Aussies unimpressed by venue choice for Wales clash

John O’Neill, chief executive of the Australian Rugby Union, has blasted World Cup organisers for staging the Wallabies’ pivotal Pool B clash with Wales in Cardiff.

O’Neill believes Wales have been granted a “significant advantage” in Saturday’s group decider and claimed angrily that the tournament should have been held only in France.

Wales were rewarded for supporting the French bid with the right to host three pool matches and one quarter-final.

But O’Neill said: “Why the hell are we playing in Cardiff on Saturday?

“In 2007 the host nation is France, yet Wales and Scotland get home ground advantage for important games.

”That is a very significant advantage for them when you’re supposed to be talking competitive neutrality.

“We’ll play Wales in Cardiff. So be it. Good luck to the Welsh. They saw an opportunity and took it. ”But I don’t think it’s fair for Australia to be playing Wales on their home soil. How many points is it worth to Wales?

“You’re talking about a World Cup billed as having one host – France.”

The French promised matches to Wales, Scotland and Ireland as they battled with England for the right to host the tournament.

The Irish Rugby Union later handed back their matches in return for a financial settlement after deciding to redevelop Lansdowne Road.

And O’Neill believes the Welsh and Scottish Unions should have been forced to do the same.

“The most successful World Cups were South Africa in 1995 and Australia in 2003,” O’Neill told the Sydney Daily Telegraph.

“It supports my long-held notion that the tournament should be played exclusively in one country. ”After the success of the event four years ago, the IRB should have said to France: ’Write a cheque for Wales and Scotland and keep it all on French soil’.

“That would have been preferable to what we have now.”

Australia have drawn and lost on their last two visits to Cardiff and Welsh lock Ian Gough spoke this week how much of an advantage it is to play in front of a packed and noisy Millennium Stadium crowd.

He said: “When you feel like you have got your last breath in your lungs it pushes you on.

“It is a real morale-boosting thing, when you know so many people have that passionate support behind you.

“I’d love the crowd to up the noise again this weekend.”

Earlier this week Australia head coach John Connolly said: “I don’t think it’s an equal playing field.” Connolly made two changes to his starting XV following Australia’s 91-3 opening win over Japan and bolstered his forward options on the bench.

Drew Mitchell, who scored two tries as a replacement against Japan, will start on the left wing ahead of the injured Adam Ashley-Cooper.

In the pack, Al Baxter has made way for Guy Shepherdson at tight-head prop - but speculation that head coach John Connolly would start with both Phil Waugh and George Smith in the back row proved unfounded.

Instead, Connolly has opted to include Waugh as one of five forwards on the Australia bench.

Ashley-Cooper injured his toe in Sunday’s victory in Lyon and has been given until Friday to prove his fitness, otherwise Julian Huxley will come onto the bench.

Connolly added: “This is a crucial game as far as our pool is concerned and a lot of what we have done over the past 12 months has been preparing us for this game.”