Michael Cheika has earned a reputation for adding a hard-bitten edge to his teams. Add that to a potent backline, says David Wallace, and Ireland should have their hands full.
I played against Michael Cheika’s Leinster a good few times and feel he brought that bit of steel to their play. What he brings to the Australian mix is that bit of discipline. He will batten down the hatches on and off the field. He has not been there long enough to really impose his style but expect them to be more competitive and combative up front.
Australia go into this match with some familiar faces in their backline – Adam Ashley Cooper, Tevita Kuridrani and Israel Folau are handfuls – but some new faces, for Irish fans, too. Nick Phipps and Bernard Foley must be doing something right to be keeping the likes of Will Genia and Quade Cooper out of the Wallabies team. That being said, Cheika has some real weapons on his bench and I’m looking forward to seeing debutant Brumbies winger Henry Speight in action, who scores tries for fun.
I have played under some great Australian coaches, such as Tony McGahan and Alan Gaffney. They embodied that Australian style – of being innovative and daring across the backline with that streetwise edge. While you would be confident of winning at least parity up front, you used to worry about what the backline could do.
With Jared Payne missing out through injury, the gap was left open for Gordon D’Arcy to return to the Irish midfield. It is good to see him back in there for a big game and I believe Robbie Henshaw will really benefit from his presence. It will be interesting to see how that new dynamic works.
The other possibilities were Stuart Olding, who played well in his cameo against Georgia, and moving Ian Madigan back but Schmidt has made the wise choice here. Dave Foley’s promotion to the bench is well deserved. He has gone well this season and brings an athletic abrasiveness that is the same ilk of the injured Donnacha Ryan.
The big selection call was Rory Best returning to start at hooker ahead of Sean Cronin. Best is a strong scrummager and an intelligent player. He is skilled at the breakdown and always gets his fair share of poaches. He is facing stiff competition from Cronin and Richardt Strauss, heading into a World Cup year, but his expertise at the scrum gives him a slight edge. With Damien Varley and Mike Sherry coming back from injury, Ireland are well covered in the hooking department.
At openside, Schmidt went with Rhys Ruddock against South Africa and he was fantastic; you couldn’t fault him. Ruddock has said himself that he was going backwards at Leinster and felt people were leapfrogging him but he has worked hard on his game, and improved physically, over the last couple of seasons. His defence was superb against the Springboks and he was one of Ireland’s star forwards. Tommy O’Donnell went well against Georgia but must now cover the back row positions from the bench.
As Ireland found out to their cost last year, Australia are an incredibly dangerous outfit. They can be a frustrating team to play against as you can be on top for long spells before they burst out and score on you. They can score from anywhere on the pitch. They will be eager to get a result this weekend after narrowly losing to France. Ireland find themselves as favourites, albeit slight, this weekend. After the South Africa win, the media and public are expecting the win.
I was heartened by the words coming from the Irish camp this week. The players are realistic and stating that, despite the handsome scoreline, they were lucky to beat South Africa. The Springboks did butcher a few scoring chances while Ireland gave up possession, territory, line-out ball and scrum ball and yet were still wily enough to get the win.
Their physicality and breakdown dominance were exemplary and were the key factors in winning them the game. Joe Schmidt will keep his men grounded and impress upon them the importance of putting in an improved performance.
It will be a tight game but, once again, I feel home advantage will be key. Johnny Sexton is in great goal-kicking form and may be our game-winner again. We should back ourselves against any team in the world. I’m going for Ireland by five points.
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