'I feel sorry for Portugal' - O'Connell empathises despite record-breaking Ireland rout

Ireland interim boss Paul O'Connell said he felt "sorry" for Portugal, who were on the receiving end of a record-breaking 106-7 rout on Saturday.

With several players away on British and Irish Lions duty, Hugh Gavin, Shayne Bolton and Tommy O’Brien all scored a brace of tries as Ireland ran riot at Estadio Nacional do Jamor.

The Irish registered their biggest ever Test win - surpassing their 83-3 victory over USA in June 2000 - while setting new records for points scored (106), tries scored (16) and conversions (12).

O'Connell - overseeing the team's fortunes in Andy Farrell's absence - was pleased with the ruthless nature of his side's performance, though also empathised with their opponents.

Ireland Men’s team’s biggest ever win at Test level – with records falling for points scored (106), winning margin (99), and also tries (16) and conversions (12) scored.#TeamOfUs #WeAreIreland
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) July 12, 2025

"I feel sorry for Portugal, but we were very clinical and took our chances," he told Virgin Sports. "It is a unique summer tour given the Lions tour is on at the same time, but I am very happy with how our squad applied themselves.

"It is great to get some guys capped and scoring tries and training in an international environment."

"Our major takeaway from today is our mentality," skipper Craig Casey added. "We were very professional and played our game to get the result.

"It's a shame the stadium wasn't full, but seeing the amount of Irish fans here was special to get the result for them."