Following a 46-19 victory for Ireland against Australia in the Autumn Nations Series, here’s our five takeaways from the game at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
The top line
It was a cakewalk in the end for Andy Farrell’s charges as they scored six tries en route to a record triumph over Australia that will give them real confidence moving forward.
Mack Hansen (3), Caelan Doris, Ryan Baird and Robbie Henshaw crossed the whitewash for the home side, while Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley added points off the tee.
For Australia, it was a hugely disappointing evening in Dublin as their 2025 continues to unravel apace, with Len Ikitau, Fraser McReight and Billy Pollard scoring their tries.
There was a gulf in quality and freshness on Saturday as it was clear which team was finding top gear and which was pulling down the curtain on a long and arduous season.
Return of the Mack
A hat-trick of tries after 27 minutes on his return to action against the country of his birth was probably not what Hansen was expecting when he readied himself for this Test.
But that is how the first period unfolded as the Ireland star took to full-back duties expertly and profited with scores on the sixth and eleventh minute from slick set-plays. His third was more opportunistic as he gathered a loose ball and dived over the whitewash, capping an incredible early spell to his match for the much-loved Connacht man.
While the second 40 was a good deal quieter for Hansen, the Player of the Match will be pleased with his game as he stepped up in a problem position for Ireland with aplomb.
Good and bad for Prendergast
The Ireland attack looked slick early on, and there were some nice passes from fly-half Prendergast, one being the miss pass to Hansen for his second try of the night in Dublin.
In the second stanza, too, he showed moments of quality, such as a break and then finding Tommy O’Brien with a pinpoint cross-field kick for a try that was later chalked off.
However, defensive concerns again reared their head on Saturday as the youngster fell off Ikitau for his try, which won’t help to silence critics in this important facet of play.
Shane Horgan recently questioned Prendergast’s physicality and recklessness in contact, and if he does not improve, then teams will continue to target him week after week.
Disappointing farewell tour
Southern hemisphere giants annually travel north dreaming of a clean sweep of Test victories to sign off their year, but for Australi,a this tour has something of a nightmare.
While they picked up a narrow 19-15 win over Japan en route to Europe, November began with a 25-7 loss to England before they went down to Italy 26-19 in Udine last week.
Those two defeats have now become three after this heavy negative, and with France to come next Saturday, they are staring down the barrel of a dismal end-of-year streak.
This is not what Joe Schmidt would have either wanted or deserved after what has been a hugely positive stint in charge of the Wallabies. Can they fire for him in France?
Feel-good win for Farrell
Over his tenure, there has been little to no criticism as head coach, Farrell has guided Ireland in a sustained period of success that has included Six Nations titles and more.
However, for the first time, talk of an ageing squad loudened and a lack of attacking spark led to fingers being pointed at the coaching set-up, mainly at Andrew Goodman.
Therefore, this six-try result will taste all the sweeter for the backroom team as issues were fixed and those at the Aviva Stadium were treated to an attacking masterclass.