“I don’t think Conor or I were thinking we’d go on to face each other in test rugby.”

Ireland signed off from their Grand Slam season with one last high as they edged a tense decider 20-16 in Sydney to claim a first series win in Australia since 1979.

Michael Cheika made two changes to Australia’s starting side for the final game of the series with Ireland as he announced his Wallabies matchday squad on his old stomping ground at Randwick yesterday.

Joe Schmidt will start Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony at openside flanker for his 50th Test cap in Saturday’s series-decider against Australia after shuffling his options to deal with injuries.

It is the exhaustive work required to secure those points, with tries even harder to come by, that leave Ireland exposed, says Donal Lenihan.

Three key areas Ireland need to address to keep series alive, writes Donal Lenihan

Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony has echoed head coach Joe Schmidt’s calls for better discipline when the Six Nations champions meet Australia.

If ever there was a microcosm of the battle for hearts and minds in Australian sport, then today’s fare is it.

Joe Schmidt has turned to Niall Scannell as the hooker to tighten up Ireland’s scrummaging power for the must-win second Test against Australia at AAMI Park tomorrow morning.

Dan Leavy has a face you don’t want to argue with. Every crease, crevice, and scar speaks of a personality which doesn’t take a backward step, neither physically or metaphorically. 

When you put in the type of performance David Pocock delivered against Ireland last weekend, it becomes a little difficult to comprehend the Australian back-rower believed taking his one-year sabbatical from the game was something of a career risk.

Andy Farrell is hoping the pain of defeat to Australia will reveal the size of Ireland’s heart for the battles ahead on this tour Down Under.

Australia 18 Ireland 9

This group of Irish players has made a habit of rewriting history over the course of the last few seasons, whether it has been beating New Zealand for the first time or recording a rare Grand Slam as they did in Twickenham back in March.

This time last year, David Pocock was working on a farm in his native Zimbabwe, taking a break from rugby and relying on his cousin to text him with Wallabies updates.

Joe Schmidt was left to rue “skinny” margins as his Ireland side experienced defeat for the first time in 15 months.

If Ireland were under any illusions about how tough the defensive challenge that awaits them at Suncorp Stadium this morning will be in this opening Test against Australia, then listening to Wallabies captain Michael Hooper yesterday will have removed any doubt.

Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony has backed fly-half Joey Carbery to take the huge opportunity handed to the 22-year-old when he starts the first Test against Australia on Saturday morning.

Michael Cheika may not have envied Joe Schmidt the task of telling Johnny Sexton he would be watching tomorrow’s kick-off at Suncorp Stadium from the bench but the man who made the call had no hesitation in handing Joey Carbery Ireland’s No. 10 jersey.

Crusaders flanker Peter Samu has been cleared to debut for the Wallabies against Ireland but that good news is offset by the loss of hooker Jordan Uelese to a knee injury, likely for the rest of the season.

The ACT Brumbies have defied Australia coach Michael Cheika by naming David Pocock, Scott Sio and Allan Alaalatoa in their team for tomorrow’s Super Rugby match against the Sunwolves.

ACT Brumbies back row Pete Samu is the standout absentee from Michael Cheika’s Wallabies squad — which features five uncapped players — to face Ireland in the forthcoming June Test series

“It’s not going to be an issue, because it’s not going to be ongoing. You can interpret it how you like.”

Eddie Jones was the one Australian everyone wanted to hear from after Ireland dispensed with his England side so seamlessly at Twickenham last week, but it would have been interesting to mine the thoughts of his compatriot Michael Cheika, who was among the 82,062 souls looking on from the stands, writes Brendan O’Brien.

England overcame an alarming start to register a record-equalling 14th successive victory by beating Australia at Twickenham.

With three wins, including a first over New Zealand, November has been a hugely encouraging month for Joe Schmidt and Irish rugby in general. So what were the major discussion points?

Brendan O’Brien picks out the major turning points from Ireland’s battling win.

You can picture the scene at half-time. Organised chaos.

Joe Schmidt believes the intervention of World Rugby referees’ chief Alain Rolland will help prevent a repeat of the controversies that marred Ireland’s rematch with New Zealand last weekend.

Australia’s back-row strength sets up an epic battle, writes Brendan O’Brien.

Josh van der Flier could have kept mum but that would have meant surrendering to 36 hours or so of mental torture until the inevitable moment when Joe Schmidt stopped the tape and zeroed in on his botched offload deep in the New Zealand 22.

Australia cruised to a 12th successive victory over woeful Wales as they ran their hosts ragged at the Principality Stadium.

Leigh Halfpenny will make his eagerly-awaited Test match return tomorrow when Wales host opening autumn opponents Australia.

Be warned, it's not for the faint-hearted.

He may be on the All Blacks’ watchlist but if Joe Schmidt does decide to return to New Zealand when his contract expires 12 months from now, the Ireland head coach will likely do so for more personal reasons.

IT HAS been some week for rugby. In a period overshadowed by the terrorist attacks that has put all in France and beyond on high alert, the postponement of Munster’s Champions Cup game in Paris was absolutely necessary.

Sport is often littered with ham-fisted hyperbole — but Richie McCaw bucks the trend as a rugby superstar who deserves every ounce of praise lavished upon him.