Sydney on Saturday is going to prove a key World Cup stepping stone

Whatever about the short-term objectives of winning a Test series in Australia, Saturday’s decider offers Ireland an excellent dry run for a potential World Cup quarter-final in Japan next year.

Joe Schmidt’s squad rebounded from their opening loss to the Wallabies in Brisbane with a 26-21 win in Melbourne last Saturday, giving the Allianz Park tiebreaker all the hallmarks of a high-intensity knockout game. Ireland should use this opportunity accordingly to further stress-test the players in such a situation against southern-hemisphere opposition.

In Port Elizabeth two years ago, eight months on from Ireland’s World Cup quarter-final exit at Argentina’s hands, the Irish came up short against the Springboks having landed the opening punch with a historic first victory on South African soil in the opener at Newlands.