On an afternoon teeming with sub-plots, the simple narrative arc at the Aviva Stadium was that a misfiring Ireland ground out a 22-19 win over stubborn Australia in their final Autumn Nations Series Test.
Tries from Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris and Gus McCarthy saw Ireland home after a first-half score from Max Jorgensen and 14 points from fly-half Noah Lolesio had the Wallabies leading for much of the 80 minutes.
But that wasn’t half the story. There was the 150th anniversary of Ireland’s first international match. Cian Healy passing Brian O’Driscoll as his country’s most capped international. Sam Prendergast being picked again at fly-half. The last Test before Simon Easterby is handed the Ireland keys. The last Test before Andy Farrell jumps in with the Lions.
The anniversary was marked by a bit of pre-match pomp and circumstance and a slick new kit for the day, while Healy came on for his 134th cap – passing Brian O’Driscoll – in the 67th minute.
The selection of Prendergast, starting at fly-half for the second week in-a-row, this time ahead of previous incumbent Jack Crowley, provided much of the grist for the pre-match discussion mill.
After a mixed bag against Fiji the much-hyped Leinster man looked at home in the number 10 jersey while not setting the stadium alight. He missed a straightforward conversion but his kicking from hand to touch was excellent and he also produced a couple of great pieces of defensive scrambling in his 65 minutes on the pitch.
Crowley came on with Ireland trailing 19-15 and made a difference against a tiring Australia, kicking through to force a lineout that resulted in Ireland’s winning score, then converting that Gus McCarthy try for a three-point lead with five minutes left.
The match itself brought to a close a year in which Ireland won a Six Nations title and shared a series in South Africa, and an autumn campaign that began with the deflation of defeat to the All Blacks and ended with a hat-trick of wins over Argentina, Fiji and Australia.
Ireland’s next match is back at Lansdowne Road when England visit to open the Six Nations. Easterby will be the man in charge then, as interim head coach as Farrell heads off to steer the British and Irish Lions. Farrell’s next assignment at the Aviva will be a June clash with Argentina, a warm-up before his Lions go on tour to Australia.
That Farrell’s last game leading Ireland before his sabbatical was against the Wallabies gathered up those threads. That it was Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies stitched them together neatly.
Schmidt, who handed over the Ireland reins to his assistant Farrell, won three Six Nations titles during his time in charge and was the architect of a first ever win over New Zealand after 111 years of trying. His prominent place in that century-and-a-half of Irish rugby history is secure.
Saturday was match 13 in year one of an Australian work in progress. In the end they finished one result in the debit column as Schmidt’s rebuild job following the calamity of last year’s World Cup continues to appear on track.
Farrell has been impressed with Australia’s development under his old boss and wasn’t surprised with the challenge they brought to Lansdowne Road.
“I know Joe. I know what he’s going to do and what he brings and you saw it in spades today,” he said.
“He’s now got a nice picture with everyone that’s he’s used over this season and that’s a lot. I’m sure with the break they’ll be looking forward to next season.”
Despite ceding 64% of the territory to Ireland in the first half and giving up twice as many penalties, the Wallabies led 13-5 at the break, thanks mainly to Irish inaccuracy.
Hugo Keenan spilled a ball in sight of the line after cutting though a chasm in the Aussie defence in the fifth minute, but Lolesio kicked the first points of the match for Australia after Joe McCarthy’s head-on-head clash with Rob Valetini was adjudged a penalty but no more.
A couple of drops, a botched lineout, a breakdown penalty. Ireland were sloppy, while the Wallabies looked the more threatening side when they got their hands on the ball.
They turned that into the opening try when Jorgensen went over in one corner after Prendergast had scrambled brilliantly to stop Andrew Kellaway scoring in the other.
Valetini spilled the restart but after regathering led with his forearm to the chin of the in-rushing Mack Hansen. Referee Andrea Piradi again rightly limited his sanction to a penalty.
Prendergast was called back from his cheeky quick-tap attempt and instead kicked to the corner. A couple of penalties later and Van der Flier was barrelling over for Ireland’s first try, which Prendergast failed to convert.
Superb breakdown work from centre Len Ikitau saved Australia after McCarthy had burst on to Ronan Kelleher’s offload but soon it was Australia breaking the line through captain Harry Wilson. James Lowe was quick enough to tidy up a crosskick in goal.
Ireland found themselves chasing back almost immediately when Tupou intercepted and trundled down the centre of the pitch. Prendergast got back to cut out the attempted offload but was called for holding on and Lolesio kicked the penalty in front of the posts for a 13-5 Australia lead took to the interval.
Prendergast soon reduced the Irish deficit to five with a penalty after a ruck infringement and they were level after 49 minutes when Doris was in the midfield to crash over after sharp work following a five-metre lineout. Prendergast converted for Ireland’s first lead of the day, 15-13.
Replacement Tom O’Toole not releasing in the tackle five minutes later gave that lead back as Lolesio kicked a penalty in front of the posts. The fly-half added another from just inside halfway in the 63rd minute to push the advantage out to four.
Ireland continued to make mistakes, with the lineout failing to function consistently and Australia able to relieve pressure thanks to regular help from their hosts.
An Irish lineout maul was held up over the line before a deft kick through from Crowley gave Ireland another chance five metres out. Gus McCarthy found fellow replacement Iain Henderson at the back of the lineout and this time nothing could stop the green wave with McCarthy touching down for the second week in-a-row. Carthy added the extras for the 22-19 lead Ireland held until the end.
“I was proud of the team,” said Schmidt.
“I thought they demonstrated the level of grit that you need if you’re going to be competitive with the Lions and competitive with Ireland, the number two team in the world, and I think we made them work pretty hard tonight to get the win.
“We’d love to have got into the mix and got the ’W' ourselves, but I think from where we started at the end of last November when the boys came back after their break post-World Cup to where we are now, there’s a bit more confidence in what they’re delivering, they’re a bit more connected and there’s still a bit of growth to go.”
With 2024 in the books, 2025 will come along with more plots and sub-plots as Ireland defend their Six Nations title and four of those nations’ players jostle for position on Farrell’s squad for his and Schmidt’s summer blockbuster trilogy.
