Ireland's move to the next level may be delayed
On the face of it there should be only one winner but it won’t be as simple that for Declan Kidney’s team. There is massive pressure on them, not just because there are glaring question marks surrounding the match fitness and general form of several players in key positions but also because they have a major point to make.
Succeed against Australia and they go a long way to proving that they are worthy Six Nations grand slam champions and deserve their fourth place in the world rankings. Fail again at the hands of the weakest of the three Southern Hemisphere countries and critics will be well entitled to cast a few derisive glances in this direction.
The consensus is that this will be a very tight game between an under-achieving but clearly very talented Australian team with a huge amount to play for and a proven but ageing Irish side without a match together since last March. On top of that, you have 36- year-old John Hayes – the only tight head prop in Ireland’s 22 – set to go the full 80 minutes in his first competitive outing for six weeks and hooker Jerry Flannery, who has been similarly restricted.
Indeed, given that John Fogarty was yesterday brought from Belfast to Dublin in case the Munsterman’s calf injury remains problematical suggests he must be a slightly doubtful starter.
The Irish front-row is completed by a 22-year-old new cap in Cian Healy. From what we have seen so far, there should be no reason to worry for the highly promising Leinster loose head. However, he is still very much on the youthful side for the demands of this position and totally unproven at this exalted level of the game. Moreover, should Flannery fail to make it, then another newcomer, 23-year-old Sean Cronin, will fill the gap.
Much will depend on how they stand up to the test set by the Aussie trio of Benn Robinson of the Waratahs and the Brumbies pair Stephen Moore and Ben Alexander. The Wallabies scrum has struggled in recent seasons and been targeted especially by New Zealand and South Africa. But they showed signs against England last week that this could in fact be developing into an area of strength for the side.
Although coach Robbie Deans and his assistant Jim Williams, formerly of Munster, won’t agree, there seems to be solid foundation for the view that they have at least one eye on the World Cup in two years’ time. They are fortunate in having the strength in depth to consider such a strategy and are confident that in James Horwill and Mark Chisholm, they have an up and coming pair of second-row forwards capable of putting it up to the highly rated Irish second-row of Paul O’Connell and Donncha O’Callaghan.
They certainly did so against England last week and it also says much about the ability of their back-row to do a job that George Smith has been omitted in favour of the Zimbabwean born David Pocock.
“To have a player that’s fresh and excited can often make a difference when you have two players of such high capability, ” said Robbie Deans. Nevertheless, this is a sector where the bang in form David Wallace can be expected to give Ireland a lot of go-forward ball while one of the most interesting aspects of the game is sure to be the clash of Leinster’s Heineken Cup winning hero and Aussie captain Rocky Elsom as he takes on his old mate Jamie Heaslip and the ever improving Stephen Ferris.
The feeling is Elsom won’t be his formidable self at the end of two years of almost non-stop rugby but this is surely one game he will be up for as he reminds Leinster fans of just what they are missing!
There appears to be general belief that Ireland will prove too strong for the Aussies up front but quite frankly I see no good reason why that should be the case. Indeed, I would worry about the home side’s capacity to stay the pace over the full 80 minutes. Furthermore, the Australian back line demonstrated from time to time in Twickenham just how dangerous they can be.
Will Genia is a class scrum-half and took his try beautifully against the English. He poses an interesting challenge for Tomás O’Leary, who also loves to have a cut, while recent form suggests that Ronan O’Gara and Paddy Wallace will have their work cut out to cope with Matt Giteau and Quade Cooper down the 10-12 channel.
This is a big game for O’Gara who hasn’t been at his best this season but there are few better to respond when the pressure is greatest. And, of course, he now has Jonny Sexton breathing down his neck. Compare the rival three-quarter lines and the name of Irish skipper Brian O’Driscoll stands out like a beacon.
As is customary these days, the Aussies have been love bombing the Irish with Deans claiming that “we all recognise that the level we managed against England will be inadequate this week.”
Not to be outdone, Declan Kidney has reminded us that “any side that goes to Twickenham and wins comes away with a bucket full of confidence.”
On the face of it, I believe it would have been better for Ireland if the game against Fiji had came before the game against Australia. It could be argued that the Wallabies are at the end of a long and trying season and will be tired and dreaming of warm, sunny beaches back home. But I believe they will still have a slightly sharper edge and will depart GAA headquarters tomorrow evening with another confidence-building victory under their belts.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
