Ireland v Australia reactionIreland's Under-21 team's odyssey is not finished yet. Last night's stunning World Cup semi-final victory, 26-13, over Australia is not a cul de sac for this team's ambition. Coach Mark McDermott smiled as he considered one of the great nights in Irish rugby and tried to articulate just how his team had negotiated a passage to Sunday's final against defending champions New Zealand.

"It was a challenge to get through the pool, a challenge to reach the semi-finals and another one awaits in the final when we'll try to dethrone the defending champions. It's a fantastic achievement to reach this stage, do something that no other Irish team has managed at this level but we don't want to stop now.

"I'll take two memories from this match tonight, the first is when we showed the confidence in the first half (despite atrocious conditions) to go wide and skin the Aussies. It was a cracking try. The second is that this team really believed that they could win this match.

"Each and every player had the will to win, the belief and the focus, and they delivered on that and for that they deserve enormous credit.

"We'll approach Sunday's game in the same way. It's 95 per cent about the back-up staff now, in gathering and dissecting the analysis and coming up with a gameplan.

I think one of the keys to the success so far is that we have kept the players mentally fresh and that's helped their physical well being.

"Sure, there are bumps and bruises and they'll be put in cotton wool from tonight."

Ireland team manager Davy Haslett was effusive in his praise for the team: "It was a stunning performance from an Irish team playing quality rugby against quality opposition.

"It's about the players' ability to execute a gameplan and they did that. New Zealand have played exceptional rugby in this tournament but Sunday is a cup final. Anyone who'd write off Ireland would do so at their peril."

They've already proved that in spades.

Haslett continued: "This shows we're going down the right road and to achieve something like this will certainly live long in the memory for all those involved.

"We don't want this to be the end, though. There is still one more match to be played and we want that victory as much as we wanted any in the competition.

"The players won't be overawed and they'll want to finish this tournament in the same manner that they have dealt with everything so far to date."