Billy Burns Shines On Debut As Ireland Stutters To Victory Over Georgia | Sport

Billy Burns enjoyed a full international debut with scoring try, but was forced to retire injured when Ireland secured second place in Group A of the Fall Nations Cup with a laborious victory over Georgia.

Fly-half Burns staked his claim as the first-choice backup to sidelined captain Johnny Sexton, contributing 15 points to help the Irishman get back on the winning track after last weekend’s disappointing loss to England.

However, a promising afternoon for the England-born Ulster man was prematurely ended by a sustained blow early in the second half at Aviva Stadium, which significantly disrupted the pace of the unconvincing hosts.

Hugo Keenan claimed Ireland’s other try, while No. 10 substitute Ross Byrne added a second-half penalty when Andy Farrell’s team set up a tiebreaker for third place with Scotland on Saturday.

Georgia came to Dublin still to score a point in the tournament, but possibly produced the moment of the match thanks to a dazzling first-half score by Giorgi Kveseladze. The tenacious visitors can be very confident in next weekend’s meeting with Fiji, although that wooden spoon accessory remains in doubt as each of their opponents’ Group B matches were canceled due to Covid-19 protocols. .

Ireland endured persistent set pieces in an 18-7 loss at Twickenham last week and despite the relatively comfortable final score, they were far from flawless in that area against Georgia.

Farrell, the head coach, made nine changes to the team defeated by the Eddie Jones World Cup finalists as it seeks more competition from a relatively small group of players, England. He would have been encouraged by a positive start in which the hosts went ahead 10-0 in 14 minutes after sustained pressure and good interaction.

Quick hands from center Chris Farrell released Burns and dived over the line for his first international try before adding the extras and minutes later kicking a penalty.

Georgia might have been put off by early setbacks, considering their lack of attacking threat in this tournament, but they responded in good style with a sensational attempt from the agile Kveseladze. The center picked up the ball in his own half after a few skillful passes, burst into Irish territory, and then pushed his way through Jacob Stockdale and Burns to land under the posts, allowing Tedo Abzhandadze a simple conversion.

A second penalty from Burns kept the hosts in control of the scoreboard, before kicking another conversion to make it 20-7 in the interval after winger Keenan picked up Stockdale’s pass to run for his third international scoreline from the right.

The advantage at halftime would have been greater if Stuart McCloskey had not been harshly denied an attempt on his return from the international desert. The Ulster McCloskey center, who won his first international game in more than two years, stretched his legs down the left wing to cross into the corner, only for French referee Mathieu Raynal to judge that Stockdale’s pass had traveled to ahead.

On the basis of the disallowed score, Georgia started the second half with renewed vigor. After Burns, winning his third international game after two substitute appearances, left, the physical visitors remained in contention at 20-10 thanks to Abzhandadze’s long-distance penalty.

Drowned out by Levan Maisashvili’s men, Ireland’s display lacked fluidity and cutting edge as the game progressed. The hosts rarely seemed to increase their lead, but managed to draw 3-3 in the second half thanks to a penalty from replacement Byrne.

A debut off the bench from Shane Daly was a remarkable moment during the uneventful final stages, while CJ Stander stayed on the line as he tried to force a late try.

Ireland’s victory was an eighth in a row at home, although the stuttering manner in which it was achieved leaves Farrell with much to ponder before taking on the Scots and later next year’s Six Nations.