Farrell lauds Ireland's fighting spirit after Wallabies triumph
REACTION: Andy Farrell said he was proud of Ireland’s character Saturday after they clawed to a tense 33-31 win over Australia, but admitted there were plenty of problems to fix.
*Also read: Wallabies fall agonisingly short against Ireland in Sydney thriller
The world’s third-ranked team were 12 points adrift at one point in Sydney and staring at their first loss to Australia since 2018.
But they battled back to lift the Lansdowne Cup in an exhilarating clash that witnessed 10 tries and plenty of drama.
“It was a hell of a Test match. It certainly would have been for the neutrals,” said Farrell.
“First thing that comes to mind for me is I’m so proud of how the lads showed their character in the second half after some special moments within the game that deserve a win like that.
“It’s a good one for us, but there’s plenty to fix, and we need to fix it properly for what’s coming ahead, including next week.”
They travel to Newcastle, north of Sydney, next week to face Japan, who beat Italy 27-10 in Tokyo.
While Ireland got over the line courtesy of a late converted try from substitute Tom Clarkson, they struggled in the first half in particular.
Overall, they managed just three clean breaks to the Wallabies’ 11 and missed 31 tackles to the hosts’ 18.
They also lost four line-outs and conceded 10 penalties.
Farrell said Jamison Gibson-Park’s try on the halftime hooter, finishing off a stunning break from inside their own 22, had been critical.
It ensured they went to the break just 24-19 behind and with their confidence high.
“We weren’t happy with the first half,” he said.
“But it did help that we knew that we could prove it to ourselves that we were able to fix things on the run and get over the line from our own 22.
“So that was promising, and it sort of gave us a bit of belief that when we did our stuff right, the way we envisaged it, envisioned it before the game, we could see it worked.
“But we just needed to do it on more occasions in the first half.”
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