A very good afternoon to you, Rugby World Cup fans and welcome to our first liveblog of the tournament for Ireland’s opening Pool D Test against Canada.

We’ve still got one eye on Tonga v Georgia at the minute (Georgia lead 17 -3 with 14 on the clock), but while you’re shovelling in some pre-match fuel, be sure to let us know your thoughts on the game. Comment below, join us on Facebook or tweet us @Rugby_ie.

Here are some of the scenes from central Cardiff.

Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO

Wish we were there.

Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO

The42‘s own Murray Kinsella has already been down pitchside in the Millennium Stadium.

She’s lookin’ fierce well.

Here’s a reminder of the starting line-ups. You probably already know all about Canuck captain Jamie Cudmore, Paul O’Connell’s old sparring partner, but also watch out for their excellent wings Jeff Hassler and DTH van der Merwe.

Ireland

15. Rob Kearney
14. Dave Kearney
13. Jared Payne
12. Luke Fitzgerald
11. Keith Earls
10. Johnny Sexton
9. Conor Murray

1. Jack McGrath
2. Rory Best
3. Mike Ross
4. Iain Henderson
5. Paul O’Connell (captain)
6. Peter O’Mahony
7. Sean O’Brien
8. Jamie Heaslip

Replacements:

16. Sean Cronin
17. Cian Healy
18. Nathan White
19. Donnacha Ryan
20. Chris Henry
21. Eoin Reddan
22. Ian Madigan
23. Simon Zebo

Canada

15. Matt Evans
14. Jeff Hassler
13. Ciaran Hearn
12. Nick Blevins
11. DTH van der Merwe
10. Nathan hirayama
9. Gordon McRorie

1. Hubert Buydens
2. Ray Barkwill
3. Doug Woolridge
4. Brett Beukeboom
5. Jamie Cudmore (captain)
6. Kyle Gilmour
7. John Moonlight
8. Aaron Carpenter

Replacements:

16. Benoir Piffero
17. Djustice Sears-Duru
18. Andrew Tiedermann
19. Jebb Sinclair
20. Richard Thorpe
21. Phil Mack
22. Liam Underwood
23. Conor Trainor

Still looking for some excellent big match build-up? Voila, as they say in Canadia…

• Here’s a comprehensive analysis of where Ireland’s tries come from.
• A big interview with Jonathan Sexton where he promises that Ireland’s attack have more in store than they showed this summer
• And here’s Peter Stringer’s column before the big tournament kicks off for Ireland

Ireland’s Call and Oh Canada have been belted out, Cue some fireworks and a quick ad break and then the long wait for Ireland’s Rugby World Cup campaign will be over.

We’re pumped. Are you?

Before kick-off comes, here’s the prediction. First half won’t be easy, but Ireland will pull clear and have 40 points to spare at full-time.

We’re underway. Sexton switches the restart direction, looking for Dave Kearney, but DTH rises highest and Canada can clear.

Wow. Hirayama and Evans showing real ambition with attack in midfield. They go wide early, but Sexton gets a good hit in and forces a knock-on.

Ah, brilliant early scrum from Ireland’s front row and Conor Murray snipes down the blindside.

Ireland go wide after going over the gainline, nice long skip pass from Payne.

4 mins: A really good set of phases for Ireland until they run out of go-forward ball and chip in behind the back three after a move to the left breaks down when Earls’ reverse pass just misses Rob Kearney.

Hirayama has had a brilliant opening five minutes, ambition with his passing and also shows good footwork to get through tackles when he’s attacking the line.

7 mins: Ireland just guilty of forcing the issue off the line-out there. O’Connell with a clean take and Sexton attempts to hit Dave Kearney with a long pass from left to right, but it hits the deck and skips out of play.

9 mins: Jamie Heaslip done for not rolling away and Canada will have a shot from the halfway line. McRorie takes aim from 50 metres plus and it trails right and wide of the uprights.

Flawless exit from Ireland after carrying the ball back into the 22. Murray’s box kick was claimed thanks to Henerson’s athleticism, O’Brien battered over the gainline and Sexton delivered a beautiful spiral kick that drilled all the way to the Canuck 22.

12 mins: An Irish scrum resulted off that line-out and Murray almost caught Canada out by picking Luke Fitz as his strike runner on a brilliant reverse line.

Advantage in the offing after six phases when Sexton attempts a speculative cross-kick.. Penalty is central. Sexton will nudge Ireland in to the lead here.

PENALTY! Ireland 3 Canada 0 (Sexton ’13)

We were engaged in a bit of aerial bombardment there, with some really good chasing on display from Ireland, but nothing major gained.

Ireland then decide to quick-tap a free kick and go wide. Very promising signs from Schmidt’s side.

YELLOW CARD: Jamie Cudmore takes a walk to the sin-bin after Paul O’Connell appeared to have touched down on the line.

TRY! Ireland 8 Canada 0 (O’Brien ’17)

Ireland don’t want to waste time with any TMOs – we’ve seen enough of them in this tournament already – they go straight for the line-out and the maul crushes the red resistance with O’Brien holding the ball at the rear while Mike Ross leads the charge.

Sexton nails the difficult conversion from the left touchline.

Ireland 10 Canada 0

Ireland are absolutely flying at the minute. Brimming with attacking intent. Most passes are sticking and everyone looks on the same page.

We’re watching the clock tick for a spot of scrummaging in midfield after Sexton was hit hard by Blevins, but the centre knocked on.

Wow. Ireland show serious aggression again off that solid scrum, flying left through the hands where Earls bumps a tackler off and Canada are struggling to contain Paul O’Connell when he attempts to go over the try-line.

The big man’s got a taste for scoring.

TRY! Ireland 15 Canada 0 (Henderson ‘ 24)

The Big Ulsterman is capable of getting nice and low and he does so to devastating effect.

Ireland knocked at the door once or twice after the scrum, but with Henderson and Best on the drive, there’s no stopping us.

Sexton lands the conversion from left of the posts.

Ireland 17 Canada 0

TRY! Ireland 22 Canada 0 (Sexton ’27)

That’s the Jonathan Sexton we all know. A barnstorming run from the out-half through a gap outside the 22 off a reverse pass from O’Brien and the Leinster man pinned his ears back and shot at the try-line.

A quick check with the TMO makes Glen Jackson look a little foolish and we can celebrate.

The only blot on Sexton’s copybook, a missed conversion.

Canada enjoying a few phases in attack after Cudmore returns from the bin (it was 19 – 0 in his absence) and they venture in to Ireland’s half, but it breaks down and there’s a scramble for the ball.

Sexton now willing to take chances on exit strategy, kicking off his own goal-line across field to Kearney, the fullback’s kick is blocked in to touch though.

TRY! Ireland 27 Canada 0 (D Kearney)

BONUS POINT!

Ireland are really carving up these Canucks now. Another loop with Sexton (this time from Peter O’Mahony) and the 10 sets Fitzerald away before he in turn passes to Dave Kearney.

He checks inside, leaving the red jerseys for dead on his way over the try-line.

Ireland 29 Canada 0

The green wall forced to do a bit of defending late in this first half as Canada desperately seek a score.

TRY? Ireland 29 Canada 5 (DTH VDM)

We’re with the TMO to check if Luke Fitz forced a knock-on from Hirayama before DTH collected the ball.

No! The try is ruled out by the TMO.

HALF-TIME: Ireland 29 Canada 0

Ireland keep the sheet clean thanks to a good shoot out of the line from Luke Fitzgerald and dogged defence from the pack on the right flank where Canada were piling the big men in.

And we are back under way in Cardiff. What do you want to see from Ireland in this second half?

SIN-BIN! Paul O’Connell gets a hand on a Canadian pass and Glen Jackson calls him offside. Looks like there was no ruck formed between the time he cross the back foot line though.

Canada go first to the POC-less pack and then Hirayama attempts a cross-field kick to Conor Trainor, but with Rob Kearney underneath the ball, Trainor can only palm out of touch.

Iain Henderson isn’t about to take his foot off the gas. He’s collecting offloads and practically daring lads to come tackle him. If they’re shaping up well, he’ll hand them off and spin away to offload. If they’re not, he’ll mow over them.

Ireland’s maul functioning nicely even without the big man. Sexton kick across field after the pack make 10 metres, but Dave Kearney’s hand just can’t wrap around the ball and Canada come through.

Sexton has the pipe and slippers out now. His kicking from hand is absolutely brilliant, another nice dink in behind the red jerseys and on to the 5 metre line.

Paulie’s back on the field too.

Ireland come up with another fluid attack and Luke Fitzgerald looks hungry for a try, stepping through contact. The move ends with Rory Best being bundled in to touch.

That’ll do, Johnny Sexton. That’ll do. Ian Madigan replaces the man of the match.

Ooof! Jamie Heaslip not held in the tackle and he breaks clear. Delays to pick a nice pass to Peter O’Mahony and he keeps two tacklers busy before finding Madigan.

The replacement fluffs his opening lines though, over-hitting the cross-field kick to Earls.

There is a Mexican Wave sweeping around the Millennium Stadium. We could do with a score to kill this nonsense.

CIAN HEALY IS BACK!

The prop’s first appearance since April 24 and it comes as part of an all new front row. So he joins Sean Cronin and Nathan White packing down for a scrum straight away.

There’s another try chalked off the board from Canada. Hirayama grubbered through on a nice angle, but the wing is clearly ahead of the kicker.

Cian Healy shipped a big blow to Cudmore in the lead-up to that. Now he’s back.

Chris Henry is in the game now for Paul O’Connell.

Ireland manage to escape their 22 thanks to a penalty for holding on 5 metres out.

Conor Murray called ashore too, so the only other scrum-half in the squad is on for the last 15 minutes. Can he help Ireland get a score in this half?

TRY! Ireland 36 Canada 0 (Sean Cronin ’65)

Reddan does help Ireland score, he whips the ball to Madigan and the utility back does well to pick out Payne on a lovely line. The Ulsterman powers very close to the try-line, but it takes the next phase for Sean Cronin to barrel under the posts.

TRY! Ireland 36 Canada 7 (DTH VDM)

Canada break Ireland’s monopoly on the scoreboard as Jared Payne attempts to chip the ball through, rather than beyond the new Scarlets winger.

DTH holds on to the ball and cruises in over the try-line.

TRY! Ireland 43 Canada 7 (R Kearney)

Excellent coast to coast try from Ireland. Turnover is won inside the 22 on the right flank and Ireland quickly go left, Rob Kearney wasting no time in giving the pill to Keith Earls in acres.

Openside John Moonlight does well to keep pace with the Munster man, but Earls shows brilliant composure to get a pass back inside away under pressure. The ball finds Kearney and he goes in under the posts.

TRY! Ireland 50 Canada 7 (Payne)

Payne makes amends for his error, keeping pace with Ian Madigan after he finds a weak link in the Canadian defence and the utility back times his pass to the centre well.

Ireland piling on pressure on the Canuck line again with the clock gone red and it’s……. GOOD!

No, wait. The TMO has denied Cian Healy a comeback try because of a knock-on. We’ll save the arguments for another day.

FULL-TIME: Ireland 50 Canada 7 

Thanks for stopping in and watching a pretty impressive Ireland performance overall. The Rugby World Cup is off to a good start, the expected five points are in the bag, but we also appear to have come through with no injuries and crucially, Cian Healy back on the field.

Stay with us for all the reaction from Cardiff and much more.