Ireland edge Australia 33-31 in Nations Championship thriller as Donaldson misses late penalty

Match summary

Ireland opened their Nations Championship campaign with a 33-31 victory over Australia at Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday. The Wallabies led four times but could not close out the game, with flyhalf Ben Donaldson missing a 50-metre penalty after the final siren. The win was Ireland's sixth consecutive over Australia, extending a run that began in 2018.

Key moments

Australia raced to a 24-12 lead in the first half, scoring tries through Dylan Pietsch, Jock Campbell, Josh Canham and Ryan Lonergan. Ireland replied with scores from Cian Prendergast and Josh van der Flier. A try-saving tackle by fullback Hugo Keenan on Joseph Suaalii in the 37th minute prevented a likely 19-point deficit, and Jamison Gibson-Park's try on the stroke of halftime cut the gap to five points.

The second half saw further lead changes. Keenan crossed to put Ireland ahead, but Tate McDermott's try restored Australia's advantage. With three minutes remaining, prop Thomas Clarkson barged over from a ruck after Australia were reduced to 14 men, and Sam Prendergast's conversion made it 33-31. Donaldson's long-range effort from the right touchline sailed wide.

“God, it was so tight, so intense, a proper test match. But to be fair to the lads, we asked to make this crowd, these thousands in green, proud and that's exactly what we did. We never gave up, we dug in deep and at the end of the day it just came down to a kick.”

Reaction

Head coach Andy Farrell praised his side's character after a "hell of a Test match". He highlighted Keenan's tackle and Prendergast's composure as decisive moments, but stressed there was "plenty to fix" before next week's game against Japan. Captain Dan Sheehan said the team never considered kicking the ball dead before halftime, a decision that led to Gibson-Park's crucial try.

“The first thing that comes to mind for me is how proud I am of how the lads showed character in the second half. There were some special moments within the game that deserve a hard-fought win like that, Hugo's try-saving tackle and Sam with the calmness to get the conversion when he did.”

What's next

Ireland host Japan in Dublin next Saturday, while Australia will look to rebound. The Nations Championship continues with New Zealand's 34-32 win over France and Japan's 27-10 victory over Italy on the opening weekend. Scotland face Argentina later on Saturday.