Bayonne 6-42 Ireland:Ireland may well have lined out in blue this evening but there was nothing downbeat about their penultimate warm-up match before the World Cup as Eddie O'Sullivan's men were comfortable winners over physical French side Bayonne in a match which skipper Brian O'Driscoll and Denis Leamy were both forced off.

O'Sullivan took the opportunity to field his strongest available XV with players such as Peter Stringer playing their first game in four-and-a-half months. In fact, barring Shane Horgan, who is recovering from a grade-two medial-ligament tear, O'Sullivan put his first choice backline on display.

The visitors were quickly out of the blocks with Ronan O'Gara  landing a first-minute penalty from between the posts 25-metres out.
  
That set the wheels in motion for Paul O'Connell to gather from a lineout and be driven over in the corner. In the build-up Gordon D'Arcy broke the Bayonne line to set up the prominent attacking position.

Moments later a clever crossfield kick allowed Denis Hickie to gather on the 10-metre line before he evaded two tackles to get in for Ireland's second try. O'Gara's conversion gave Ireland a 15-0 lead.

Numbers on the pitch were reduced before the half hour mark when Bayonne lock Mikaera Tewhata was sin-binned, only to be followed by Irish flanker Neil Best.

Bayonne scored two penalties in quick succession from the boot of Richard Dourthe before Denis Leamy was forced off with a suspected shoulder injury and replaced by his Munster team-mate Alan Quinlan.

Quinlan got straight into the action and an accurate pass to Andrew Trimble meant a third Irish try in injury time - but a missed O'Gara conversion - ensured a 20-6 lead at the break.

It was a case of as you were after the interval as Ireland scored two tries in the space of six minutes with Hickie scoring after two minutes of the restart before O'Connell also added to his tally. The latter was surely the best move of the match with prop Marcus Horan leading the drive before offloading to O'Connell with O'Gara converting with the boot.

In a tough physical encounter O'Driscoll was sidelined on the hour mark when he took a punch to the face.

Minutes later O'Gara seized his second penalty of the night before the icing on the cake came with Hickie's third try which O'Gara duly converted for the comfortable 42-6 win.

Ireland wore blue tonight instead of the traditional green jerseys as the match was not recognised as full international match. However, of greater interest to the coach and players will be the extent of Leamy and O'Driscoll's injuries.