Richards: We proved a point

Ireland earn the respect of Tonga in Group C opener

Last updated: 27th October 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Richards: We proved a point

The Irish crossed four times

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Pat Richards believes Ireland finally gained the respect they have been craving after going down 22-20 in their opening game against Tonga.

The Irish entered the match as huge underdogs despite warnings from coach Andy kelly that his side should not be under-estimated in the competition.

"There is a lot of spirit in this team and we put up a good show. It is great to be part of, I suppose," he said.

"We just wanted a bit of respect and I think we earned that tonight from the opposition, and hopefully Samoa as well. Everyone has been talking about those two."

Richards also hailed the performance of Wakefield's Damien Blanch, his team-mate on the opposite wing who claimed a hat-trick.

He said: "He has been playing really well in Super League. He is a great player and finished off those tries well.

"We showed a lot of pride and that is all we can ask. We need to be a bit smarter at times and hopefully we can come up with the win."

Dymock relieved

Tonga coach Jim Dymock was a relieved man at the final whistle but was not surprised by the gutsy Irish performance.

"Most of them have played in Super League," said the former London Broncos favourite. "They didn't surprise me at all. They came out and, to their credit, they gave it a go.

"It's lucky I've got no hair. I was up there praying at the end. I thought it was going to be the luck of the Irish but thankfully we came through and hopefully we can play better against Samoa.

"It was a tough game, especially to play 20 minutes with 12 men. Our discipline was a bit scratchy but we weren't used to some of the interpretations of the referee.

"Hopefully we can learn from that game."