Ireland handed four Test debuts in a much-changed side that beat Japan 36-20 in Newcastle, with number eight Sean Jansen marking his first cap with a try and the player-of-the-match award as head coach Andy Farrell’s side made it two wins from two in the Nations Championship.
According to a fresh update from RugbyPass, Connacht forward Jansen scored in the 50th minute and finished with 12 carries and 14 tackles on debut, with fellow newcomers Billy Bohan, Sam Illo and Bryn Ward also handed first caps off the bench as Farrell rang nine changes from the side that edged Australia the previous week. The 36-20 bonus-point win, secured despite a mixed night at the lineout for the senior pack, kept Ireland’s perfect start intact.
Sean Jansen’s Debut Sets Up Andy Farrell’s Eden Park Bid
Farrell admitted the scoreline “flattered” his side, saying it was “far from perfect” but that his players “stuck at it and kept squeezing them until the end,” according to The42. Tadhg Beirne captained for the first time and hooker Ronan Kelleher reached a half-century of caps in the win, which followed Farrell’s much-changed team named for the trip to Newcastle.
Ireland and New Zealand have met 39 times, with the All Blacks winning 33, including a 26-13 defeat for Farrell’s side in Chicago last autumn. Ireland now travel to Eden Park next Saturday for round three against an All Blacks side that has also won both of its opening fixtures, setting up a genuine decider for top spot in the Northern-Southern standings.
