Australia's Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii tries to get an offload away in their Nations Championship match against Ireland.
Tom Clarkson crashed over for a dramatic, last-gasp converted try as a dogged Ireland battled to a riveting 33-31 victory over Australia in Sydney on Saturday to kick-start their Nations Championship campaign with a bang.
Five different Irish players dotted down to share the spoils in a breathless ten-try thriller, inflicting further heartbreak on a luckless Wallabies side that has now suffered defeat in eight of their last nine Test matches.
"That Test will stand out to us; it was not perfect by any means," reflected Ireland skipper Dan Sheehan. "But to be able to close out games like that, you know, you can't buy that. So we'll be proud of that win. We have a lot to work on for next week and the week after, but we'll be proud of that."
Australia had bolted out of the blocks in front of a sold-out Sydney Football Stadium, navigating a frantic first half to reach the interval with a well-deserved 24-19 advantage. Yet Andy Farrell's men refused to surrender, fighting back to clock their sixth consecutive victory over the Wallabies dating back to 2018. Clarkson barged over at the death before rising star Sam Prendergast coolly added the match-winning extras.
