Exhausted Irish had no gas left in the tank

THREE gruelling battles in consecutive weeks took their toll as Ireland capitulated to a stronger Australian side at Subiaco Oval, Perth, on Saturday.

It was a bridge too far for Ireland, as they desperately sought to finish their southern hemisphere campaign on a high note. The team battled hard, but paid the price for a succession of mistakes and an inability to win decent first phase possession. Ireland’s line out has been acclaimed as one of the best in the world, but Nathan Sharpe destroyed them.

Australia, having recovered from one of the worst losing sequences in their history, have now strung together three successive wins and look well capable of mounting a serious Tri Nations Championship challenge.