Australia 18 Ireland 12: Another one for Ireland to rue, another one that got away. The statistics will show that Ireland had both 61 per cent of the territory and the possession, and that only tells half the tale, for they also played more rugby and had more chances.
Ultimately though, they could have structured their game better, but played somewhat into the hands of a superior Australian defence by going too wide too often and too early, without generating more momentum closer in. In what was an ambitious if slightly giddy performance, though certainly a brave one which very nearly defied form and confidence from a traumatic year. Ireland might also have kept their heads a bit better. And, when it came to the crunch, their set-pieces weren't reliable enough.
Ireland tried several set moves, looked to offload and made quite a few of them, and played with plenty of width; actually being tackled into touch on both wings inside the first five minutes.
Yet they lacked penetration in the face of the Wallabies' fast line speed and umbrella defence - witness the amount of times Brian O'Driscoll in particular got man and ball. For all their eagerness to give the ball plenty of air and use their backs, at times they seemed almost too keen to do so.
The Wallabies, operating off slimmer rations, still looked the more potent side, not least because they did set harder targets and their backs thus worked off quicker, go-forward ball.
Wycliff Palu was the instigator in chief of this, and Robbie Deans' inclusion of George Smith ahead of Phil Waugh was vindicated by the flanker's beautifully delayed pass to release Lote Tuqiri. The winger barged through Rob Kearney, and though hauled down by Ronan O'Gara's covering tackle, passed off the deck for Berrick Barnes to score.
Undeterred, Ireland kept knocking. Shane Horgan's offload to Rory Best helped free Denis Leamy, and after superb offloading and support play by Horgan again, Shane Jennings and Jamie Heaslip took them close to the line before they swung the attack across field where Leamy's grubber for Brian O'Driscoll forced Barnes to concede the attacking throw.
All of this positive rugby was then rewarded when, off Donncha O'Callaghan's take, the pack drove Leamy over - Rory Best, amongst others, pumping his legs to great effect. O'Gara's conversion nudged Ireland ahead.
Although his running and distribution were good, O'Gara's radar wasn't its normal self in the oval-shaped ground, where, ironically, the lack of perimeter advertising didn't help. When Tuqiri countered infield off an O'Gara kick, the Wallabies swept rapidly through four phases. There still seemed nothing on when the impudent Giteau stepped inside Leamy to run hard at Paul O'Connell before a stunning left-handed offload across his body put lock James Horvill over.
Giteau extended this with a conversion and a penalty after Stephen Ferris, just on for the injured Jennings, broke too early from a scrum which Ireland had lost against the head.
Ireland came again but another sustained drive was stopped when first Peter Hynes killed ruck ball and then, risibly, John Hayes was penalised at the Irish put-in when Aussie loose-head Benn Robinson arrowed into the turf utterly un-assisted. In this, and much more, Christophe Berdos could have done better.
Toward the end of the half, O'Gara began varying his game by passing back inside. One switch and pass inside off O'Gara by Paddy Wallace in a called move finally utilised Shane Horgan's strength up the middle.
That having been done, O'Gara drew the defence and went wide for Tommy Bowe to be released up the blind side, and he in turn linked with Heaslip but the move died for lack of support and the chance of a pre-interval score went with Stringer's decision to go for a tap penalty.
After the resumption, Ireland were still asking most of the questions and doing most of the probing, but Paddy Wallace made a switch pass to O'Driscoll for a line he hadn't taken. Stirling Mortlock led the charge through, the Wallabies driving through Tommy Bowe's set-up for Leamy to force the penalty with which Giteau made it 18-7.
The Irish midfield was not always on the same wavelength, and Wallace might have passed inside to O'Driscoll after his good line outflanked the defence. Kearney beat four men in one thrilling counter-attacking run prior to Horgan's try-scoring offload to Heaslip correctly being called forward.
More chances came, and still they went abegging. O'Drisocll did brilliantly to pick off Giteau's attempted crosskick for Mortlock, but his run to the corner was covered by Barnes and his pass inside to Wallace was too low. That chance too went when the Irish scrum, at a five-metre put-in, was wheeled on the tight head side, where Tony Buckley had replaced John Hayes.
Liberal use of the bench helped keep Ireland interested and just past the hour Leamy made a stunning catch on the run to Eoin Reddan's defensive box kick. Quick hands by Reddan and Paddy Wallace, and Kearney's half-break and offload released Bowe, who sprinted up the touchline to draw the last man before passing inside O'Driscoll. The Irish captain had to pull the ball in and was collared by Giteau, but swivelled to score his 32nd test try, injuring his hamstring in the process.
Any chance of making history though was undermined first by an overcooked throw and then a crooked dart from Jerry Flannery. The match ended, fittingly with Ireland desperately seeking the converted try which would have earned them their first away win in the southern hemisphere in 29 years and 25 attempts.
Ireland did everything they could to keep the ball alive, running on quicksand, throwing bodies which must have been nearly numb with exhaustion into rucks. They went through 18 phases, before ultimately Eoin Reddan sniped but Ferris couldn't hold on to the very difficult offload and the season ended with another defeat.
