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15 Dec 2025 14:59
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  •   Home > News > Sports > Rugby

    Wallabies fall to record-breaking defeat against late-surging Ireland in Dublin, Mack Hansen scores hat-trick

    The Wallabies's losing run on their spring tour continues, as Ireland records a convincing 46-19 victory on home soil.


    The Wallabies's losing run on their spring tour continues, as Ireland recording a convincing, record-breaking 46-19 victory on home soil.

    Ireland ran in six tries, with Australia-born full back Mack Hansen scoring a first half hat-trick, to record their biggest ever winning margin against the Wallabies in Test matches.

    [PIC]

    Hansen was sublime, winning the aerial duals that Ireland — and so many other teams — have identified as a major Wallabies weakness.

    But his tries were all built off the back of sharpness of mind and play by the brilliant Jamison Gibson-Park and the impressive Sam Prendergast.

    "It feels unbelievable," Hansen, who was born in Canberra and played for the Brumbies early in his career, said.

    "Any chance to play at the Aviva in front of these fans is unbelievable and to do it in the style we did, it's obviously a good sign ahead of the Springboks.

    "I literally just had to grab the ball and run over the line, I didn't really have to do too much.

    "I wasn't necessarily born here and didn't grow up here, but this feels like home for me.

    "Any time I get to play for Ireland, it's a privilege."

    Those three tries put the Wallabies on the back foot, but Len Ikitau and Fraser McReight scored just before the break to keep the Wallabies well in touch at 19-14 down.

    But the second half was all Ireland, with Billy Pollard's late score only a consolation as the Aussies' losing run continues.

    Three Irish tries in the last 10 minutes from Caelan Doris, Ryan Baird and a show-stopper from Robbie Henshawin stoppage time, sealed a hugely impressive victory for the Irish.

    The Wallabies were still in the game late on, earning a five-metre line out with the score at 22-14 just 15 minutes remaining.

    However, that was overthrown, one of six blown line outs for the Wallabies, and the Irish took full advantage, scoring just moments later, with Nick Frost sent to the sin bin to boot.

    "I thought we showed a lot of character in that first half," skipper Harry Wilson told Stan Sport.

    "They just put it on us in the kick battle, they won the high balls, out line out wasn't functioning. It really did hurt us.

    "Saying that, 15 minutes to go, we had a line out 5 metres out, we score there it's game on but we over-threw. It's Test match footy, we've got to win those big moments.

    "It's hugely disappointing. The game was there for us.

    "It's really disappointing because we're better than that."

    Ireland has now won five straight games against the Wallabies, a new record.

    Australia has lost nine Test matches in a calendar year for just the fourth time in their history, with one more Test, against France in Paris, to come.

    Look back on how all the action unfolded in our live blog.

    [blog]

    © 2025 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

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