Ireland takes over Auckland

Ecstatic revellers have painted the town green after Ireland toppled Australia in a major World Cup upset.

Irish pubs reported strong crowds and plenty of partying into the early hours after the 15-6 surprise win.

Guinness also proved to be one of the most talked about topics on Twitter on Saturday night, making its way onto the Trends list.

The Clare Inn Irish Pub on Dominion Rd was overrun with green as fans poured in from nearby Eden Park.

Pub chef Campbell Sprague said the Guinness was flowing in what was one of their biggest nights of the year.

''It was just a great atmosphere, the fans were all chanting.''

Despite the numbers packed in the pub, he said the crowd was well-behaved.

Fans dressed as leprechauns or in green leotards flowed in to Father Ted's Original  Irish Pub in central Auckland.

Night manager and Irishman Mike Fitz said people were queuing up to celebrate the win.

The punters were also returning Sunday morning for a fry-up and beer.

Fitz said he was thrilled with his country's win.

''I'm absolutely over the moon.''

Some of happy Irish fans could still be seen celebrating in parts of Auckland on Sunday about 8am.

The Irish were not the only ones celebrating on Sunday, however.

Auckland Transport bosses breathed a sigh of relief after trains delivered for the packed out match between Ireland and Australia at Eden Park. 

Police also praised fan behaviour at the game.

Three people were arrested and 12 people were evicted from the stadium.

A 61-year-old man was the only one to be admitted to hospital during the game after suffering a heart attack at Eden Park just after half-time. 

Police also reported no major incidents related to fan behaviour overnight and Maritime police said no despondent Australian fans had leaped into Waitemata Harbour.

Transport figures showed 22,300 people used public transport to get to Eden Park. Of them, 10,930 travelled by special event bus and 11,370 went by train and 5997 walked.

It was a welcome relief following Rugby World Cup opening night chaos where trains were delayed and buses and ferries equally struggled to cope with crowds of 200,000.

Auckland Council chief press secretary Glyn Jones said Saturday night was a different story, with trains running on time.

The only issue was over-crowding in Kingsland, near Eden Park.

The same number of people used the train to go to the game as the previous Friday.

However, far fewer people used the train to get into the city centre.

Before the match, Irishmen and women were filling bars at the Viaduct and inside Shed 10 on Queens Wharf buzzing with green and gold-clad fans. 

Wellingtonian Barry Murphy and his friends had been following their favourite team, travelling to Taranaki to watch the match against the US earlier in the week before heading to last night's game at Eden Park. 

Fans were in good spirits despite showers throughout the evening. Murphy said the rain, combined with that in Wellington and Taranaki and Auckland was enough to make Irish supporters feel at home.

Quay St was blocked off for pedestrians and police were out in force down town. Pre-match, the crowds at Queens Wharf were up to 6000 but levelled off as fans headed to the game.

The bars at Shed 10 were buzzing earlier in the evening and several thousand gathered at The Cloud, some even with sleeping bags