Andy Farrell was proud of Ireland’s character after his troops clawed to a tense win over the Wallabies on Saturday, but said there are several areas of their game that need work.
The world’s No 3-ranked team were 12 points adrift at one point in the Nations Championship clash in Sydney and staring at their first loss to Australia since 2018.
But the Irish battled back to lift the Lansdowne Cup with an exhilarating 33-31 victory that witnessed 10 tries and plenty of drama.
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“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 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.”
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Ireland travel to Newcastle, north of Sydney, to face Japan, who beat Italy 27-10 in Tokyo.
While Farrell’s men 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 lineouts and conceded 10 penalties.
Farrell said scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park’s try on the half-time 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.”
– AFP
Photo: @IrishRugby/X
The post Farrell: Hell of a Test, but plenty to fix appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Andy Farrell was proud of Ireland’s character after his troops clawed to a tense win over the Wallabies on Saturday, but said there are several areas of their game that need work.
The post Farrell: Hell of a Test, but plenty to fix appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
