connell was named at

captain even though Jamie Heaslip is captain, what do you make of that?

Paul O'Connell was coming back from injury so the right decision was to

put him on the bench and let him find himself into the game. They

need him to get gametime with Australia and New Zealand, got. I do

not think there is major issues with that. -- and New Zealand coming up.

Well taken at the back by Jamie Heaslip. Rory Best to his old friend

Cian Healy. Beautifully done between the two Leinster man. Nice switch.

The Samoans are offside and the referee is playing advantage to

Ireland. They will looking for a fourth try. And the little brother

will not thank him for that pass! Having thanked him a lot for the

first, but they have to come back for a penalty. And Ireland may think

about the scrum beside the post at the three points on offer. Dave

Carney, a grin on the face. Not far away because of the pressure coming

on Carney. Rob Carney, because of the pressure, he had to get the past

away quickly and he went slightly forward as it made its way to his

brother David. So, Rory Best has come off the

field. Brian O'Driscoll has come off the field. That was his 155th cap.

One more, he will be level with the Ronan O'Gara.

So, Madigan comes on, Sean Cronin as well. They have taken Brian off to

make sure... He hasn't had a lot of game time coming into this game, so

asking him to play the whole game would have been too much. He needs

to be ready for next week. I am sure he would have lasted another ten

minutes. Ireland have gone for the option of the scrummage directly in

front of the Samoan post. A solid looking scrum.

Oh, it is going to be a trifle McFadden! Island's fourth of the

afternoon. A great try. And McFadden gets over for a try. He deserves it.

He has been very industrious tonight. I thought it was given to

early, the pass, but it was brilliant. The defence had to check

him, and because they had to check, he was able to off-load. The way he

steps, that brings the winner in because they are worried about

D'Arcy, which releases space for McFadden and he gets his just reward

because he has been very industrious. D'Arcy has had a very

great second half. He has committed it all in the second half. He has

played a role in a number of the Irish tries. Oh, he has done it

again. Well, 15 points the Paddy Jackson this afternoon, he has only

missed one click. That was a fine finish by McFadden. Paddy Jackson

has put Ireland in a good position today. He looks happy, he is happy

with the players around him, and he has given a good quality

performance. And he is only 21, don't you hate him?

Interesting to see if the foot wasn't in touch. I wonder who would

have been looking to try to get some support and off-load.

That was an interesting kick, but it might work. Dave Kearney, thinking

about the first try, doing some juggling fare. Six and a half

minutes remaining, Samoa will be happy about the second half. --

Samoa will not be happy. The game has certainly changed. We've got to

give credit to Samoa. They were affected badly before this match

with five of their front starting players unable to play which is a

big disappointment for them. They had targeted this game as the one

they wanted to put-in a big performance for, it being the only

frontier team they are up against on this tour. They wanted to target

them and have a go. Injuries prior to the match and during the game, it

has affected their game badly. It was out of their control, really.

Good work off the back by the Samoans. They couldn't get a

regulation shirt to fit Joe Tekori, so they have had to get an enormous

one. Can Ireland create something from

this? He very nearly got to it! I think he

torched it -- touched it. It is a Samoan line-up. He was so close.

McFadden does this so well. He is not the biggest guy in the world,

but he never gives up, always compute. He just got his fingertips

to that. I think he has done very well today, McFadden, he has been

very industrious, getting himself involved. Out in the win, you can

wait all day and not see the ball, but he has gone searching for it.

Ireland have some versatile players who can adapt to the winner.

That was not the cleverest things that Kearney has ever done.

Good defence by Ireland, Samoa looking for the late try just to

take the bad luck of the thing. They haven't played badly at all. But

injuries haven't helped them. Ireland's defence looking pretty

solid. Now, they've turned it over. Here comes Madigan. He is still

going! Reddan gets it, here is Kearney. The

brothers give it to each other. Reddan checks. He's done it again. A

second try for Kearney. Can you believe it? Two tries on a debut?

They might be checking upstairs to make sure there was no forward

passing. But it has been given. Great combinations there. I thought

that Madigan may have released earlier. But great support played by

pretty much all the backline. And Kearney was there at the crucial

moment. Two tries! There was a danger they had overcooked the whole

thing. It was looking as if it was easy to score, and then they were

making a meal of it. But that was a great try. The referee was pretty

happy, his touch judge was pretty happy. And I am sure that Dave

Kearney is pretty ecstatic, too. It all came from a turnover ball in

their own half. Paddy Jackson has managed to miss. Here it is again,

great interplay. Nice little checks, plenty of support. And there is

Kearney, and what a debut for him. Reddan did very well. The defence

had come over to cover him. A lot of players would have been bundled into

touch, but he took the step, handed off the player, had the composure to

wait, and then gave the past. -- the past.

Sean O'Brien showing plenty of Bothell, but it is going forward.

The 80 minutes are up. I'd be surprised if you'd doesn't blow the

whistle to signal the end of the game. He's not going to surprise me

at all, it has been a great day for casual tea-mac, but an even better

day for Dave Kearney. -- Jack McGrath.

This has been a splendid debut for Dave Kearney, the man who scored the

first try, O'Mahony, played in the first half. Tries from Sean

O'Brien, two from Kearney. It wasn't perfect, there were mistakes.

Overall, a good result, eight half game to get out of the way and a

good start. -- a tough game. Well, a comfortable win for island

in the end but no doubt the new coach Joe Schmidt to will have

plenty to dissect. O'Mahony got island in the lead in the first half

with a try, but then it got better from Brian O'Driscoll, Sean O'Brien

with a touchdown, Dave Kearney with two tries, and McFadden also with a

try. Eddie, give us your assessment of Joe Schmidt's first game in

charge. They got the job done in the end. They took advantage of the

start of the second half. Once they got control of the game, the Samoans

struggled. Then they took full advantage. And you can't argue with

the scoreline. The executed very well in the end. They took full

advantage of the opportunities they got. You can't argue with the

scoreline, but for the first 60 minutes, Ireland were put to Gilly

do is appointing and frustrating to watch. That is interest --

international rugby. You will be confronted physically with Samoa,

they had complete dominance at the set piece, at the breakdown, and in

the last 20 minutes, they got the fruits of their endeavours. Their

kicking game improved, they had possession, and there were some

clinical finishes. Some hard work done in that first 40-60 minutes but

once they tweaked a few things in terms of their kicking, that

dominance they had started to tell. That clinical finishing, one of the

big positives in that second half. It was a change of tactics in the

second half which paid off. We didn't kick the ball as much, and

when we did, it was much more strategic. So, we didn't create the

opportunities that Samoa did in the first half, and even, that said,

Samoa did tried to run more possession, but Samoa couldn't hold

on to the ball in the breakdown which led to all sorts of trouble.

If you're going to run with the ball, you should hold onto it.

Ireland really punished them. Some of the scores came from turnovers,

from Ireland being destructive turning the ball over, and using it

effectively and efficiently and accurately, to put the knife in.

Let's take a look at some those tries. It was some great play from

Sean O'Brien. It felt like we were waiting for Ireland to get an

opportunity. This turnover, you can see that choke tackle, and then Rory

Best gets the ball. Some clever decisions after that. The kicking,

which we have said was a feature that needed improvement, they were

finding space, it was a fortuitous bounce. And then it is good

decisions from there and composure. Keeping the ball in hand, making the

right decisions. And then, against the retreating defence, a very good

line taken. It is very difficult then defensively to get your men in

position and identify the strike runners, and it all comes from this

turnover. That was superb from we best. Every breakdown. He must have

picked it up four or five turnovers, putting your body on the line. He

gets a pounding but he just gets on with it. That was a big factor in

Ireland's dominance in the second half. The Fed of what they achieved

in the first half and they fed off the Samoans. Let's hear from the man

of the match. It's easy, this international rugby

walk! We played well and the substitutes

did well when they came on. From the start, you seemed on top. We worked

hard during the week and we set out a plan we wanted and it came off

quite well. What did Joe Schmidt say at half-time? It was tight. They are

dynamic boys, we have to keep grinding them down. They are tough

and we have two keep at the 60 minute -- have to keep at them for

60 minutes. How did you find the atmosphere on the occasion?

Brilliant, the atmosphere was savage! People in their seats, that

is what you want. It is a great honour to represent Ireland,

especially in front of a packed crowd. Massive week is coming up,

have you given Joe something to think about? -- a massive week. All

I can do is my best and it is up to him. I am happy to play any role.

Congratulations. Jack McGrath, man of the match, on

his debut. And the scrums were a big speech and Ireland had the upper

hand. Samoa were not comfortable and they were in big trouble in the

first half. You have got to see what they will give you and they are --

and it was obvious early in the game Samoa were in trouble. But Ireland

kept the scrum Square and this is a feature of watch Joe Schmidt likes,

set piece defence and -- set piece possession when you have a lot of

peace to attack. That is what we want to see and we saw it

particularly in the second half with the possession. Is not a bad debut

for Dave Carney! That is what you want for your windows, set up by

clinical work in the inside work -- windows. -- wingers. Ireland moving

forward. We see a defence of line that is retreating once again. And

good decisions are made. Identifying the space, good work in the contact

areas, and speed of recycling creates the overlap. Brother to

brother, pretty nice. The origin of that came from the scrum, a set

piece. And the incision of the first strike did the damage and Samoa

could not recover from that. It is not just the finishing by Dave

Carney, it is the turn of the first and the great build-up play to the

try which Joe Schmidt will be happy about. Yes, this is probably Samoa's

best rugby of the game. They held onto the ball for many phases but

Ireland held their shape and Samoa could not hold onto the ball. That

is a turnover. When Ireland get it, it is one pass and we are into the

back straightaway. When that line break happens, it is hard to

recover. New Zealand, they gauge their game on that, at the breakdown

and able to move forward like this. You have to win that breakdown

battle to win his opportunities. What New Zealand have been good at

is performing the basics better than anyone else, they then create

opportunities. But once they create opportunities, they have the skill

set and decision-making to finish them off and get points on the

board, that is what islands did in the last 20 minutes. Created

opportunities and finished them off. Like McFadden, great execution. You

could go left or right, a slight decoy run to the right, then he goes

left. And Samoa scrabbling, it is three players on two. Samoa panicked

a bit. It is an easy run in the end. In the build-up to the game, the

coach came under criticism for his selection of D'arcy in the centre,

but he had a good game today. He did very well, started at three on two

and they drifted initially, but D'arcy was able to draw two

defenders and that created space on the outside. He has the feet and the

experience, a good off-load. When defensive players are under pressure

in a retreat, they have to make quick decisions and often as we have

seen get them wrong. But it is the pressure created by the continuity

and speed of recycling that puts them in the defensive position. We

can get more reaction from Jamie Heaslip.

As expected, it was brutal, what is your assessment?

As a squad, we took a small step in the right direction. We can take a

what more steps but we laid good foundations. -- a what more steps.

Two players got their caps. It is boyhood dreams come true. A proud

moment to lead two boys out but we have a lot to work on. We are chest

heavy in tackles and we have to work on that. The set piece was good. We

launched a lot from the scrum and line-out and we have to try from one

of the line-outs and the scrums, so that is a bonus. We will have a lot

of work on Monday. The breakdown was a big focus, a couple of silly

penalties. We were a bit sloppy around the tackle. Not being

decisive in the tackle and not dominating that collision zone and

falling on their side of the ball and not getting awake quickly

enough. But annoyed the referee and he had enough. As well as trying.

Macro we got good turnovers we gave easy outs to them. The ball focus,

we turned it over six times in the first half. These are things to work

on and we have to be better at by next week. Good luck.

The turnover ball will be disappointing but the turnovers

Ireland produced today was one of the reasons I got the win. -- they

got. They know Samoa hold onto the ball and time after time, Samoa

could not win the ball. That is Rory Best against stealing the ball. The

situations are crucial. If you can move that ball, that is Ireland on

the run again. It is that dominance that allows you to create tempo.

Very damaging, those turnovers, to reorganise your defence. You are

moving into a defensive alignment, very difficult. Rory Best again

here. Ireland have used the choke tackle very well in the past but it

is that aggression and control it did so well on today. Let's hear

from the new man in charge, Joe Schmidt.

One game, one win, what is the emotion after that? Relief. We were

a bit untidy. The cohesion was not as good as it should have been, we

made a lot more tackles than they did and I do not think you can

afford to give sides as much ball as we gave today. The scrums started

strongly, the first line-out drive. Draw. And we got a couple of good

tries. -- the line-out drive was top drawer. But it was patchy. Two

massive games coming up. We have some guys out there I do not know

well and we have some with mileage, I would like to get Paul O'Connell

out, Sean O'Brien, that was fortunate for Chris Henry. He was

really excited about his opportunity today and he started really well and

got a turnover in the first ruck and started well but I think it might be

a hamstring injury. Hopefully it is not too bad, but it is great to get

Dave Carney out to get a of tries. The first different from his

brother. A nice night for that household! Are you happy with Paddy

Jackson? He directed us around the field really well. I thought he

kicked the goal really well. Not just Paddy Jackson, we were a bit

wayward with some of the kicking game. And again, I do not think we

can afford to do that next week. If you do that against New Zealand,

they will run the ball back at you and we could be under pressure if

the kicking game is not correct. What is your primary focus on Monday

morning? We will look at how best we can attack them. We will look at how

we attacked tonight and make sure there are things we tidy up. I felt

we were a bit untidy, we lacked a bit of cohesion we would have liked.

I suppose as an appetiser, the victory tastes all right but the

appearance on the plate was not so good! We look forward to next week!

A very very assessment. It is the starter with two big courses to come

with Australia and New Zealand. -- a very fair assessment. It will be a

big week, no question. He recognised we cannot kick that loosely to

Australia or they will punish us and we cannot see dividends defensively

because Australia hold onto the ball better. That dynamic could change

the game a lot. Australia will hold onto the ball more carefully and

they will be more precise in their attacks. What do they need to

improve on to beat Australia next week? Their structure in the first

40 minutes in terms of what they did with the ball. And the execution,

maybe the tactics were to kick the ball out of the first half, the

execution was not right across the pitch. Easy to make this adjustment

on a Monday morning on the back of a win without the pressure from the

media about a poor performance. It was a fair assessment. The threat

from Australia will be from the back three but set piece game will be the

key focus for Ireland. It is not a strength of Australia and if they

can get dominance in that aspect allied with a good performance at

the breakdown, they will be in a position to win that game. Did you

see enough today to be positive about the future for Ireland under

Joe Schmidt? I think so and his assessment was honest upfront. We

will be looking more for precision from that set piece and we will see

more of Ireland holding onto that ball from more faces rather than

kicking away. Thank you very much. Let's look at some of the other

results today. Australia eat Italy by 50 points against 20.

-- beat. Front against New Zealand kicks off in a couple of minutes. We

have a lot more rugby over the next couple of rugby. Next Saturday, it

is the second Autumn International, Ireland against Australia. And the

following week, we have a double helping of live rugby. Join me at

Ravenhill as Ulster continue with their campaign. And then Ireland

against New Zealand. Improvement will be needed if Ireland to beat

New Zealand for the first time, but the new coach got off to a winning

start today. It is goodbye from everybody here.