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After last week's underwhelming showing against the Japanese team, Andy Farrell told his Ireland team to improve their performance.

The team responded right away.

The Irish side had struggled in the final stages against the All Blacks and required most of the match to find their rhythm versus their Asian opponents.

Nevertheless, facing Australia, they started powerfully, with Mack Hansen excelling brightest during a comprehensive victory that represented Ireland's best performance of the season.

In his debut test match start at full-back, the player registered a hat-trick, contested excellently for aerial challenges and played exceptionally against the nation of his birth.

"You know, I've experienced a pretty challenging run with injuries really," Hansen commented.

"I missed being in this team, I know there's much talk about me not necessarily being raised here and I didn't grow up here, but I adore this group and this feels like home.

"Any time I have to represent for Ireland it's a privilege, if you fail to deliver a performance you may not get that opportunity again.

"My whole focus this week was to go out and do what I could do."

Manager declared: 'Good athletes require no justifications'

After twenty-eight appearances on the flank, Hansen was entrusted the number 15 role for the first time with multiple players unavailable.

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

The experienced player had been in excellent form before injury ended his aspiration of joining the Test team.

Having returned last month, he developed a foot problem that ruled him out for earlier matches.

Farrell had suggested that the player was particularly motivated and these turned out to be not empty statements as the ex- provincial player gave his manager a positive selection headache for future matches.

"Well my initial thoughts were, 'You better play well in those two colored shoes!'," said the coach, alluding to Hansen's choice to sport different boots.

"In fact I believed that was appropriate but apparently Hansen just made that himself anyway. So he's drawn attention to himself before he's even begun.

"I said to him before the match, 'Excellent players require no justifications, they can get on with it and just play naturally, you can win the man of the match if you choose,' and he responded, 'Yeah, I agree.'

"So he's that type of player, he prepares thoroughly, he's has a excellent attitude to understand his preparation and so that's why he slotted straight into the team and he was able to be himself due to that."

Hansen's efforts also earned commendation from the opposing manager, who stated he was the "exceptional Australian performer" on the night.

"In my view he was super, his experience was evident to the fore," commented the ex- national manager.

"Unfortunately, Mack was likely the standout opposition performer on the field. He's got a great skillset and he's such a good competitor."

Pressed about what makes the player a strong fit at full-back, the coach added: "Showing up in the middle of the field is something that he demonstrates from the flank anyway, but I suppose he's more in place for that frequently.

"The player's high ball work was brilliant, don't you think? I believed we persisted of doing the correct thing and that was putting the ball back on them to gain field position.

"Why that was the correct strategy to do is because it's the players of Hansen who was securing the possessions returned, and other players, so [it's] pretty satisfying."

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

Sam Prendergast was excellent on his return to the number 10 position, the set piece and throw-in operated smoothly and different teammate did not appear out of place in his debut appearance in the front row.

But perhaps most satisfying for Farrell was the team framing the game with multiple strong periods.

The player's first couple of scores came in the opening 11 minutes while additional players scored in the closing exchanges after the opposition had crossed, guaranteeing the Irish team concluded on a high.

"I thought we really let ourselves go and approached the match right from the word go," said the coach.

"How we managed various aspects during the match, especially the opposition responding just before half-time and reorganizing ourselves and giving a display like we did in the later stages, I thought as far as field position and being familiar with the majority of our strategy in that second half was truly satisfying."

The strength of South Africa are awaiting for the team, in what could be viewed as an unofficial decider to the previous season's tied multiple match series on rival soil.

Farrell's team will need to reach a higher level to defeat the consecutive world champions, but the recent defeat of the Australian team was a important advancement in the correct path after an disappointing start to their fall campaign.