Deans assesses his opener

New Australia coach Robbie Deans admitted his relief after his side survived a second-half fightback from Ireland to record a 18-12 win in Melbourne on Saturday.

New Australia coach Robbie Deans admitted his relief after his side survived a second-half fightback from Ireland to record a 18-12 win in Melbourne on Saturday.

The Wallabies raced into an 18-7 lead shortly after half-time but Ireland dominated possession in the match and a late Brian O'Driscoll try ensured the home team had to endure a tense finale before completing victory.

“I'm happy with the win but the performance wasn't flawless,” said the New Zealander.

“The Irish asked a lot of us, they put us under pressure but the guys hung in there well. It was never going to be perfect first up.

“I was essentially pretty pleased with some of the character shown in closing it out.

“You've got to work hard for Test wins and you don't get home without earning it. We created pressure, just lacked a little bit of cohesion.”

Australia captain Stirling Mortlock also admitted that his side were far from the finished article.

“We've been a little bit scrappy,” he said.

“You can't take anything away from Ireland.

“We seem to have little bit of an issue coming out slow after half-time.”