Ireland face Georgia at the Aviva Stadium this weekend on the back of their impressive 29-15 victory over South Africa. The Lelos, on the other hand, lost to Tonga in Tibilisi after leading 9-6 going into the final 15 minutes.
Georgia, ranked 15th in the world, were three points clear of their Pacific Island visitors after Miras Kvirikashvili landed three penalties. Tonga responded with a display of set-piece power that was rounded off by their 16-stone scrum-half Taniela Moa. Worrying for Georgia, the first Tongan try came off the back of an attacking line-out and rolling maul. This is an area of the game in which Ireland have prospered this year. Joe Schmidt’s men were successful with all seven of their rolling mauls against the Springboks.
Having crumbled to Tongan pressure, the floodgates opened. Moa spun around the back of a dominant scrum and dived over to stretch his team’s lead. Georgia were out on their feet in the closing stages and, though they defended a scrum well on their 10-metre line, Tonga fullback Vunga Lilo stripped their flailing defence up the left wing.
http://youtu.be/Th1OIiUY_E4
If this footage is anything to go by, the Irish forwards may not allow their backline colleagues much of the ball this Sunday.
