1. Battle of the brains
The clash between Ireland and Australia pits two deeply intelligent coaches against each other, as both attempt to move their side’s development forward. Joe Schmidt and Ewen McKenzie are deep thinkers on the game and both of them prefer to attack with ambition.
It will be intriguing to see if their game plans are successful in the international arena in the long-term but for now, it is the pair’s abilities to pick out weaknesses in the opposition that is likely to have the greatest effect on the outcome. The analysis they have done this week will be crucial.
2. The master against the young buck
Tevita Kuridrani looks like he was built with international rugby in mind. Weighing over 102kg and standing 6ft 4ins tall, the Brumbies centre is as powerful as they come in midfield. Far more direct than many outside centres, his explosive running style is coupled with a strong fend.
Opposite him is a 34-year-old who the Australian will be thrilled to come up against. Brian O’Driscoll still has all the skills that made him a legend, but the question is whether he can still put his body to use as effectively as before. O’Driscoll is a world-class defender on his day though and has outfoxed bigger men than Kuridrani before.
3. Lineout superiority
Ireland have gone with Dev Toner for more than just his lineout excellence, but Schmidt will be expecting the Leinster lock to dominate the Wallabies at the set-piece. The 27-year-old is not alone in that briefing, with Paul O’Connell very capable of stealing possession too. On Ireland’s throw, it would be encouraging to see Peter O’Mahony used more too.
The Wallabies can call on captain Ben Mowen to run their lineout efficiently, one of the best operators in that area in the world. James Horwill and Rob Simmons are quality jumpers too, so the Australians should be strong out of touch. Clean possession is key to both team’s attacking aspirations, so this should be a vital aspect of the game.
4. Are the Wallabies really poor at the scrum?
That’s the perception anyway, built on the evidence of what other teams have done to the Australians over the last year. The build-up to this game has been dominated by suggestions that Ireland are going to do damage at the scrum, even from Australians themselves. Now it’s time to find out whether those predictions are accurate.
Sekope Kepu is in at tighthead for the Australians, with the task of tying down Cian Healy. The Ireland loosehead has been consistently highlighted as someone who has benefited from the new scrum directives and after Jack McGrath’s impressive outing last weekend, the Clontarf man will be out to show that he is still in the world-class bracket of props.
5. Mental strength
There are definitely question marks over this Australian team’s belief at present. Two weekends ago, McKenzie’s men put in a feeble second half performance having gone behind after Chris Robshaw’s block-down try. They went into their shells and didn’t look like winning, despite a relatively close scoreline.
There have been other similar examples of that over the last year too. While Ireland have absolutely no recent track record of winning tight games, there is a sense that the energy and belief Schmidt has brought into the set-up would carry them over the line in the likely event that this one goes down to the last few minutes.
What else will you be watching out for this evening? Where will the game be won and lost? Feel free to post your predictions below…
