**Quilter Nations Series: Ireland 46 – 19 Australia**
**Match Summary:**
**Ireland (46)**
Tries: Hansen (3), Doris, Baird, Henshaw
Conversions: Prendergast (2), Crowley (3)
Penalty: Crowley
Drop-goal: Prendergast
**Australia (19)**
Tries: Ikitau, McReight, Pollard
Conversions: O’Connor (2)
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**Hansen Stars with First-Half Hat-Trick as Ireland Dominate Australia at Aviva Stadium**
Mack Hansen scored a superb first-half hat-trick to help lift Ireland to a comprehensive 46-19 victory over Australia in an entertaining Test match at the Aviva Stadium.
Starting an Ireland game at full-back for the first time, Hansen was instrumental in a slick Irish attack on his return from a foot injury, crossing the try line three times inside the opening 30 minutes.
The Wallabies, coached by former Ireland boss Joe Schmidt, remained in touch at halftime thanks to tries from Len Ikitau and Fraser McReight. However, Sam Prendergast extended Ireland’s lead with a well-taken drop goal. Despite Tommy O’Brien having a try ruled out for a knock-on, Caelan Doris’ 70th-minute try secured a comfortable victory for the home side.
Although Australia’s Nick Frost received a yellow card for a hit on Thomas Clarkson during the Doris score, Billy Pollard managed to score Australia’s third try. Late tries from Ryan Baird and Robbie Henshaw capped off a much-improved Irish performance and fueled their confidence ahead of their next match against double world champions South Africa in Dublin. Meanwhile, Australia will conclude their northern hemisphere tour with a fixture in France.
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**Match Highlights**
Saturday’s encounter presented an opportunity for both sides to deliver a statement performance. The Wallabies were chasing their first win in Dublin since 2013, following bruising defeats to England and Italy. However, their confidence was further dented by a fired-up Ireland side, who were determined to improve on the sluggish start from last week’s uninspiring win over Japan.
After the Japan game, Ireland coach Andy Farrell urged his players to “get over themselves.” Led by the irrepressible Hansen, the team took those words to heart and immediately set about showcasing renewed intent and aggression.
Hansen claimed his first high ball with ease before finishing off a couple of sharp Irish attacks under the posts. The first try came after neat offloads from Sam Prendergast and Stuart McCloskey, who unfortunately had his game cut short due to injury.
Prendergast, restored at fly-half ahead of Jack Crowley, was the chief architect of the second try. His quickly taken kick to the corner forced a knock-on from the retreating Max Jorgensen as the full-back tried to prevent a 50:22. From there, Ireland worked the ball swiftly to Hansen, who secured his second score.
With 28 minutes on the clock, Hansen completed his hat-trick by darting through a gap in the Wallabies’ defence after Tommy O’Brien did well to claim a Prendergast kick contested by Jorgensen. Hansen’s second and third tries came on either side of Australia’s opening try — scored by returning centre Len Ikitau, who made a spell of sustained Wallaby pressure count by barging past Prendergast under the posts.
While Ireland looked slick in attack, they continued to concede penalties. After Tadhg Beirne was pinged for offside, Australia narrowed the deficit to five points just before halftime when the impressive back row Fraser McReight crossed.
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**Second Half Action**
Ireland were initially frustrated early in the second half despite Prendergast, who received a standing ovation upon his replacement, nailing a drop-goal. Dan Sheehan was held up on the try line, and after some brilliant playmaking from Prendergast, O’Brien’s try was ruled out for a knock-on.
But after replacement fly-half Jack Crowley slotted over a penalty, Caelan Doris crashed over to emulate his previous score against the Wallabies last year.
Billy Pollard scored in the corner for Australia, but as the Wallabies faded in the final stages, Ireland surged clear. Late tries from Ryan Baird and Robbie Henshaw added gloss to the scoreboard and provided a significant confidence boost ahead of their crucial upcoming encounter with the Springboks.
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**Team Line-ups**
**Ireland:**
M Hansen, T O’Brien, R Henshaw, S McCloskey, J Lowe; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; P McCarthy, D Sheehan, T Furlong; J Ryan, T Beirne; R Baird, C Doris (capt), J Conan.
Replacements: R Kelleher, A Porter, T Clarkson, C Prendergast, N Timoney, C Casey, J Crowley, B Aki.
**Australia:**
M Jorgensen; F Daugunu, J-A Suaalii, L Ikitau, H Potter; J O’Connor, J Gordon; A Bell, M Faessler, A Alaalatoa, J Williams, T Hooper; R Valetini, F McReight, H Wilson (capt).
Replacements: B Pollard, T Robertson, Z Nonggorr, N Frost, C Tizzano, R Lonergan, T Edmed, A Kellaway.
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**Match Officials:**
Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)
Assistant Referees: Pierre Brousset (FFR) and Adam Leal (RFU)
Television Match Official (TMO): Ian Tempest (RFU)
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/hansen-scores-hat-trick-ireland-220436524.html
