The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Highlights: Wallabies' Grand Slam dream gone after 24-27 loss to Ireland

26th November, 2016
Advertisement
Australian rugby is in serious trouble. (AAP Image/ David Rowland)
26th November, 2016
80
2426 Reads

The Wallabies’ hopes of claiming a historic Grand Slam during their Spring Tour of Europe are officially dashed, after the Australians lost 24-27 to Ireland in the early hours of Sunday morning (AEDT).

A slow start proved simply too much for the Wallabies to recover from, as Ireland dominated the game in the first half and starved their Australian opponents of the ball.

All the wash-up from Ireland vs Wallabies:
» LORD: Grand Slam gone, Mumm must follow
» Five talking points from the match
» What changes should Australia make for England
» Vote on our DIY player ratings
» Re-live the match with our live blog
» WATCH all the highlights from the match

The Irish opened the scoring with Paddy Jackson kicking a penalty goal in the 17th minute, before they put on two converted tries through Iain Henderson and Garry Ringrose to rush out to a 17-0 advantage.

That left the Wallabies in dire straits very early, but they were able to give themselves a sniff of hope before the halfway mark when Dane Haylett-Petty recorded a try in the 39th minute, duly converted by Bernard Foley.

Tevita Kuridrani added another try for the visitors just five minutes into the second stanza, and another successful conversion saw the Wallabies back within striking distance at 14-17.

A second penalty goal put the Irish six points in the lead, but then a try from Sefania Naivalu, again converted by Foley, gave Australia a slender 1-point advantage, their first lead of the match, in the 57th minute.

Foley added a penalty goal to put the Wallabies out to four points in front a few minutes later, and for a while it seemed like the visitors would hold out for a win and go into next week’s match against England undefeated on their Spring Tour.

Advertisement

However the Irish jumped back in front in the 65th minute with a try from Keith Earls, and Paddy Jackson’s conversion gave Ireland a three-point advantage that they would hold onto for the remainder of the Test.

Their dominance in the first half made the victory a deserved reward, and they arguably should have been further ahead than their ten-point lead at the main break.

The Wallabies had just 28 per cent possession in the first half and also missed Dean Mumm – controversially included in the side over Lopeti Timani – for ten minutes after he was sent to the sin bin.

Australia were left fuming after Ireland’s second try when the referees gave no heed to possible obstructions, but Ireland’s strong form in the first half and ability to retake the lead late were undeniably the actions of a winning side.

close