That breathless Wales-Australia World Cup classic this morning had enough about it to turn Saturday’s Shizuoka shocker into the realm of a bad dream.

Michael Cheika picked a fight with the World Cup organisers yesterday over their banning of Reece Hodge, adamant that Australia had been singled out for special treatment.

For weeks on end, a veritable posse of law enforcers queued up to hammer the warning home, that dangerous tackles meant instant dismissal.

Australia held off a late rally from Somoa to complete their World Cup warm-up with a 34-15 win in Parramatta.

Having seen a record win over the All Blacks followed by a 36-0 hammering by the same side, you may not be surprised to hear Michael Cheika refuse to read too much into Ireland’s Six Nations rollercoaster.

Ireland’s win over Italy at the weekend told us little about the eventual destination of the Webb Ellis trophy this year – for that you had to look to the other side of the world.

Australia have the potential to cause yet another Rugby World Cup surprise later this year in Japan, according to former New Zealand captain Richie McCaw.

Joey Carbery was only turning 12 when Stephen Larkham brought one of the great Australian careers to an end in 2007.

Munster Rugby has made an “inspired appointment” in securing the services of Wallaby legend Stephen Larkham

There will be a strange dynamic surrounding Saturday’s Guinness PRO14 semi-final between Leinster and Munster at the RDS. It’s been a difficult ten days for both Irish provinces but for different reasons.

Dig around through the entrails of Leinster’s last ten years of European triumphs and there are surprisingly few threads connecting them all.

Gordon D’Arcy remembers when angst was the daily diet in Dublin.

A good lock is hard to find.

Rugby Australia and New South Wales have said their position regarding Israel Folau is "unchanged" following a meeting with the fullback.

Israel Folau faces an uncertain future in sport after it was announced his Australia and New South Wales contracts are set to be terminated due to discriminatory remarks made on social media.

Scott Johnson started work yesterday, as the Australian Rugby Union’s director of rugby, charged with overseeing Wallabies’ coach Michael Cheika and helping to restore the sport and its national team to former glories in an increasingly difficult sporting landscape for the code Down Under.

Question marks may remain over his hamstring ahead of Saturday’s Champions Cup quarter-final against Edinburgh but there is no doubting Joey Carbery’s allegiance to Munster with confirmation yesterday that the out-half has signed a two-year contract extension that will see him remain with the province until June 2022.

“He’s been a part of the most successful transformation of recent times of a national side.”

South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus had exaggeratedly suggested he could be looking for a new job if his side had lost to the All Blacks on Saturday, instead a 36-34 win showed his team were moving the right way towards next year’s Rugby World Cup.

“Wouldn’t it be great if it was like this all the time?”

Donal Lenihan looks at three areas Ireland need to master to win the series in Australia.

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.

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

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

Michael Cheika still adores Johnny Sexton and the Leinster veterans he coached to a Heineken Cup victory in 2009 but the love-in with a player he calls “the maestro” will have to go on hold tomorrow as Australia attempt to close out their Test series with Ireland.

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.

To most rugby fans in Ireland he was the Wallabies’ debutant hooker, an emergency selection for Michael Cheika after the first three in line fell by the wayside.

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.

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

Michael Cheika saunters into the high school hall at Kelvin State College in the Brisbane suburbs looking wonderfully relaxed in a Wallabies polo shirt and jeans.

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.

Peter O’Mahony will resume the Ireland captaincy for the first time since November 2016 this morning, urging his team to pick up where they left off when beating England at Twickenham to clinch the Grand Slam.

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.

There will be no sentiment when Australia fly-half Bernard Foley locks horns once again with Ireland on Saturday bidding for a first victory over the old country at the third attempt.

Will Genia has learned to his cost the dangers of underestimating Ireland and the Australia scrum-half believes the next generation of Wallabies are at no risk of making the same mistake as he did at the 2011 World Cup.

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt expects the full complement of 32 players to train tomorrow on Queensland’s Gold Coast as the Grand Slam winners begin preparations for Saturday’s opening Test against Australia.

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.