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BAYONNE, France - Ireland suffered a battering at the hands of French first division club Bayonne in a World Cup warmup rugby match today, with five yellow cards shown and Irish captain Brian O'Driscoll forced from the field after being punched in the face.
In a fraught encounter played in front of a capacity crowd of almost 15,000 at Bayonne's Jean-Dauger Stadium, Ireland won 42-6 thanks to six tries, including a Dennis Hickie hat-trick and a brace from Paul O'Connell.
Andrew Trimble also crossed for a try while Ronan O'Gara contributed 12 points with the boot.
Bayonne's only points came from a first-half penalty and dropped goal from former France international centre Richard Dourthe.
O'Driscoll left the pitch in the 62nd minute after receiving a punch to the face during a general free-for-all.
- AFP
