First match report from someone who was there.
Not sure if you could say it was pre-planned to try and take him out but at the least Dourthe’s comments seem to show how the Bayonne team would have been fired up in the dressing-room.
O’Driscoll taken to hospital
Gerry Thornley In Bayonne
RUGBY World Cup warm-up/Bayonne 6 Ireland 42: Though the fear always lurked that this hastily arranged fixture might become a battleground with Bayonne hosting one of France’s World Cup pool opponents, a game that might become known as the Battle of Bayonne was not what Ireland wanted.
Ultimately, the abiding memory of the night will be the sight of the Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll being led to an ambulance by his cousin, the team doctor Gary O’Driscoll, to be taken to hospital for an X-ray on a suspected fractured cheekbone.
“Of course I’m worried,” admitted coach Eddie O’Sullivan. “If the doctor thinks it’s more than a wound and that it needs an X-ray that is a concern.”
O’Driscoll collapsed clutching his face after one of the many off-the-ball incidents in an ill-tempered game when seemingly punched by Bayonne’s New Zealand-born second-half replacement Makeera Tewhata.
The prognosis on the other casualties, Denis Leamy (bang on a shoulder) and Paddy Wallace (bang on the head) was at least better.
Not quite the romp then that Ireland were expecting, indeed far from it on a balmy but ultimately wet night in the Stade Jean Dauger.
Ireland threatened to carve Bayonne apart at the outset of each half before becoming embroiled in a tetchy affair that exposed their predictable ring-rust.
“It was a worthwhile exercise,” maintained O’Sullivan in admitting mistakes abounded in “a typical first run-out of the season”.
He added, “We never expected it to be a garden party and I don’t mind physicality, but I do mind cheap shots. I’m fine except for that one incident. He (O’Driscoll) may be fine tomorrow but we’ll wait and see.”
As a flavour of what to expect come the Coupe du Monde in just over three weeks’ time it will have been a useful exercise, but there is clearly a vast amount of work to do in fine-tuning the Irish squad.
Most of all, they’ll hope to be much more clinical when in the red zone, because here they too often let Bayonne off the hook.
The night wasn’t without its other worries, in particular the injury to Leamy, who had been one of Ireland’s more impressive players - getting mitts on the ball, looking fired up and hunting out the physical exchanges - before his night’s work was cut short.
Ronan O’Gara tapped over a first-minute penalty before Paul O’Connell rumbled over for the first of his two tries after Gordon D’Arcy had sped through a gap in the Bayonne defence off static ball to find Girvan Dempsey.
A virtuoso try from Denis Hickie from 75 metres out when collecting a clever crosskick from O’Gara made it 15-9 inside 10 minutes, but then mistakes proliferated as a fired-up Bayonne came into it.
Richard Dourthe, who, true to type, had become agitated from early on, put his team on the scoreboard with a penalty and a well-struck drop goal.
Dourthe’s last game for France was a nightmarish midfield dissection at the hands, or more pertinently the feet, of O’Driscoll. He was dropped, never to play for les Bleus again. Dourthe had suggested in an interview printed in L’quipe yesterday that if O’Driscoll were injured it would be doing France a favour in the World Cup. He also expressed his eagerness to make a few tackles on the Irish captain.
O’Driscoll took exception to one off-the-ball hit as Andrew Trimble skated in for a try on half-time after the centre had cut back inside.
In truth, Trimble was a little fortunate to score, having lost O’Driscoll’s support run and sought to attempt an improbable overhead pass as Xavier Garbajosa and Daniel Larrechea, two of five Bayonne debutants, collided in endeavouring to tackle and began their inquest as Trimble touched down.
The score, and ensuing 20-6 interval scoreline, was a relief after an undistinguished second quarter.
Scarcely a minute after the resumption, Alan Quinlan punched through the Bayonne line for Hickie to skip deftly along the touchline and reach out for a classic winger’s try by the corner flag.
Better followed in perhaps the highlight of the night from an Irish perspective. A superb clear-out by Neil Best and pick-up by Simon Easterby ensured the continuity from which Marcus Horan showed typically deft hands to make the offload in the tackle that released O’Connell for an eye-catching 30 metre gallop to the line, fending off one of two would-be tacklers.
Soon though, the exchanges became tetchy again, Irish players reacting angrily to perceived wrongdoings, and the referee responded by brandishing yellow cards.
Larrechea was sinbinned for taking exception to a late charge by Easterby, and O’Driscoll required attention and was replaced by Geordan Murphy seemingly after taking a punch by Tewhata.
Right on cue, the rain fell as Ireland sought to restore order by opting for O’Gara to kick the penalty.
Another show of the ball to Horan on his outside and neat turn of foot saw Hickie complete his hat-trick but even as he did Horan was taking violent exception to a late hit.
The play had continued while a pole-axed Paddy Wallace was being treated, which resulted in Rob Linde’s sinbinning.