A strange way to end a surreal season
It’s against this surreal background that Ireland hope this morning (11am kick off Irish time) for a first test win on southern hemisphere soil since an Ollie Campbell-inspired Irish side defeated Australia in two Tests in 1979.
The team’s build-up has been far from ideal this week. For the past two days, they’ve had to prepare on a council ground, facilities Michael Bradley described yesterday as “adequate”. But players said the ground was “poor” and “like concrete” though the temporary coach explained the field hasn’t been fed enough water because of water shortages and a drought in the area in the last four years. On top of that, the team were unable to schedule a run-out inside the oval shaped Telstra Dome because it was been lined and prepared for an AFL game between Essendon and West Coast, played last night.
For someone like Brian O’Driscoll, who was in captivating form here in Ireland’s 2003 World Cup pool match against Australia, these are small distractions and the Irish captain, looking relaxed and upbeat at the eve-of-match press conference yesterday, is confident that if Ireland can put in an 80 minute performance, they “expect to win”.
Yet, such shiny optimism may be asking a lot of a group that has been on the road for 12 months, but have all this week played down issues of player fatigue.
The Australians, meanwhile, are just beginning their Test season and while they looked sharp and hungry working this week under their new coaching ticket of Robbie Deans and Jim Williams, their captain Stirling Mortlock pointed out that the Wallabies will need time to gel together as a team. It may be that Ireland could catch them cold, a team which itself is in transition and has just 10 starters from the loss to England in last October’s World Cup in their side. “You’d be a little bit silly to think that we’re going to go out tomorrow night and play a complete game of football,” Mortlock admitted yesterday.
“We’ve got a number of guys having their first cap and likewise a lot of new combinations so we go into the game knowing full well that we’ll probably be a little bit rusty.”
Ireland resemble a more settled side and, after their heroics against the All Blacks, are a more battle-hardened outfit than today’s opponents. Combinations at front row, lock, and half back are also more proven and more experienced than Australia’s and Shane Jennings’ introduction to the back row in place of the injured David Wallace (calf strain) will not unduly unbalance an area of strength on the Ireland side.
A lot of talk this week in the Australian press has centred around the new Luke Burgess-Matt Giteau half back axis. Burgess is a rookie though Giteau, the top earner in union in Australia — he earns 915,000 a season with the Western Force — is assuming a greater leadership role under new coach Robbie Deans and even sought out Wallaby legend George Gregan several times last year to discuss leadership. A versatile player, he’s also exciting if unpredictable and has been nominated as well to take the place kicks for the Australians. Outside him is Berrick Barnes, who played at out-half at the World Cup, and all in all nine, 10 and 12 offer a lot in terms of creativity.
Brian O’Driscoll says that Ireland team intend to have a go: “That’s the way everyone wants to send the season off,” the Ireland captain said. “The boys didn’t really enjoy the conditions last weekend. From a backs point of view and a handling point of view, there’s a style we’re very capable of playing and the closed roof and conditions will suit both teams.”
He added: “I look forward to the 13 on 13 contest with Mortlock but with Giteau and Barnes — they are good playmakers. Stirling runs some great lines and he’s a good off-loader of the ball so we’ll have our work cut out. But we’re quietly confident that we’ll cause them problems as well. We’ve got two good playmakers in Rog (O’Gara) and Paddy (Wallace) and hopefully I’ll be able to run a line or two.”
It will be close and Ireland will play for the 80 minutes, but Australia should edge it.
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