Ireland 13-10 Australia: Autumn Nations Series – live

Busy old day of rugby:

Van der Flier speaks to Amazon Prime Video: “We’re obviously delighted, that was a proper Test match … it was tough going. Really good Australian side … our defence was brilliant … obviously tough losing Johnny [Sexton, to injury] but delighted for the other No 10s, especially Ross [Byrne] getting that kick at the end.”

I tend to agree with Aki there – it was Australia’s quality that didn’t allow Ireland to really build any momentum in their attack.

Bundee Aki speaks to Amazon Prime Video: “We just wanted a performance that we are proud of … tonight was a proper, proper test match. We’re obviously not happy with the way we played, but great credit to Australia, they’ve been playing unbelievably well.

“They work unbelievably hard … that’s just their game … they fight to the end.”

The Wallabies will be devastated with that … they’ve not won for three weeks now and that narrow success in Scotland. They’ve been beaten by France, Italy and now Ireland since then.

The late penalty by Byrne, and Aki’s try, are the key moments! Ireland have now beaten Australia three times in a row … and that’s a clean sweep of wins in the Autumn Nations Series for Ireland.

80 min: Ireland have a lineout. This is over if Ireland win the lineout … but they don’t! Australia can have another go.

79 min: Australia are offside and it’s a penalty to Ireland!

77 min: Nawaqanitawase has been everywhere, he’s had a fantastic game for Australia … anyway, O’Keeffe tells White that he tried to buy the penalty which Australia now have … they kick the penalty for the corner! Australia are going for it!

O’Keeffe tells Byrne to hurry up and take the kick, which is ironic. But no matter, Byrne nails it! Ireland lead! Huge kick by Byrne. Can the Wallabies find a way back?

75 min: Ben O’Keeffe awards a penalty to Ireland at the scrum. They play it, but then it’s taken back for the penalty … and Ross Byrne is going for the posts! It’s a tough kick from 45metres out, near the touchline.

74 min: The scrum collapses. It’s reset. “Time off.” Again! This is going to take all night.

73 min: Scrum put-in for Ireland. Ben O’Keeffe stops them for a chat. Again. Anyway, the score is 10-10.

72 min: Leinster’s Ross Byrne comes off the bench for Crowley. Ireland have a fresh fly-half.

Australia earn the right to go wide thanks to a couple of huge carries by Skelton … they have numbers on the right and Petaia dives over! Can Foley convert? Oh yes he can. Brilliant kick, drawn from right to left, and Australia are all square!

69 min: Now Australia have a bash. Skelton makes some metres. Foley prompts. The Wallabies are desperate for a result after last week’s disappointment …

Ireland score! We have a ball game on our hands! Some beefy carries take Ireland to within a couple of metres after a well-worked lineout … then Aki smashes over from close range and Ireland have a try! Crowley converts.

65 min: My mistake, it was an Ireland penalty. They kick for the corner … and then hammer away at the Aussie line for a few phases! Australia hold firm … penalty advantage to Ireland.

64 min: White booms a kick upfield but it doesn’t find touch. Ringrose does well to pluck it out of the sky … but then a knock-on soon gives Australia a scrum in midfield.

It’s frustrating for fans of both teams, watching a match like this, but of the two sides, you’d have to say the Wallabies have looked more dangerous with the ball in hand. Ireland just haven’t got going at all. But who is going to hold it all together and nick the win?

62 min: Kellaway off, for Gordon, for Australia. Bealham and Casey are on for Ireland now.

61 min: Ireland look to Aki to exert a bit of pressure on the Wallabies’ defence with a run down the middle. The hosts get some go-forward … and Skelton is pinged for not rolling away at the tackle area. The ball is launched for touch.

60 min: It’s 9.45pm, 1 hr 45 min after kick-off, and we still have 20 mins to play. Stoppages aplenty.

58 min: Keenan launches a good kick for territory deep into the Aussie half. Australia safely win the lineout, then O’Brien spills a garryowen forward.

57 min: Australia win slightly scruffy lineout ball but White then goes on a jinking, darting run into midfield. Ireland still can’t get any fluency when they do have the ball. The extent to which that is the referee’s fault is very debatable.

It’s all square and still with 25 mins or so to play. It’s certainly not been a classic match but I’ve been enjoying it, oddly.

55 min: Foley has another penalty chance, another chance to level the scores at 3-3. Exciting!

53 min: Skelton is on for the Wallabies, along with Tupou. And Tupou almost immediately goes down clutching his leg. He is taken off, after another scuffle between players from both sides.

52 min: The Australia fly-half Foley sends a good low kick for the corner after a nice looping move in midfield. The score remains 3-0 to Ireland. Bundee Aki is getting ready to come on. Conan is already on, for O’Mahony.

51 min: “Counterpoint - maybe the referee wouldn’t have to blow so often if the players didn’t infringe that often?” emails Andy Flintoff (not that one). “It’s pointless letting the game flow if both sides are keen on disregarding the laws as much as they are doing.”

50 min: White, the scrum-half, is off for Australia with Gordon on in his place.

49 min: Ireland work through some more phases in the Australian 22 … and Australia, with some strong counter-rucking, eventually win a penalty! They celebrate like they’ve scored a try.

48 min: There is a clash of heads between Valetini and Sheehan. The TMO is having a look. Both men were upright as Sheehan carried into contact.

The referee rules that the “danger is very low” and it’s a penalty to Ireland … Valetini has already been replaced and is sitting on the sidelines already.

48 min: “Is the lack of play a referee issue or Ireland being incredibly defensive oriented? With no imagination?” emails Ger Nugent.

I think Australia have been good, and the referee definitely hasn’t helped … and losing Sexton in the warm-up isn’t exactly ideal, is it? Let’s see what Ireland can produce as the second half wears on.

47 min: Disallowed try for Ireland! Superb score by Gibson Park after an attack on the blindside, and a good offload inside by Hansen! But the TMO is having a look … And it’s ruled out for a foot in touch by Hansen.

Australia are back up to 15 men.

43 min: In the absence of two Aussie hookers there is an uncontested scrum in the Wallabies’ half. Ireland now have an attacking lineout and they look to maul it into the 22. Hansen is then skipping through on the right wing having been set on his way by Gibson-Park, but he puts a foot in touch before trying to offload back inside.

44 min: “Can you please highlight that this game is muck due to the horrendous refereeing on display so far,” writes Donough O’Brien on email. “We barely get two minutes of rugby before Ben O’Keefe has his whistle in his gob. It would be really simple to get the game flowing had he just yellow carded the neck rolling at rucks after the second one, or yellow carded one of the high shots. Instead he’s let it descend into a complete farce with five separate neck roll penalties before an Aussie got a yellow. It’s a complete joke of a refereeing display. Sort out the clear foul play from both sides at the ruck and the game will flow. He’s got one job - enforce the rules so the game can be played, and move to disciplining players if they’re not following rules, but he seems determined not to do it.

Donough … you just have (highlighted it). Thanks for the email.

43 min: Again, Ireland build some tempo and work to within a few metres … but then a knock-on stops them in their tracks.

42 min: Ireland work towards the Australia line thanks in part to a muscular carry by McCloskey. But then Michael Hooper nabs the ball out of a ruck, and the latest Irish attack is thwarted.

Let’s go.

Robert Kitson was at Twickenham to see England hit back for a 25-25 draw against the mighty All Blacks:

Australia eventually win a defensive lineout that they throw short. They win it. White kicks it out for half-time. Andrew Porter gives him a little shove after trying to close him down, and then there is a scuffle before the players run in for half-time, White and Porter eyeballing each other. Porter then shouts “Come on!” at the crowd, urging them to shout a bit louder, maybe, when the players come back out.

39 min: Stunning last-ditch defence by Australia to keep Sheehan out at close range after he peels off the back of the rolling maul! … Then it looks like Gibson-Park has a foot in touch as he tries to fish the ball out of a pile of bodies.

38 min: Hansen makes a robust run into contact and gets Ireland on the move. A few more phases and a penalty comes, that Crowley kicks for the corner. Can Ireland shove over the try-line having been on the back foot for much of the first half?

The replacement hooker Fainga’a, who came off the bench for Porecki after the HIA, gets 10 minutes for a high tackle.

37 min: Thus far, there have been 139 tackles made by Ireland to 42 by Australia … this is a serious work-out for the Irish defence.

36 min: The Wallabies continue to look bright in attack and continue to pin Ireland back. White is giving good service from No 9 and keeping things moving. And they have willing runners everywhere. It’s not been a classic, more like a training run in this first half.

34 min: Stat attack: Ireland have only spent 17 seconds in the Australia 22. An easy conclusion would be that they are missing Sexton’s ability to orchestrate things … it would probably be the right conclusion, too.

32 min: The fly-half Foley hangs up a perceptive high kick to the Wallabies’ left wing. Nawaqanitawase does brilliantly to grab it, at the second attempt, and then passes back over his own head, to a teammate inside. But then Australia gift possession back to Ireland.

30 min: Australia are still trying to run the ball and play a bit of rugby. They are being cancelled out by an experienced Ireland defence. At least they have been so far.

28 min: It is a scrappy game. Neither team has much in the way of momentum or tempo. The referee now warns both captains that the next high tackle will be a yellow card.