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Following their previous underwhelming showing against the Japanese team, the head coach challenged his Irish team to improve their performance.

The team responded right away.

The Irish side had faded late against New Zealand and required most of the match to get going versus their Asian opponents.

Nevertheless, against the Wallabies, they began strongly, with Mack Hansen shining brightest during a 46-19 victory that represented the team's best display of the season.

Making his debut international appearance at the number 15 position, Hansen registered a hat-trick, competed brilliantly for aerial challenges and performed outstandingly against the nation of his origin.

"Look, I've had a fairly challenging period with fitness issues honestly," the athlete stated.

"I missed being in this squad, I know there's considerable discussion about me not necessarily being raised here and I didn't grow up here, but I love this team and this feels like home.

"Whenever I get to represent for Ireland it's a privilege, if you fail to deliver a performance you might not get that privilege again.

"My whole approach this period was to take the field and perform what I can do."

Manager declared: 'Excellent athletes require no excuses'

After 28 appearances on the wing, Hansen was given the number 15 role for the initial time with multiple players injured.

For him, it was simply a case of picking up where he finished during the summer.

The 28-year-old had been in superb condition before injury disrupted his aspiration of joining the international team.

After returned last month, he developed a lower body injury that ruled him out for previous matches.

The coach had suggested that the player was particularly motivated and these proved not empty words as the former provincial player gave his manager a positive team dilemma for future games.

"Well my first thoughts were, 'You need to play well in those different colored shoes!'," commented the coach, alluding to the player's decision to wear mismatched boots.

"Actually I thought that was fitting but it seems Mack just made that personally anyway. So he's attracted attention to himself before he's even begun.

"I told to him before the game, 'Good players don't need excuses, they can perform and just be themselves, you can win the player of the game if you choose,' and he went, 'Yeah, I agree.'

"Therefore he's that kind of player, he trains well, he's got a great attitude to get across his detail and thus that's why he slotted right into the team and he was capable to perform naturally due to that."

The player's performance also received praise from the rival manager, who remarked he was the "standout Australian player" on the night.

"I thought he was super, his experience showed to the front," commented the former national manager.

"Unfortunately, Hansen was likely the best opposition performer on the field. He's has a great ability and he's such a good competitor."

Pressed about what enables the player a good fit at full-back, the coach added: "Showing up in the center of the pitch is something that he does from the flank anyway, but I imagine he's better in position for that frequently.

"The player's aerial play was brilliant, don't you think? I thought we persisted of doing the correct approach and that was placing the ball again on them to gain territory.

"The reason that was the right strategy to do is because it's the players of Hansen who was getting the balls back, and other teammates, so [it's] pretty satisfying."

Beyond the star performer, there were multiple positives for the coach.

Another player was outstanding on his return to the number 10 jersey, the scrum and line-out operated effectively and another teammate did not appear out of place in his first appearance in the forwards.

But perhaps most satisfying for Farrell was Ireland bookending the match with two impressive periods.

Hansen's first couple of scores came in the first 11 moments while other players scored in the final exchanges after the opposition had scored, ensuring the Irish side concluded on a positive note.

"I thought we truly let ourselves go and approached the match right from the word go," stated Farrell.

"The way we managed numerous aspects throughout the match, particularly them responding just before the break and reorganizing ourselves and giving a display like we achieved in the later stages, I believed as far as territory and being across the majority of our strategy in that later period was really satisfying."

The strength of South Africa are awaiting for the team, in what might be considered as an unofficial conclusion to the previous season's tied multiple match series on opposition soil.

Farrell's team will need to reach a higher level to beat the back-to-back world champions, but the recent defeat of the Australian team was a significant advancement in the correct path after an disappointing beginning to their autumn schedule.