Ireland sink Wallabies - and the best Aussie wore green

Conceding six tries, making countless handling errors in the rain, sluggish in attack, sloppy at the line-out and flummoxed by an aerial bombardment, this was the most wretched night of a dismal tour, leaving Australia just one defeat away from a first winless European sojourn in 67 years.

It was also continuing to disfigure the work of a fine coach who'd appeared to be transforming the Wallabies' fortunes until six defeats in seven Tests now makes it feel like it will be back to square one once Les Kiss replaces Schmidt next year.

If they lose to European champions France in Paris next week, it will be five wins from 15 Tests in 2025 -- the worst yearly win-ratio in Wallabies' annals -- and they won't be among the top-six ranked teams in the draw for their home World Cup.

So Lansdowne Road's Aviva Stadium, scene of so many of Schmidt's finest moments as Ireland's most garlanded coach, this time offered him only the most dispiriting, sodden night in his farewell Dublin Test.

 "A tough one to take," he sighed.

Especially as, at the heart of it, was one of those talents that's somehow got away from Australian rugby. 

"Unfortunately, Mack was probably the stand-out Australian player on the field," Schmidt smiled a mite ruefully about 27-year-old Hansen.

Injured during the Lions tour so he couldn't play the Tests, the winger, who'd only just returned from a niggling long-term foot injury, was razor-sharp all night as stand-in fullback.

That early 28-minute hat-trick was only compounded by a woeful 10-minute treble Aussie capitulation before the final whistle when captain Caelan Doris, Ryan Baird and Robbie Henshaw all scored with the Wallabies by then a shattered, weary rabble after a late yellow-red for Nick Frost.

Harry Wilson's side grabbed first-half scores through Len Ikitau and Fraser McReight, and a 74th minute consolation try from Billy Pollard, but were always playing catch-up.

"There's been a lot of talk that I wasn't born here and didn't grow up here - but this feels like home.
Any time I get to play for Ireland, it is a privilege," beamed man-of-the-match Hansen.

His first two tries were carbon copies of each other as he finished off slick team handling to scuttle under the posts.

Then, after the excellent flyhalf Sam Prendergast's cross-field kick found winger Tommy O'Brien, only for the ball to squirm away from his grasp, Hansen, in typically eccentric fashion wearing one white boot and one black, scooped up the unconsidered trifle and scooted over for his treble.

His five-pointers meant that an Aussie-connected player, remarkably, had scored the last five Test tries against the Wallabies following those of Melburnian Monty Ioane and Louis Lynagh, son of World Cup winner Michael Lynagh, which won last week's Test for Italy.

Ikitau and McReight's tries gave hope with the score 19-14 at the break, but all the possession and poise then came from the hosts, with winger Harry Potter saving Australia by holding up Dan Sheehan on the line before Ireland got unlucky to have an O'Brien try ruled out for an earlier knock-on.

When Doris went over with 10 minutes left and Frost got binned for a shoulder-hit on Thomas Clarkson, the game was up, even though hooker Pollard muscled over from short range. Ireland's storming finish, with two more scores in the last three minutes against depleted opposition, did not flatter Ireland.

Schmidt knew it. 

"I know the question around what we are asking of the Australian public, we can't demand anything on the back of what we did in the last 10 minutes tonight," he accepted, pondering the late collapse.

But he still believes the Wallabies can always have Paris. 

"We were written off before the Lions, and before going to South Africa," he said, recalling those epic Sydney and Ellis Park awaydays. 

"I know we didn't do ourselves justice tonight, but I'm confident we can still fight our way into that contest next week."