Ireland book World Cup slot with lacklustre win

Ireland 63 Georgia 14

In the wake of Saturday's unconvincing win, Ireland's players and management put on a united front to insist they are moving in the right direction.

The result meant the coach Eddie O'Sullivan's side has secured World Cup qualification for next year's finals in Australia but, following an unimpressive win in Russia seven days earlier, O'Sullivan is under pressure to make improvements in time for November's matches against Australia, Fiji and Argentina.

Anthony Foley, who captained Ireland in the absence of the injured Keith Wood, said: "We're very happy with the way we're going this season. We've had an unbeaten start, we're pleased to be going to Australia next year which was the big bonus from these two games and we're a pretty happy camp right now."

Foley accepted, however, that the performance against Georgia did present some cause for concern. "We were very good in the first half but we just didn't get into our normal patterns in the second half, which is a bit of a worry. But we finished strongly and we're pretty happy with that."

Ireland: Tries Hickie, Maggs, O'Driscoll (2), Dempsey, S Easterby, Quinlan, G Easterby. Conversions O'Gara (5), Humphreys (2). Penalties O'Gara (3). Georgia: Tries Katsaze, Khamashuridze. Conversions Urjukashvili (2).

Ireland: Dempsey; Kelly, B O'Driscoll, Maggs, Hickie; O'Gara, Stringer; Corrigan, Wood, Hayes, Longwell, O'Kelly, S Easterby, Gleeson, Foley. Replacements: S Byrne, P Wallace, Cullen, A Quinlan, G Easterby, Humphreys, Henderson.

Georgia: Khamashuridze; Urjukashvili, Zibzibadze, Alania, Khekhelashvili; Jimsheladze, Abusseridze; Shvelidzel, Guiorgadze, L Tsabadze, Nadiradze, Didebulidze, Bolghashvili, Chkhaidze, Zedgui Nidza. Replacements: Mtiulishvile, Ratianidze, Mtchedlishvili, Quandishvili, Iovadze, Katsadze, Barkalaia.

Referee: N Williams (Wales).