Ireland Score Seven Tries to Beat Fiji 43-15 in Dublin

Ireland scored seven tries on their way to a 43-15 win over Fiji in Dublin, and most of the points came after the break.

A try is rugby's version of a touchdown, worth five points, and it is scored by grounding the ball over the opponents' try line. Ireland needed plenty of them. BBC Sport reported that the hosts led by just two points at half-time, 17-15, so the contest was still open when the teams came in.

Ireland then scored 26 unanswered points in the second half. Tommy O'Brien and Robert Baloucoune each scored two tries. Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter and Nick Timoney each added one. Fiji's tries came from Josua Tuisova and Peceli Yato.

The result took some of the shine off a difficult week for Fiji. They had been beaten 54-17 by France the previous weekend, and before this match they had lost all nine of their earlier meetings with Ireland. Their coach, Jake White, led South Africa to the 2007 World Cup, the sport's biggest tournament, and he will know how much harder the second half of a Test can get when the scoreboard is against you.

For Ireland, the win moves them within touching distance of the top of the Nations Championship. The tournament is a series of international matches played in the autumn, and the table is led by France, who sit one point ahead of Ireland. Ireland's next game is a meeting with South Africa in Dublin the following week.

That result will matter more if Ireland keep their form. The tournament's showpiece final is scheduled for Twickenham in London on 29 November. Whether Ireland get there is still a question of results over the next two weekends, and of how they handle a physical South African side.

What stood out in Dublin was the ability to keep scoring. Ireland were not running away with the game early on. They found the gaps in the second half, and seven tries is a useful total for any team heading into a tough test.