Ireland’s Andy Farrell has claimed he is looking at the bigger picture, despite the team feeling sorry for themselves after their narrow win over Australia on Saturday.
The Wallabies and Ireland played out a tense contest in which Ireland won 22-19, edging them out in the final moments.
Australia ended the first half 13-5 up, but tries from Caelan Doris and a late effort from Gus McCarthy in the 78th minute meant that Ireland ended the series on a high note.
However, the first half contained several handling errors, along with issues in the lineout—a recurring problem throughout their Autumn Nations Series.
Farrell, speaking after the game, acknowledged there were enough errors to lose matches but praised the team for bouncing back from the tough conditions they created for themselves.
“We had enough possession and territory to win the game twice over in the first half,” Farrell said to reporters after the game
“We were feeling sorry for ourselves, but you have no right to think that everything will go your way the whole time and that it’ll be all singing and dancing. We got over ourselves and came back strong.”
“The big picture of the game is that I’m proud of the win. It was hard-fought against some adversity, so I’m delighted to get the win.”
Farrell’s next task will be managing the British & Irish Lions in the summer. He will now hand the Irish reins over to assistant coach Simon Easterby, who will also lead the team in the Six Nations this spring.
When asked how he felt about leaving the Ireland squad, Farrell admitted it was business as usual.
“I’ve no emotion, honestly. The only thing that matters is this autumn, but there is a bit of planning that needs to be done,” he added.
Ireland’s 2025 Six Nations fixtures are as follows: they face England at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, on Saturday, 1st February, with a 4:45pm kick-off.
They then take on Scotland at the Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, on Sunday, 9th February, at 3:00pm. After this, they play Wales at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff, on Saturday, 22nd February, at 2:15pm, before hosting France at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, on Saturday, 8th March, at 2:15pm.
They finish the tournament against Italy at Stadio Olimpico, Rome, on Saturday, 15th March, with a 2:15pm kick-off.