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Michael Hooper was delighted with the way Australia executed their game plan as they beat Ireland 18-9 in Brisbane on Saturday.
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Ireland led until the final 10 minutes in the first Test, but the Wallabies, having stayed in touching distance, secured victory through a David Pocock try.
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Captain Hooper acknowledged that Australia had prepared for such circumstances, knowing that Ireland would be on top, and were happy to have earned the win.
“We’re stoked. We knew they would throw a lot of pressure at us,” he told FOX Sports. “They had a lot of ball in that first half. We managed to withstand that and play a good game plan to get out of it.”
He added: “Now we get to work out a bit more about ourselves. We’ve only had six days together and that was a pleasing start, just with attitude – we got that win through attitude.”
Full-time and your #Wallabies have beaten @IrishRugby, 18-9.
An epic contest to kick off the Mitsubishi Estate Ireland Series!#AUSvIRL #GoldBlooded
— Wallabies (@wallabies) June 9, 2018
And Ireland skipper Peter O’Mahony felt Australia’s physical approach was key to their victory.
“Every Test match we play against each other, there’s always incredible intensity and physicality. I thought it was the same again,” he said.
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“Credit to Australia. They came out on top in a lot of the physical battles.”
