Irish thoughts quickly turn toward Wallabies

AUTUMN INTERNATIONAL:

No sooner had the final whistle blown at Aviva Stadium on this comprehensive victory over a game, physical outfit sorely missing a cutting edge, than thoughts will have turned to next Saturday’s visit of Australia, the team Ireland have replaced as number three in today’s world rankings issued by the International Rugby Board.

Schmidt dismissed his side’s elevation to such lofty heights as a distraction and while he will have valued the outing his fringe players got at Test level over the weekend, further deepening his options ahead of his selection for Ireland’s World Cup squad in 10 months, this game may also prove to be similarly distracting as the head coach plots the defeat of a second southern hemisphere superpower this month.