diff --git a/WHATSNEW b/WHATSNEW
index 79dec794f..cc13a8fda 100644
--- a/WHATSNEW
+++ b/WHATSNEW
@@ -67,6 +67,9 @@ Fixed bugs:
    when Ant is used via its Java API.
    Bugzilla Report 51161
 
+ * <sync> only supported a single non-fileset resource collection even
+   though the manual said it could be multiple.
+
 Other changes:
 --------------
 
diff --git a/manual/Tasks/sync.html b/manual/Tasks/sync.html
index b1f77c580..1d34aeef5 100644
--- a/manual/Tasks/sync.html
+++ b/manual/Tasks/sync.html
@@ -98,8 +98,7 @@ dir, it will get removed from the target.</p>
 
 <h4>fileset or any other resource collection</h4>
 <p><a href="../Types/resources.html#collection">Resource
-Collection</a>s are used to select groups of files to copy.  To use a
-resource collection, the <code>todir</code> attribute must be set.</p>
+Collection</a>s are used to select groups of files to copy.</p>
 <p>Prior to Ant 1.7 only <code>&lt;fileset&gt;</code> has been
 supported as a nested element.</p>
 
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Sync.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Sync.java
index 8f7ade95f..1f7210ae1 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Sync.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Sync.java
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ import org.apache.tools.ant.types.FileSet;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.types.PatternSet;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.types.Resource;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.types.ResourceCollection;
+import org.apache.tools.ant.types.resources.Resources;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.types.resources.Restrict;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.types.resources.selectors.Exists;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.types.selectors.FileSelector;
@@ -65,6 +66,7 @@ public class Sync extends Task {
     private SyncTarget syncTarget;
 
     private Restrict resources = null;
+    private Resources nestedResources = null;
 
     // Override Task#init
     /**
@@ -401,9 +403,10 @@ public class Sync extends Task {
             if (resources == null) {
                 resources = new Restrict();
                 resources.add(new Exists());
+                resources.add(nestedResources = new Resources());
                 myCopy.add(resources);
             }
-            resources.add(rc);
+            nestedResources.add(rc);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/sync-test.xml b/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/sync-test.xml
index 821a95603..e6b202a3d 100644
--- a/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/sync-test.xml
+++ b/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/sync-test.xml
@@ -142,4 +142,13 @@
     <au:assertFileDoesntExist file="${output}/d"/>
   </target>
 
+  <!-- really only tests no exception is thrown -->
+  <target name="testCanAddMultipleResources" depends="setUp"
+          description="https://issues.apache.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=51462">
+    <sync todir="${output}">
+      <file file="${input}/x"/>
+      <file file="${input}/y"/>
+    </sync>
+  </target>
+
 </project>