Ireland edge Australia 33-31 in Nations Championship opener
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- Ireland beat Australia 33-31 in Sydney in the opening round of rugby's inaugural Nations Championship, completing the comeback when prop Thomas Clarkson crossed with three minutes to play.
- Australia led by five points at halftime after first-half tries from Dylan Pietsch, Jock Campbell, Josh Canham and Ryan Lonergan, then retook the lead late through replacement Tate McDermott.
- Ireland fielded a side shorn of 12 players and lost Robert Baloucoune to a hamstring issue before kickoff, yet scored five tries through Cian Prendergast, Josh van der Flier, Jamison Gibson-Park, Hugo Keenan and Clarkson.
- Referee Ben O'Keeffe disallowed Dan Sheehan's try for obstruction and declined to allow Ireland a re-attack from the resulting penalty, despite the TMO recommending a re-attack.
- Australia's Ben Donaldson missed a penalty from over 50 metres that would have stolen victory on the final kick, capping a Test where the Wallabies' lineout and overall attack repeatedly underperformed.
- Ireland stay in Australia to face Japan at Newcastle's McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday July 11, while Australia host France at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane the same day.
Why it matters: Ireland won a Test while missing 12 first-choice players, underscoring their squad depth heading into a Japan fixture next week; Australia, meanwhile, let a winnable opener slip after leading at the break — Donaldson's missed 50-metre kick and a misfiring lineout reinforcing a pattern of late-game fragility.
