A SHADOW Ireland team, under the leadership of Paul O’Connell, romped to a facile Test victory over Portugal in Lisbon at the weekend.
In this mismatch, the visitors crossed for 16 tries. Ireland led 54-0 at the break and by a record 106-7 at the end.
“I feel sorry for Portugal, but we were very clinical and took our chances,” O’Connell said.
“It is a unique summer Tour, given the Lions Tour is on at the same time, but I am very happy with how our squad applied themselves.
“It is great to get some guys capped and scoring tries and training in an international environment.”
Added fellow Limerickman, tryscorer, and captain Captain Craig Casey: “Our major takeaway from today is our mentality. We were very professional and played our game to get the result.”
“It’s a shame the stadium wasn’t full, but seeing the amount of Irish fans here was special to get the result for them.”
