Mack Hansen’s hat trick spurs Ireland to a record 46-19 win over Australia

DUBLIN (AP) – Mack Hansen bagged three tries in the first half-hour Saturday to give Ireland impetus towards a record 46-19 win over Australia which left the Wallabies with only one win from four matches on its Autumn tour.

Starting at fullback for the first time, Canberra-born Hansen scored after only six minutes, again in the 11th and then in the 28th as Ireland opened a 19-7 lead.

Australia claimed tries through center Len Ikitau and backrower Fraser McReight to cut the lead to 19-14 at halftime, a margin which belied Ireland’s superiority.

Flyhalf Sam Prendergast kicked a drop goal in the 56th to extend Ireland’s lead to eight points.

The drop goal has come back into fashion after England flyhalf George Ford kicked two in a 33-19 win over New Zealand earlier Saturday.

Prendergast’s replacement Jack Crowley kicked a penalty in the 61st which stretched Ireland’s lead to 25-14.

Then Hansen won Crowley’s kick in the air over James O’Connor and carried strongly in an attack which led to a try for captain Caelan Doris.

Australia finished with 14 men after replacement lock Nick Frost received a yellow card for head contact in a tackle, but managed a late try to Billy Pollard, again from strong close-range play.

Ireland closed out the match with tries by Ryan Baird, who ran a good angle close to the line to breach the defense, and Robbie Henshaw, who scored after cross kicks from Crowley and Gibson-Park.

“That’s the pleasure of playing in this team. I just had to pick the ball up and literally run over the line,” Hansen said. “I didn’t have to do very much because everyone is doing their jobs for me, which makes it easier for me.

“I’ve had a pretty average run with injuries. I miss being in this team. I wasn’t born here and didn’t grow up here but this feels like home.”

Hansen’s first two tries were almost carbon copies. The first began with a tapped penalty by scrumhalf Jamieson Gibson-Park. After probing the short side, Ireland went wide and quick hands created a gap for Hansen, who scored under the posts.

Hansen’s second began when winger James Lowe picked up and drove Australia fullback Max Jorgenson back over his own goalline. From the scrum, Prendergast looped center Henshaw and fired a pass to Hansen who scored under the bar.

The third came when Prendergast cross-kicked for winger Tommy O’Brien, dragging the Australia defense wide. O’Brien spilled the ball backwards and Hansen picked it up and dashed through a gap in the drifting defense to score.

The tries were examples of Ireland’s clinical finishing inside Australia’s 22: three tries from five visits at that stage of the match.

Australia was less precise inside Ireland’s red zone. Two lineout turnovers inside the 22 were costly errors. The Australia backline struggled for combinations in the face of Ireland’s rush defense and the Wallabies were pressured by the kicking of Prendergast and Jamieson-Park.

Australia scored twice in the first half from concerted phase play close to Ireland’s line, the first from a well-executed lineup. The Wallabies retained possession and Ikitau showed power to take a narrow gap close to the upright.

McReight scored immediately before halftime after 10 phases of determined one-off running.

The first 15 minutes of the second half were inconclusive as both sides made handling errors after a brief period of rain. But Ireland began to build an advantage of possession from which Prendergast’s drop goal was the first reward.

Crowley’s penalty and Doris’s try made Ireland’s lead unassailable and after Pollard’s try, Baird and Henshaw closed out a dominant performance, giving Ireland its largest-ever win over Australia.