Maori All Blacks 24-30 Ireland: Tourists' midweek side earn Wellington win

Jordan Larmour crossed for two of Ireland's four tries in Wellington

Ireland's midweek team avenged their defeat by the Maori All Blacks a fortnight ago with an impressive win.

Shaun Stevenson's try put the Maoris ahead but Keith Earls' quick lineout set up a reply by Jordan Larmour.

Ciaran Frawley kicked five more points then Nick Timoney's converted try gave the tourists a 17-5 half-time lead.

A penalty try and superb Ruben Love score cut Ireland's lead to 25-17 but Larmour's second touchdown sealed the victory before Brad Weber's late score.

Ireland's deserved victory in wet conditions in Wellington should further boost morale after the superb second-Test win against the All Blacks which set up this weekend's series decider.

Despite a slippery ball that led to numerous handling errors, the teams served up an entertaining contest which was punctuated by yellow cards for try-scorers Larmour and Stevenson as well as Ireland back row Cian Prendergast and Maori prop Ollie Norris.

The Irish made a sloppy start as they knocked on then conceded a free kick and a penalty in the opening two minutes and the Maoris punished their errors as Stevenson ran past an outnumbered Michael Lowry to touch down in the left corner.

Shaun Stevenson scored the Maori All Blacks early try and remained their main attacking threat throughout the game

However, the tourists were in front by the eighth minute as first-time captain Earls caught the home side napping with a quick lineout that allowed Larmour to run in unopposed, with the excellent Frawley adding the extras.

Frawley punished Kurt Eklund's breakdown transgression with another three points in the 26th minute and both sides then went down to 14 men as a result of yellow cards for Prendergast and Norris.

Timoney capitalised on a period of intense Irish pressure by stretching to score.

More brilliant breakdown work by Timoney yielded three further Irish points following the restart to put them 20-5 ahead but the Maoris hit back immediately when they were awarded a penalty try after Larmour tackled Connor Garden-Bachop when he was about to receive a try-scoring pass.

Larmour's yellow card saw the visitors reduced to 14 gain but they ran down the clock in clever fashion during his absence, helped by a series of scrums, before the superb Gavin Coombes notched their third try with a typical close-range finish.

Love's sensational own break from his own 22 set up his own 70th-minute try as he also superbly exchanged passes with Cullen Grace.

However with Stevenson then harshly yellow carded after being adjudged of a deliberate knock on, Larmour ran in his second try in the right corner to seal Ireland's win.

Maori All Blacks replacement Weber had the final scoring say in added time.

Maori All Blacks: Moorby, Stevenson, Sullivan, Nankivell, Garden-Bachop, Ioane, Perenara (captain); Norris, Eklund, Lomax; Selby-Rickit, Walker-Leawere; Prinsep, Harmon, Grace.

Replacements: Apisai, Williams, Renata, Howden, Delany, Weber, Love, Proctor.

Ireland: Lowry; Larmour, Earls (capt), McCloskey, O'Brien; Frawley, Casey; Loughman, Scannell, O'Toole, McCarthy, Treadwell; Prendergast, Timoney, Coombes.

Replacements: Herring, Byrne, Bent, Baird, Conan, Murray, Carbery, Hansen.

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