IRELAND AND AUSTRALIA started at a frightening pace with two tries apiece in the opening 22 minutes.
Simon Zebo and Tommy Bowe ran in two tries in the space of three minutes to get Joe Schmidt’s side off to a dream 17-0 start.
But Australia hit back almost immediately when scrum-half Nick Phipps touched down on 17 minutes.
The visitors then got the benefit of the doubt from referee Glen Jackson and the television match official when they ruled that there was no forward pass in the build-up to Bernard Foley’s try and that the out-half had grounded it properly.
Breaking down the move on RTÉ at half time, Conor O’Shea said that the aerial view showed that the decision to award the try was correct.
Update: Phipps has run in another Australian try and from 17-0 down, it’s now all tied up at 17-17 after half an hour.
