Head coach Andy Farrell gave his thoughts after Saturday’s 33-31 win over Australia in the opening match of the Nations Championship.
On the match: “That was some game, especially for the neutral!
“Some fantastic tries and I thought Australia were awesome in the first half and we needed to come to the party a little bit more. I think we did that after the break. We put them under pressure but could not convert it.
“There were some big moment for us. Hugo Keenan’s tackle, he deserves something special when you are fighting like that. Then, Sam Prendergast to have the calmness to convert that try.”
On Ireland’s reaction in second half: “We talk about character all the time and how we are going to make each other feel and not just that, but the thousands of Ireland fans that were here- how are you going to make them feel?
“For us to come out the other side of this match is very pleasing as Australia played really well.
“The best thing about the match is we got over the line, but there is plenty to do and plenty to work on.”
On Japan: “We tend to regroup really quickly.
“This whole experience coming here, half of our team have never been to the southern hemisphere before, so it is priceless for what is coming up.”
Hugo Keenan was awarded player of the match after an impressive display and praised Ireland’s resilience.
On the win: “It was so tight and so intense, a proper Test match.
“We [were] asked to make the thousands in green proud and I think that is exactly what we did. We never gave up and dug in deep.”
On Australia: “It came down to a kick so hard luck to Australia, they were really unlucky and it could have gone either way
“Australia have some incredible ball carriers and unbelievable threats at the breakdown. They are a top quality side.”
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