IT WAS QUICKLY dubbed “the greatest try that Ireland never scored” as Simon Zebo came within a hair’s breadth of scoring with this phenomenal team effort.

Early penalties left Ireland and Romania level at 3-3 when Keith Earls collected the ball in midfield and spun away from the tackle of Adrian Apostol.

As Earls wriggled free he had the presence of mind to find Richardt Strauss on his shoulder, and without breaking stride, the hooker did brilliantly to reach out and snaffle a ball that was slightly high and slightly behind him.

His pass set Zebo free and with brilliant ingenuity, he was able to kick his way out of a tight squeeze, racing down the line to gather before touching down in the corner.

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The grounding was good and it seemed that Ireland had scored one of the great World Cup tries.

But as the TMO reviewed the moment when Zebo gathered possession, the replay showed that his foot was in touch — just.

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We’re going to keep watching this anyway. It’s class.

‘You dream about it as a young lad’ – Keith Earls thrilled after ‘phenomenal’ day

Here’s how we rated Ireland in their rumble with Romania