Murray Kinsella
Reports from Allianz Stadium, Sydney
IRELAND HEAD COACH Andy Farrell hailed the character of his team after they battled to a 33-31 win over Australia in an enthralling Nations Championship clash.
The tit-for-tat encounter was wildly entertaining and Irish fans feared it had slipped away from them when Australia’s Ben Donaldson took a last-gasp shot at goal to win it for his team.
But Donaldson’s attempt was wide of the posts, meaning that Thomas Clarkson’s 76th minute try and Sam Prendergast’s nerveless conversion sent Ireland to their bonus-point victory.
Yet Hugo Keenan’s try-saving tackle on Joseph Suaalii in the first half will probably remain most prominent in the memory as the key moment.
“That was a hell of a Test match,” said Farrell at the Allianz Stadium. “It certainly would have been for the neutral, I would have thought.
“But, you know, the first thing that comes to mind for me is how proud I am of how the lads showed character in the second half.
“There are some special moments within the game that deserve a hard-fought win like that, i.e. Hugo’s try-saving tackle and Sam with the calmness to get the conversion when he did.
“I suppose it’s a good one for us because there’s plenty to fix and we need to fix it properly for what’s coming ahead, including next week [against Japan].
“So it’s a good place to be fixing stuff and earning a hard-fought win at the same time.”
Soon after Keenan’s try-saving effort on Suaalii, Ireland scored a try from deep inside their own half.
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Hugo Keenan leaves the pitch in Sydney. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
They had a scrum just outside their own 22 and despite a tough first half, Ireland went all out for a score before the break. There was no thought of taking half time with a 12-point deficit.
Jamison Gibson-Park finished a cracking try.
“Well, because they believe in themselves that if everyone’s involved and we’ve got all 15 involved in our attack, then we can make things happen,” said Farrell of how important that score was.
“I mean, the last thing we wanted to do is kick the ball away because we want to give ourselves a chance to do what we know we can do.
“So that was the most pleasing thing about it – the ambition to do what they know they’re good at.”
And Farrell was delighted with how Ireland put that score together, even as he pointed out again there is much to improve in the overall performance.
“I mean, it was a hell of a try,” said Farrell. “And that’s what we pride ourselves on.
“Everyone being involved, everyone being an option, everyone working hard to make sure that we’re able to make things work as a group. And we certainly was on that occasion. So it was a nice reference of what to do.
“There’s a couple of what not to do as well – with our carries and stuff like that in the first half. I thought they won some key moments collision-wise and slowed our ball down, so there was plenty to fix.
“But again, the positive is coming away with a big W and fixing on the run. The tour is underway now.”
That last-gasp chance for Donaldson left Irish hearts in mouths.
Jimmy O'Brien. Garry Ringrose, and Stuart McCloskey. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
And Farrell admitted he thought the Western Force out-half would land the kick, which came after he had missed an earlier penalty from wide on the right.
“Honestly, I thought he’d get it because the one that he had before, when you have an opportunity and it doesn’t quite go right the first time, you know what to fix or whatever,” said Farrell.
“But having said that, it was a long way out. Tough, tough old kick. But he’s a class operator. I suppose you would love that option, of a player like that with so much experience to come off the bench and have the opportunity.
“But it’s a tough old kick like, you know. It’s a shot to the dark, really. Fine margins, isn’t it? That’s top-level Test match rugby. That’s how it should be.”
Ireland struggled to get to grips with the Wallabies attack at times, particularly in the first half.
Joe Schmidt’s side scored fives tries, matching Ireland in that regard, as well as creating 11 linebreaks.
“No, not surprised by it, because we know that’s what they can do,” said Farrell.
“They’ve got some unbelievable athletes, and the breakdown stuff is a trademark of Australian rugby.
“And it’s certainly a trademark of Joel Smith’s teams as well. I thought they played off some good quick ball, and I thought our defence wasn’t connected enough, and that was probably because of how they carried and played off the shoulder and straightened up and played through us quite a bit.
“So hence why I talked about Hugo’s tackle, it was pretty special.”
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'There were special moments like Hugo's try-saving tackle and Sam's calmness'
IRELAND HEAD COACH Andy Farrell hailed the character of his team after they battled to a 33-31 win over Australia in an enthralling Nations Championship clash.
The tit-for-tat encounter was wildly entertaining and Irish fans feared it had slipped away from them when Australia’s Ben Donaldson took a last-gasp shot at goal to win it for his team.
But Donaldson’s attempt was wide of the posts, meaning that Thomas Clarkson’s 76th minute try and Sam Prendergast’s nerveless conversion sent Ireland to their bonus-point victory.
Yet Hugo Keenan’s try-saving tackle on Joseph Suaalii in the first half will probably remain most prominent in the memory as the key moment.
“That was a hell of a Test match,” said Farrell at the Allianz Stadium. “It certainly would have been for the neutral, I would have thought.
“But, you know, the first thing that comes to mind for me is how proud I am of how the lads showed character in the second half.
“There are some special moments within the game that deserve a hard-fought win like that, i.e. Hugo’s try-saving tackle and Sam with the calmness to get the conversion when he did.
“I suppose it’s a good one for us because there’s plenty to fix and we need to fix it properly for what’s coming ahead, including next week [against Japan].
“So it’s a good place to be fixing stuff and earning a hard-fought win at the same time.”
Soon after Keenan’s try-saving effort on Suaalii, Ireland scored a try from deep inside their own half.
They had a scrum just outside their own 22 and despite a tough first half, Ireland went all out for a score before the break. There was no thought of taking half time with a 12-point deficit.
Jamison Gibson-Park finished a cracking try.
“Well, because they believe in themselves that if everyone’s involved and we’ve got all 15 involved in our attack, then we can make things happen,” said Farrell of how important that score was.
“I mean, the last thing we wanted to do is kick the ball away because we want to give ourselves a chance to do what we know we can do.
“So that was the most pleasing thing about it – the ambition to do what they know they’re good at.”
And Farrell was delighted with how Ireland put that score together, even as he pointed out again there is much to improve in the overall performance.
“I mean, it was a hell of a try,” said Farrell. “And that’s what we pride ourselves on.
“Everyone being involved, everyone being an option, everyone working hard to make sure that we’re able to make things work as a group. And we certainly was on that occasion. So it was a nice reference of what to do.
“There’s a couple of what not to do as well – with our carries and stuff like that in the first half. I thought they won some key moments collision-wise and slowed our ball down, so there was plenty to fix.
“But again, the positive is coming away with a big W and fixing on the run. The tour is underway now.”
That last-gasp chance for Donaldson left Irish hearts in mouths.
And Farrell admitted he thought the Western Force out-half would land the kick, which came after he had missed an earlier penalty from wide on the right.
“Honestly, I thought he’d get it because the one that he had before, when you have an opportunity and it doesn’t quite go right the first time, you know what to fix or whatever,” said Farrell.
“But having said that, it was a long way out. Tough, tough old kick. But he’s a class operator. I suppose you would love that option, of a player like that with so much experience to come off the bench and have the opportunity.
“But it’s a tough old kick like, you know. It’s a shot to the dark, really. Fine margins, isn’t it? That’s top-level Test match rugby. That’s how it should be.”
Ireland struggled to get to grips with the Wallabies attack at times, particularly in the first half.
Joe Schmidt’s side scored fives tries, matching Ireland in that regard, as well as creating 11 linebreaks.
“No, not surprised by it, because we know that’s what they can do,” said Farrell.
“They’ve got some unbelievable athletes, and the breakdown stuff is a trademark of Australian rugby.
“And it’s certainly a trademark of Joel Smith’s teams as well. I thought they played off some good quick ball, and I thought our defence wasn’t connected enough, and that was probably because of how they carried and played off the shoulder and straightened up and played through us quite a bit.
“So hence why I talked about Hugo’s tackle, it was pretty special.”
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andy farrell Head Coach Ireland Pride