Rugby: Ireland hold on to beat Wallabies

Ireland players react after defeating Australia. Photo / AP

Ireland survived a stern challenge from a desperate Wallabies to prevail 13-10 at Lansdowne Road this morning.

Irish captain Jonathan Sexton withdrew just moments before the match after straining a calf in the warmup but his first-five backups were outstanding.

Jack Crowley, who made his debut last week, started and played with the composure of a veteran. Importantly, he nailed both of his goalkicks.

He was replaced with eight minutes to go, and Ross Byrne showed a steely nerve when he stepped up and slotted the match-winning penalty from the right-hand touch.

“We found a way. That’s what good sides do when they’re not at their best,” Ireland coach Andy Farrell said. “We weren’t at our best. Australia had a big part to play in that.”

The Wallabies had a chance to win in the last moments. They put a kickable penalty into the corner for a lineout, but the maul was penalised when backs joined from the side.

Then in the last seconds, they stole an Irish lineout inside the 22 only to suffer a dropped pass which left them losing three straight times to the home side for the first time since 1968.

“We had enough ball to win,” Wallabies coach Dave Rennie said. “It’s frustrating.”

Australia also lost late to France two weeks ago and, as in Paris, dominated long periods of a scrappy match.

Halfback Nic White had a fourth-minute try chalked off after hooker David Porecki was caught doing an illegal neck roll.

Crowley then sent through his only penalty kick of the night while counterpart Bernard Foley missed his first penalty kick as the Wallabies were all over Ireland except on the scoreboard.

A measure was the Irish having to make 155 tackles. The Wallabies only had to make 56 but their discipline kept stalling their ambition.

Just before halftime, replacement hooker Folau Fainga’a was sin-binned for a neck roll just minutes after being warned.

His teammates, notably White, made sure his absence wasn’t exploited when tries were denied either side of the break.

White got under Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan to hold him up before halftime, and after the interval he went low on Mack Hansen and Foley went high to push the Irish wing into touch.

Ireland’s 3-0 lead since the 10th minute was finally cancelled when Foley leveled in the 55th.

Ireland, pressured in the set pieces and around the ruck, got on a long-awaited roll from the hour mark and a fresh Bundee Aki rewarded the momentum by crashing through two defenders to score. Crowley’s extras and the 10-3 lead with 13 minutes to go appeared to seal the win.

But a Will Skelton surge laid waste to Irish defenders, and rookie wing Mark Nawaqanitawase laid on a two-on-one for Jordan Petaia which he finished off.

Foley’s conversion tied the score and the tension was back.

Crowley departed but Byrne came on for his first cap in 20 months and won the game.

“Nerves of steel,” Farrell said of Byrne. “He deserves the plaudits. It takes guts to back yourself for a goal attempt there. And he took it pretty quickly.”

Ireland completed the year with wins over Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand and equalled their best run of 12 consecutive wins at home.

The Wallabies end their year at Wales next week having lost six of their last seven tests.

- AP