Australia was forced to defend a one point lead for the final 12 minutes Saturday as the Wallabies hung on for a 17-16 victory over a tenacious Ireland.
The result gives Australia top spot in Pool A and a date with Scotland in the next stage, while Ireland must meet in-form France.
PHOTO: AP
Both teams had already secured quarterfinal spots, but the match was played at a high level of intensity that suggested more than just finals places were at stake.
PHOTO: AFP
After scoring 232 points in their last two games, the Australians managed just one try from flanker George Smith, while the boot of flyhalf Elton Flatley and an uncharacteristic drop goal by captain and halfback George Gregan made the remainder.
Ireland's explosive center Brian O'Driscoll produced his best game of the tournament, claiming a try and drop goal, while flyhalf Ronan O'Gara kicked eight points.
PHOTO: AFP
"Obviously we didn't play the way we wanted to, but that was a lot to do with the way the Irish performed," said Gregan.
PHOTO: AFP
"They put us under a lot of pressure and had most of the field position in the whole game. There's lots of areas to improve but we hung in their and won a tight match which is always a good thing to do."
Mat Rogers and Shane Horgan were both sent to the sinbin, punches were thrown and Smith had his hair yanked as what was expected to be a gentle warmup to the quarterfinals became a full blooded thriller.
The game opened at a frenetic pace that was to last the full 80 minutes.
Australia opened the scoring in the 10th minute courtesy of Gregan's drop goal from 20m and Smith followed with a try three minutes later to make the score 8-0, after chiming into the backline to score on an overlap.
But O'Gara, who replaced Irish top point scorer David Humphreys for the match, kept the Irish in touch with a simple penalty goal in the 16th minute to narrow the gap to 8-3.
In the enclosed arena of the roofed Docklands Stadium, play was unaffected by both rain and wind. But the kickers still had a difficult night, with Flatley missing three kicks at goal and O'Gara bombing three place kicks and a drop goal.
Ireland narrowed the halftime deficit to five points when O'Gara earned a straightfoward penalty goal after a period of sustained pressure in the Australian quarter.
Both teams were reduced to 14 men in the 40th minute after Australian fullback Rogers was found to have made a professional foul within his own 10 meters, while Ireland winger Horgan was penalized for applying his boot to Rogers' head in the ruck.
Flatley moved the scores to 14-6 in the 45th, but Ireland reeled the deficit back to 14-13 after O'Driscoll beat winger Wendell Sailor to storm over for a try in the corner that O'Gara easily converted.
Another Australia penalty goal minutes later pushed its lead back to four points.
But the Wallabies were forced into desperate defense as Ireland maintained a sustained attack. It was rewarded in the 68th minute when O'Driscoll made a drop goal that again narrowed the gap to one point. Replacement flyhalf Humphreys attempted a field of his own in the 76th minute, which sailed just wide of the posts.
Played in the southern city of Melbourne, which is not a traditional rugby center, the crowd of 54,206 was split reasonably evenly between Australian and Irish fans. And while the green clad Irish fans spurred their team on with their rendition of "the Fields of Athenry," the Australians were happy to reply with strains of "Waltzing Matilda."
Both teams earned a standing ovation from the crowd as they made their way from the field.
Scotland 22, Fiji 20
Prop Tom Smith scored the winning try three minutes from the end as Scotland came from behind to beat Fiji 22-20 on Saturday and reach the quarterfinal of the Rugby World Cup for the fifth time.
In a seesawing second half, Nicky Little had kicked the Fijians back in front at 20-15 with five minutes to go. But Fiji then had lock forward Api Naevo sent to the sinbin and its tiring back was pushed back over its line for Smith to drop on the ball.
Scotland's first try in 158 minutes of rugby tied the score and Chris Paterson's conversion clinched a Scottish victory. It meant that Ian McGeechan's side maintained its record of always reaching the quarterfinal despite its 51-9 loss to France a week ago.
"It was very close but we dug deep," said Scottish captain Bryan Redpath.
"We only scored one try and it was a credit to the Fiji team. We knew what to expect. They were exceptional. They got the ball quickly to the danger men but we held possession longer and we came out on top."
While the Scots celebrated, it was a heartbreaking end for the Fijians who haven't made the quarterfinal since the first World Cup in 1987.
The Pacific Island team appeared on its way after two sensational tries by winger Rupeni ``Caucau'' Caucaunibuca, returning after a two-game suspension had given it a 14-6 half time lead.
Caucau was a threaten whenever he touched the ball but was hampered by injuries in the second half.
"Yes, we are very much disappointed," said Fiji captain Alifereti Doviverata. "But the ball just bounced [Scotland's] way."
Chris Paterson, who had scored 43 points going into the game, started as flyhalf instead of on the wing. With a strong breeze blowing across the field, his first kick after four minutes struck the post and Fijian flyhalf Nicky Little also missed a penalty for the first time in the championship a minute later.
But a sparking move brought the first try with Caucau getting his second of the championship.
The move twice went through Little's hands and, although there was a suspicion of the final pass being forward, Caucau went on a brilliant, Jonah Lomu-style burst down the left to charge through three tacklers and touch down despite Logan's brave attempt to stop him. Little converted.
The Fijians almost scored a second try in the 16th minute when the other winger, Aisea Tuilevu, made an interception and ran 50m. But he was tackled by Scottish fullback Glenn Metcalfe and was unable to ground the ball properly.
Caucau was robbed of a second try by a cruel bounce when Little lofted a drop goal attempt which went wide. The winger, once clocked at 10.9 seconds for the 100 meters, chased after it only for the bounce to go the wrong way and Cameron Mather was able to rob him of the loose ball.
The Scots recovered from that spell of Fijian pressure and, thanks to some poor defensive play by the Pacific islanders, Paterson kicked penalties in the 27th and 30th minutes to cut the lead to one point. The Scots almost scored their first try in the 32nd minute when Paterson opened up the Fijian defense with a weaving run. The ball came out from the second phase and was played swiftly across the line but Andrew Henderson dropped the ball as he was about to dive over.
It was the prelude to another spectacular Caucau try.
The Fijians decided to run the ball from just outside their own 22 and the powerfully built winger received the ball out left from Alisereti Doviverata.
He soon reached full speed to swerve past James McClaren -- on the field for the injured Simon Danielli -- and then burst past Metcalfe as if the fullback were standing still to run 70m for the try. Little converted and the Fijians led by eight points with half time looming.
Paterson kicked his third penalty four minutes into the second half followed by another in front of the posts and, with just two points in it and 23 minutes to go, the game was drifting towards the Scots with the Fijian pack starting to look very tired.
They were caught out again and Paterson kicked his fifth penalty to put the Scots ahead for the first time at 15-14 with 18 minutes left.
When Caucau caught his own high kick, the Scots were penalized for an infringement in the resulting ruck and Little sent the 40m kick between the posts to give the Fijians a 17-15 advantage.
Second row Ifereimi Rawaqa almost got to the Scottish line before the Fijians were handed three more points by a Scottish blunder.
Prop Bruce Douglas was several meters offside when he picked up the ball ahead of his own player and Little kicked the 25-meter penalty to stretch the lead to five points with five minutes remaining.
But the Fijians were reduced to 14 men for the final four minutes when lock forward Naevo was sent to the sinbin for an illegal challenge in a ruck.
And the Scottish pack powered the Fijians over the line for Tom Smith to drop on the ball for the matchwinning score, Scotland's first try since the 39-15 victory over the US 12 days ago.
South Africa 60, Samoa 10
South Africa took advantage of numerous Samoan handling errors Saturday to score two early tries on its way to an eight-try 60-10 victory and a quarterfinal berth at the Rugby World Cup.
Derick Hougaard, the 20-year-old South African flyhalf playing in only his fourth test, had a personal total of 23 points, including a try.
Joost van der Westhuizen got South Africa off to the best possible start, taking a scrum feed from 40m and passing off to Joe van Niekerk, who ran virtually untouched for a try in the second minute.
Hougaard made the easy conversion from just off center of the goalposts. Two minutes later, Samoa got on the board on a 25m penalty from Earl Va'a.
Hougaard restored the seven-point lead with dropped goal from 35m in the ninth minute before Jorrie Muller put South Africa further in the lead with a try in the 12th minute. Samoa made a number of key ball handling errors in the first 10 minutes that helped South Africa maintain 70 percent of the possession.
Several passes went astray, including a between-the-legs pass that brought boos from among the capacity crowd of 48,496 at Suncorp Stadium.
Jonathan Meredith had Samoa's best chance for a try in the 15th minute, but dropped the ball after racing downfield off a Samoan lineout.
Hougaard scored South Africa's third try in the 26th minute when he kicked the ball ahead and survived a decision by the video referee, then converted his own try. Trying to add to his total, Hougaard missed two other dropped goals in the first half from about 30m. Hougaard was belted by Samoa's Brian Lima with about 15 minutes left in the match, leaving the 20-year-old dazed on the field for several minutes. But Hougaard rejoined the play with a slight smile, realizing the hit will be featured in highlight packages for years to come.
Ashwin Willamse scored South Africa's fifth try -- putting an end to any Samoan comeback attempts -- with a length-of-the-field try that came when he picked up a loose ball against the run of play. Replacement Jaque Fourie, van der Westhuizen and reserve Neil de Kock scored the last three South African tries.
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