Pool C preview: Australia v Ireland
Australia will be out to record their first victory in 25 years at Eden Park in Auckland when they take on Ireland in a key Pool C clash on Saturday.
The current Tri-Nations champions have not won at the venue for the World Cup Final since 1986 and they will be keen to experience that winning feeling in a match which could well decide which team finishes on top of the pool.
Ireland traditionally give second-ranked Australia problems and two of their four previous World Cup encounters have been decided by a point. Overall Australia lead 20-8.
Both teams were tested in the first half of their respective opening games before pulling away from their opponents in the second half, however both were expected to cruise to victory and this should be the first proper test of their credentials.
Australia's performance against a competitive Italian team was altogether more convincing than Ireland's laboured win over the USA Eagles, and captain Brian O'Driscoll's men will know that they will have to raise their game considerably if they are to live with the Wallabies.
Australia's coach Robbie Deans has managed to maintain some impressive continuity in selection in the lead-up to the World Cup and has made just one injury-enforced change from the combination that did the business against the Azzuri with James O'Connor coming in for Digby Ioane on the right wing.
Ireland have plenty of experience and cannot be written off as they have proven performers in key positions, but their three-try display against the USA was underwhelming and does not inspire much confidence in their prospects for this clash.
The Irish pack were dominant up front and had the lions share of possession but they battled to use it effectively and they will know that if they are to have any chance against the settled and on-form Wallabies then they will have to be as ruthless as possible and take every opportunity that they manage to create.
Ireland are plotting to exert maximum pressure to nullify the key Wallaby halfback combination of Will Genia and Quade Cooper. The eighth-ranked Irish are utilising the knowledge of their Australian assistant coaches Les Kiss and Alan Gaffney in their game plan to unsettle the playmaking pair and short-circuit the Wallabies' dynamic attacking backline.
Kiss believes it will be Ireland's unrelenting pressure on the star Wallaby duo that will be vital to their winning chances this weekend.
"They are critical to what they do in their game," the Ireland defence coach said.
"Genia is not underplayed, but Cooper does rely on what Genia does around the ruck area. So it's obvious that we focus a bit on that area in terms of closing down Genia's options.
"We just have to find the right moments to put the right pressure on what Cooper wants to do. People respond to pressure in different ways and in these big moments that's what it's about. It's a big Test match for us and it's a big Test match for them," he added.
Kiss has an intimate knowledge of Wallaby fullback Kurtley Beale from his time coaching at the Waratahs.
"I've been very impressed with what Kurtley's done the last two years when I was there three years ago and what we've seen over the last two years is the real Kurtley Beale," he said.
Deans has plenty of respect for what Ireland are capable of and he is adamant that his team will have to work hard if they are to finish on top.
He commented: "Ireland are a solid unit, filled with experienced performers. Their set-piece is excellent, they have a big pack and they will be up for it, seeing this match as a great opportunity to make a statement.
"They have troubled us in the past and will believe they can do so again. We've never had it easy playing against them. It is going to take a big effort to get the job done," said Deans.
Irish skipper O'Driscoll rates the Wallabies' backline extremely highly.
"They are often innovators when it comes to back-end play and they are forward thinkers in that regard," he said.
"You do see other countries trying to copy some of the things they do but, at the same time, we feel as though we have the capability of shutting them down if we defend accordingly."
Players to Watch:
For Australia: The halfback combination of Genia and Cooper will look to create some magic with Cooper releasing his potent backline on the openside and Genia keeping the Irish defenders honest by probing for opportunities on the blindside. David Pocock will be out to give Ireland headaches at the breakdown while strong-running hooker Stephen Moore will be determined to give his side some front foot ball.
For Ireland: The Irish will look to their experienced tight five to put the Wallabies on the back foot so look out for locks Paul O'Connell and Donncha O'Callaghan who will be keen to impose their physicality on the Australian pack. No.8 Jamie Heaslip will run the ball at the flyhalf channel all night where it will be interesting to see who cover for Cooper with Ioane out of the mix. In the backline the vastly experienced midfield duo will look to create opportunities for exciting outside backs Tommy Bowe and Rob Kearney.
Head to Head: The fierce tackling of Anthony Faingaa will be put to the test against the creative genius of Brian O'Driscoll at outside centre while both fullbacks - Kurtley Beale and Rob Kearney will be keen to leave their mark with some well-timed runs. Up front the Irish front row will be out to put as much pressure on the Australians as possible while Stephen Moore and company will be keen to prove that they can compete with any team at scrum-time. The battle in the line-outs should also be intriguing as both teams have proven practitioners in this department.
Recent Results:
2010: Australia won 22-15 in Brisbane
2009: 20-20 draw in Dublin
2008: Australia won 18-12 in Melbourne
2006: Ireland won 21-6 in Dublin
2006: Australia won 37-15 in Perth
2005: Australia won 30-14 in Dublin
2003: Australia won 17-16 in Melbourne
2003: Australia won 45-16 in Perth
2002: Ireland won 18-9 in Dublin
1999: Australia won 23-3 in Dublin
Prediction: Ireland have it all to prove after delivering some disappointing performances in recent times and they will be desperate to show that their big names are not over the hill just yet and can still compete with the best. However, the Wallabies are a settled team with quality in just about every position and they should have to much firepower for the Irish who will most likely battle to keep up with the pace of the game in the second half. Australia to win by more than 20 points.
The teams:
Australia: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O'Connor, 13 Anthony Fainga'a, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Radike Samo, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 James Horwill (captain), 4 Dan Vickerman, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 James Slipper, 18 Rob Simmons, 19 Ben McCalman, 20 Scott Higginbotham, 21 Luke Burgess, 22 Drew Mitchell.
Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (captain), 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Stephen Ferris, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Tom Court, 18 Donnacha Ryan, 19 Denis Leamy, 20 Conor Murray, 21 Ronan O'Gara, 22 Andrew Trimble.
Date: Saturday, September 17
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Kick-off: 20.30 (08.30 GMT)
Expected weather: Overcast with showers expected and a few heavy Westerly winds. Max 16° Min 11°.
Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Dave Pearson (England), Stuart Terheege (England)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)