Ireland v Australia: Autumn Nations Series – live

Key events

8 min: The Wallabies hooker Porecki is penalised again, this time with Ireland in possession, for not rolling away. Ireland will kick for the posts.

6 min: We remain scoreless after that early let-off for Ireland. Andy Farrell’s men have some ball in the Australian half. Jimmy O’Brien injects some pace for Ireland in midfield, and Hansen has a glimpse of space on the right wing. He puts in a grubber kick but cannot recover it and the Wallabies’ defending is solid.

4 min: Disallowed try for Australia! White is over the try-line having spotted a gap. But the referee asks the TMO for a look at a potential neck roll by a Porecki on Van der Flier … and the score is duly chalked off.

3 min: A break in play, already, due to an injury worry for the Wallabies now.

3 min: Some early ball in the Ireland half for the Wallabies. The work through some phases in a central position towards the hosts’ 22. The ref takes it back for a penalty after playing advantage.

Sexton suffered a calf injury in the warm-up, we are told.

First half kick-off!

The Wallabies get us started.

It’s 8C in Dublin. Commentator says that’s cold. I guess it is, a bit.

It’s anthem time. Ireland’s Call, and everything.

John McEnerney is laughing off Twitter’s supposed demise, and has sent me another tweet, reacting to Sexton’s injury:

@LukeMcLaughlin Sexton out, huge! The Wallabies will be all over Crowley like a rash right from the off! The big leaders Ireland have will have to take it to another level without Sexton to drive them around the park. Massive test of character for Ireland

— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) November 19, 2022

Feeling upbeat, Ireland fans? You can email me.

There is a moment of silence for Jerry Holland, the former Munster player and head coach, and Ireland international, who died this week.

Fly-half Sexton ruled out for Ireland

Jack Crowley starts at No 10 for Ireland.

A tweet from the IRFU says Sexton is injured.

Peter O’Mahony will captain Ireland in Sexton’s absence.

Amazon Prime recently aired an interview with the Canberra-born Mack Hansen, who gets a crack at playing the country of his birth this evening.

John McEnerney, over on crisis social media website Twitter, is excited for this one:

@LukeMcLaughlin Ireland need 2 have this sown up before ‘Smasher Skelton’enters the fray, he’s done damage 2 Leinster a few times & cost James Ryan a Lions Tour. High intensity, Boltesque line speed, no handling errors & Sextons your uncle! November Nights in Dublin gotta love it

— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) November 19, 2022

Match reports from earlier – Georgia’s enormous win against Wales, and Scotland’s victory against Argentina:

Teams

Eight changes for Ireland, including J Sexton returning at fly-half and Gibson-Park alongside him at No 9.

Ireland: Keenan; Hansen, Ringrose, McCloskey, J O’Brien; Sexton, Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong, Beirne, Ryan, O’Mahony, Van der Flier, Doris. Replacements: Herring, Healy, Bealham, McCarthy, Conan, Casey, Crowley, Aki

For the Wallabies, Mark Nawaqanitawase is retained on the right wing after his debut against Italy and Andrew Kellaway shifts to full-back, at the expense of Jock Campbell. The lock Nick Frost is back in after withdrawing soon before the Italy loss.

Australia: Kellaway; Nawaqanitawase, Ikitau, Paisami, Wright; Foley, White; Slipper, Porecki, Alaalatoa, Frost, Neville, Holloway, Hooper, Valetini. Replacements: Fainga’a, Robertson, Tupou, Skelton, Samu, Gordon, Lolesio, Petaia

Over at Twickenham, England have hit back to draw with New Zealand, 25-25, having trailed by 14 points at half-time:

Michael Aylwin

Michael Aylwin

A clean sweep of the southern-hemisphere “giants” in the same calendar year is Ireland’s for the taking this weekend if they can beat Australia in Dublin. And it is testament to the changing face of international rugby that it would not even be for the first time. They managed it in 2016.

Preamble

If Ireland win tonight, they’ll have beaten all three southern hemisphere superpowers this calendar year. Irish fans of a certain age are well aware that autumn wins in the season preceding the World Cup only mean so much – but there is no question that Andy Farrell’s men are building momentum very nicely for next year’s showpiece in France.

Australia’s three matches in this Autumn Nations Series, meanwhile, have all been settled by a point: they saw off Scotland 16-15 last month before suffering one-point defeats by France and last week, for the first time, by Italy.

Can Ireland add the Wallabies to their 2022 ‘wins’ column? We’re about to find out.

Kick-off: 8pm

source: theguardian.com