Australia v Ireland, Brisbane, June 26
Ireland target elusive away win
Scrum.com
June 24, 2010
The Lansdowne Cup contested by Ireland and Australia, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia, May 10, 2010
Ireland and Australia will contest the Lansdowne Cup in Brisbane on Saturday © Getty Images
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Ireland play host to Australia on Sunday hoping to end a 31-year wait for a success in the southern hemisphere.

The tourists can boast a win and a draw in their last three meetings with the Wallabies but crucially those results came on home soil. The last time Ireland beat Australia on foreign soil - in fact beat any southern hemisphere opposition - was in 1979 when they triumphed 9-3 in Sydney to claim a 2-0 series win.

Australia hold a commanding 19-8 advantage in the all-time results and their narrow 18-12 victory in Melbourne in 2008 saw them bounce back from their shock defeat at Lansdowne Road in 2006.

The two sides have met four times on the Rugby World Cup stage - in 1987, 1991, 1999 and 2003 - with arguably their most famous meeting a classic 19-18 win for the Wallabies at Lansdowne Road in the quarter-finals of the sport's second global gathering.

The two sides are slated to meet once again at Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand.

Australia v Ireland - Match Stats:

Played: 28; Ireland won 8, Australia won 19, one match drawn

First Test: Ireland 3-5 Australia, Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland, November 12, 1927

Latest Test: Ireland 20-20 Australia, Dublin, Ireland, November 15, 2009

Ireland's biggest winning margin: 15 points - Ireland 27-12 Australia, Brisbane, Australia, June 3, 1979

Australia's biggest winning margin: 36 points - Australia 46-10 Ireland, Brisbane, Australia, June 12, 1999

Statsguru archive:

Click here for Ireland's Test record courtesy of Statsguru

Click here for Australia's Test record courtesy of Statsguru

Click here for a record of all Australia v Ireland matches courtesy of Statsguru

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