Ireland have beaten Australia 26-23 in the Aviva Stadium this evening. Tries from Simon Zebo and Tommy Bowe plus six successful kicks by Johnny Sexton made amends for last year's dismantling at the hands of the same opposition.
Early signs indicated it could have been a very pleasant evening for the Irish, who were 17 points ahead within 15 minutes - thanks to tries from Zebo and Bowe.
However, Australia quickly made a comeback, and with five minutes left in the first-half they had equalised. A Bernard Foley try raised eyebrows and went to TMO, but it was allowed.
Australia briefly managed to sneak ahead with a penalty from Foley, but a Sexton kick meant both teams went into the second half with 20 points each.
The second half started tense, and it was Sexton and Foley again with three points apiece. And it was a Sexton penalty again that restored Ireland's lead in the 63rd minute.
A superb defensive effort from the Irish in the last 15 minutes saw the game out with Australia unable to breach the lines while the home side crucially dominated in the scrum throughout the closing minutes.
This brings to an end a very successful Autumn Series for Joe Schmidt's side, having also secured wins over South Africa and Georgia.
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