Man-of-the-match Michael Hooper scored two of Australia’s four tries as they ran out 17-point winners over an off-colour Ireland team at the Aviva Stadium.
IRISH RUGBY TV: POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE
Ireland leaked tries to Nick Cummins and Michael Hooper but fought back to trail 15-12 at the break, with returning out-half Jonathan Sexton kicking four penalties.
However, a hamstring injury forced Sexton’s early withdrawal and a 10-point surge at the start of the second half put the Wallabies in command.
A single penalty from Sexton’s replacement Ian Madigan was all Joe Schmidt’s men could muster as Hooper was driven over for the visitors’ fourth try and an in-form Quade Cooper completed his 17-point haul.
The comprehensive defeat brought Ireland back to earth after a promising first outing under Schmidt against Samoa, and leaves them with plenty to work on – particularly in defence – ahead of the final GUINNESS Series Test against New Zealand.
Although Australia deserve credit for crossing the whitewash four times, Ireland’s poor defensive display played into the tourists’ hands and captain Paul O’Connell acknowledged afterwards that some of the tries were ‘soft’ concessions.
“You look at the tries they scored, we’re very disappointed with that – a lot of them were things that we could defence and we could have dealt with, and unfortunately we didn’t,” he told BBC Northern Ireland.
“I think over the last number of years we’ve built a belief that we can take on these teams and beat them. So, to be beaten by four tries to nil and by the scoreline that it was is very disappointing.
“Even the way we started the game in terms of a lineout turnover, a penalty, a few silly things like that. Against these teams you need to be really accurate, you need to get all the little things right and from the start of the game we didn’t do that.
“Now we dug in and got back into the game, but unfortunately we handed it back over early in the second half.”
The second row added: “I think a lot of the stuff is quite easily rectified. We did make line breaks as well, but it’s hard to look at the positives when you’re beaten by four tries to nil and by the scoreline that it was.
“That’s the way it is. We’ve eight days to turn it around and write history (against the All Blacks) next week, and that’s what we’ll be aiming to do.”
The early signs were not good for the home side as they missed touch and lost their first lineout, and the trend of unforced errors continued from Schmidt’s admittedly ‘underdone’ Ireland.
Including the Lions Test series, this was Australia’s 13th international of 2013 and with recent outings against New Zealand, England and Italy behind them Ewen McKenzie’s charges were well primed for this Dublin duel.
O’Connell was one of six Irish players making their first starts of the new international campaign and despite the short preparation time, hopes were high of Ireland following up on their 2011 Rugby World Cup pool win over the Wallabies.
That loose play made for a tentative start from Ireland and the heavily-involved Israel Folau and Cooper caught the eye initially, the latter’s raking cross-field kick almost being reached by Adam Ashley-Cooper.
Rob Simmons poached a lineout ahead of O’Connell and Ireland remained on the back foot before Cooper kicked the opening points from a long range ninth-minute penalty.
The Irish pack made promising yards on a lineout drive which reached the Australian 22, paving the way for Sexton’s levelling kick.
Then determined work in defence from Jamie Heaslip and Cian Healy forced a turnover and although Mike Ross infringed at the resulting scrum, Cooper missed his shot from the kicking tee.
However, there was no let-off from the restart as the Irish defensive line splintered badly to allow winger Cummins in for the game’s first try.
The Australians moved the ball quickly from right to left on the Irish 10-metre line, and James Horwill’s one-handed offload gave Cooper the opportunity to put Stephen Moore through a hole with Healy missing the tackle.
Tommy Bowe brought Moore down but the hooker’s offload found the waiting Cummins and he showed a clean pair of heels to the covering Eoin Reddan and Rob Kearney, stepping inside off his left to run in his fifth Test score.
Cooper converted and Bowe then provided a much-needed attacking spark for Ireland, beating two men in midfield and supplying Devin Toner. The ensuing penalty was knocked wide though by Sexton.
Ireland’s decision making was below par at times and a couple of aimless kicks from Fergus McFadden and Bowe allowed the Wallabies to build for Hooper’s first international try.
The Irish defence sat off and was caught out wide on the left again as Scott Fardy flicked a pass inside for his back row colleague Hooper to raid in from the touchline. Cooper was unable to add the conversion this time.
Now 15-3 down, Ireland had to respond and they did force the issue coming up to the interval. Luke Marshall sent McFadden scurrying into the Australian 22 and the forwards lifted the intensity, with Sean O’Brien and Healy both stopped short of the try-line.
Sexton drove home a close range penalty and he added a further three points after a McFadden burst through the middle got Ireland on the move once more – the attack also saw Hooper sin-binned for failing to roll away after a tackle.
Healy did well to win a turnover in the Irish 22, launching the hosts forward and hands in the ruck from Fardy allowed Sexton to make it a three-point game on the stroke of half-time.
Ireland were beginning to get over the gainline more often with O’Brien, Peter O’Mahony and Rory Best carrying effectively. But Sexton pulled his hamstring during an injury-time break from deep and had his head in his hands as he realised the extent of the injury.
The Wallabies stayed on the pitch during half-time and they crucially got a head start on Ireland when play resumed.
Full-back Folau, who was dominant in the air, propelled them forward with a terrific catch and jinking run up over halfway.
Ireland were too passive in defence and Cooper’s flat pass saw Cummins try to reach over Bowe’s challenge and score in the left corner – television match official Geoff Warren ruled that he knocked the ball on in attempting to ground it.
Australia then turned over an Irish scrum and after a couple of resets, the increasingly influential Cooper went over unchallenged for try number three as he slipped through a gap between Marshall and Madigan.
Cooper duly added the extras and fired home his second successful penalty after Madigan was pinged for failing to release the ball on the deck.
That left Ireland 25-12 adrift with half an hour remaining. They were pinned back in their own half until a quickly taken penalty led to McFadden releasing Marshall for a cut at the Australian defence.
A well-timed tackle by Australian captain Ben Mowen on O’Connell produced a turnover, but Ireland maintained their presence near the visitors’ 22 and a scrum penalty was converted by Madigan.
The replacement out-half soon hacked on a loose ball and reclaimed it to get Ireland on the front foot. They turned down a kickable penalty as they went in search of a try, but the Wallabies disrupted the maul and picked up another turnover.
Australia continued to look the more potent side with a brilliantly weighted kick from Cooper gathered on the run by his half-back partner Will Genia.
They sewed up the result with 13 minutes left, adding a few backs to an enlarged lineout in the Irish 22 and ball carrier Hooper was driven over to complete his brace.
It was a very well executed maul and Cooper’s successful conversion from wide out on the left widened the margin to 17 points.
Stephen Archer and Robbie Henshaw, who saw action briefly in the first half, were brought on for their second and third caps respectively, while Jack McGrath – the man-of-the-match on his debut last Saturday – also got a run-out.
A tip tackle on O’Mahony in the 73rd minute led to Australian centre Tevita Kuridrani receiving a red card, with referee Chris Pollock deeming it ‘dangerous and unacceptable’.
Ireland produced a late flourish with Marshall again hurtling through a midfield gap. The crowd bayed for a consolation score and they almost got it as replacement Sean Cronin dotted down near the posts – but it was ruled out for a knock on from Conor Murray in the build-up.
Henshaw came on for Kearney who held his ribs as he was helped off the pitch in the dying minutes.
Sexton and Kearney are the main concerns ahead of Ireland’s clash with the All Blacks next Sunday. Schmidt said: “I guess on Monday we’ll find out the degree of Johnny’s injury and then that will either make a decision easy for us, because it looks good or it doesn’t look good.
“If it’s halfway in between, then certainly my expectation would be that he would have to train on Friday.
“He hasn’t really spent that much time with us training, he had a little hip flexor issue plus we left him to rest against Samoa just because of the attritional game-time he had already accumulated.
“And I think the wear and tear of that game time has consequences, and unfortunately those consequences have fallen in our lap.”
A statement from the IRFU confirmed that ‘all squad members will be assessed by the Irish medical team on Monday evening’.
Looking ahead to the match against his native New Zealand and the hopes of Ireland bouncing back against the world’s number one side, Schmidt added: “This All Blacks team put 47 points on this Australia team in Australia, when the Wallabies first got together under Ewen McKenzie.
“I think that’s going to make it very tough for us. At the same time I would implore the public to hang on in there.
“I’ve got a lot of time for this group of young men who will try to deliver something that will be a little bit special. We’ve got a lot to do – our set piece, our defensive line, our kicking game, there’s a lot to work on and unfortunately there’s no magic fix.
“I would love it if there was a panacea to fix all ills there but it’s going to be gradual.
“But we will certainly be working hard, and as daunting as it might be, there’s just something about the psyche of these guys – the more daunting it is the deeper they will dig.”
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