Brave Ireland lose to Wallabies

Australia 17 Ireland 16

Australia edged brave Ireland by just one point in a sensational World Cup clash in Melbourne. That the game was the finest of the World Cup so far will be of little consolation to Ireland, who must now tackle France in next weekend’s quarter-final.

Australia will head off to Brisbane to take on Scotland after prevailing with a George Smith try, nine points from Elton Flatley and a George Gregan drop goal.

Ireland came back from 8-0 down and pushed Australia right to the end with Brian O’Driscoll crossing for a try and dropping a goal, but Ronan O’Gara’s three missed penalties, none of which were simple, proved crucial.

Ireland were heaping the pressure on and spurned the opportunity for a penalty under the posts in search of a try – but the Australian defence was solid.

Roff held his ground under O’Gara’s cross-field kick forcing Horgan to knock it on as he tried to climb over the Wallaby winger.

From the five-metre scrum, Australia were again penalised for poor binding and Wood opted for the line-out to keep on the pressure.

But Smith snaffled the ball, turned it over and the pressure was eventually released after Horgan had dropped a pass and wasted an Irish overlap.

Wallaby coach Jones then reshuffled his backline, bringing on winger Lote Tuqiri which meant switching Rogers into Matt Burke’s outside centre role and Roff to full-back.

Tuqiri’s first action was to be beaten in the air by Horgan as Ireland responded to the deafening noise from their supporters.

Wood burst through Gregan and when Brendan Cannon was penalised for diving over the top of Gleeson, Ireland for a scrum and after snuffing out an Australian counter-attack, O’Driscoll landed the drop goal - and it was back to a one-point game.

Cannon was forced off nursing his right arm and Jeremy Paul’s first contribution was to have his line-out stolen on Australia’s 22, but David Humphreys, by this stage on for O’Gara, slipped his drop-goal attempt wide.

And with it went the game as Australia ate up the clock by holding onto the ball to the whistle.