Ireland finished their series of Autumn Internationals with victory over Australia on Saturday, though it was nervier than they may have hoped.
The narrow final score of 22-19 was a fair reflection on how close Andy Farrell's men were pushed in his final game in charge before departing temporarily to lead the Lions Down Under.
Australia were quicker out of the blocks and took an early lead. Max Jorgensen's delightful try just before the 20-minute mark had them ten points ahead in the opening stages.
Josh van der Flier's try would reduce the arrears shortly after Jorgensen's try but it was Australia who took a deserved eight-point lead in at half-time after what was, in truth, a very poor first half all round.
After the break, things would change somewhat, as Ireland immediately showed more intent.
Their attacking endeavours did not take long to be rewarded. Sam Prendergast's penalty just after half-time reduced the gap to five, before Caelan Doris' try put Ireland in front for the first time in the game.
Ireland have clicked into gear in the second half. Caelan Doris' try has them ahead for the first time ☘️pic.twitter.com/jc7T9qhKbo
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) November 30, 2024
However, the same sloppy errors began to creep in, and Australia's defensive system appeared to have answers for anything the Irish attack threw at them.
Two penalties from the boot of Noah Lolesio had Australia managing a four-point lead for the final 15-or-so minutes.
Finally, the home side would rally, as the home crowd began to rise in volume. Ultimately, it was the grittier side of Ireland's play that got them over the line, with substitute hooker Gus McCarthy converting from a maul to put Ireland back in front.
𝐆𝐔𝐒 𝐌𝐂𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐘!!! ☘️
Second test! Second try! What an impact!
☘️ 22-19 🇦🇺#IREvAUS | #AutumnNationsSeries pic.twitter.com/iCwSv78jAV— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) November 30, 2024
It was by no means perfect but Ireland just about held on to send Andy Farrell off to his stint as Lions boss on a winning note.
Farrell will be replaced by his assistant coach Simon Easterby for the upcoming Six Nations campaign, and the incoming Ireland manager joined TNT pundits Simon Zebo and Brian O'Driscoll pitchside post-match.
Easterby would agree with his former teammate O'Driscoll's read of a recurring problem that has reared its head for Ireland during this November series.
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Brian O'Driscoll Ireland v Australia
Joining the TNT Sports team pitchside immediately after full-time was the incoming interim Ireland head coach Simon Easterby, who was refreshingly honest in his assessment of his side's shortcomings in victory against Australia.
Easterby's career as an Ireland player took place alongside Brian O'Driscoll, and it was Easterby's former teammate who had a particularly hard-hitting question.
🗣️ "We needed to engage them more when attacking the line, thankfully we came through"
☘️ @IrishRugby defence coach Simon Easterby was proud with how the side worked to get the win!#IREvAUS | #AutumnNationsSeries pic.twitter.com/YRTidMUZvl— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) November 30, 2024
O'Driscoll was frank in identifying Ireland's attacking patterns as an issue during this series, suggesting that teams have "worked out" how to defend against it.
BOD: "Is there a need for a bit of a rethink on the multi-phase? If you look at the Autumn Nations Series, it looks like defences have sort of worked things out with Ireland. They're not putting many numbers into the ruck, they're fanning out, getting spacings, and they're just pushing you to the touchline."
Easterby: "Yeah. I think we naturally have to evolve, Brian, every team has to. We don't have that much time between now and the Six Nations so it will be pretty fresh in our minds. Yeah, listen, we'll definitely go away and have a look at how we can be better with the ball, make sure we look after it, and make sure we engage the defence. The defence like Australia, at times, they managed us. We didn't quite get the gainline we hoped for."
Though Ireland came away with three wins from four from this series, there is no denying that the performances were far from perfect for large spells.
With the Six Nations little over two months away, there is a quick turnaround for Simon Easterby to try and put his imprint on this squad.
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