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/ 21 September 2007
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Hosts France kept their nerve and their hopes alive of landing their first World Cup title in Paris on Friday as they beat Ireland 25-3 in their crunch group-D clash at the Stade de France. Two second-half tries by winger Vincent Clerc and 15 points from man-of-the-match Jean-Baptiste Elissalde were enough to see the Irish off.
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/ 9 September 2007
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Brian O’Driscoll scored a try four minutes into his return from injury on Sunday but it proved to be a rare highlight for Ireland as they opened their World Cup campaign with a scrappy 32-17 victory over Namibia. O’Driscoll scored the first of his team’s five tries that earned his team a bonus point to leapfrog Argentina.