Australia have advanced to the quarter-finals of the Perth SVNS despite a tough 19-10 defeat to Ireland.
The Aussies capitalise on their losing bonus point against the USA, finishing as the highest ranked third place time ahead of Spain and New Zealand on points difference.
Don’t miss HSBC SVNS Perth in 2024: 26-28 January at HBF Park. Get your tickets now!
This sets up a rematch with the USA, who defeated John Manenti's side in extra-time after the Aussies took a 14-0 lead.
"We've got a clear understanding on how we want to play at the moment, we're not just transferring it onto the pitch at the moment," captain Nick Malouf said after the game.
"It's frustrating in the fact we know what we're capable of and it's not quite marrying up at the moment.
"Anything can happen here and we've got a chance to finally put it out on the pitch and we're looking forward to that this afternoon.
The Aussies were once again forced to chase the game once again, needing a miraculous try-saver from Malouf to prevent a certain Irish try.
This allowed Australia to build pressure against Ireland’s defence, which had stepped up across the weekend.
They struggled to break through before taking advantage of an overthrown lineout to put Darby Lancaster over for the opener.
However, Ireland remained calm and wore Australia down after the siren to allow Jordan Conroy over for the two-point half-time lead.
They pushed out their lead after the break thanks to some perfectly timed counter-rucking to set up Terry Kennedy.
Kennedy’s second put the game out of reach as the Aussies couldn’t mount any real attack until Henry Palmer's late try with seconds remaining.
Ireland will face France in the quarter-finals as the Australians turn their attention to the Americans.
"They've been playing well so it's a great challenge for us. We had a taste of them day one so we'll see how we go day two," Malouf added.
