Key events
Much chat about Cian Healy in the build up on the occasion of him breaking the all-time caps record for Ireland, moving to 134, one clear of Brian O’Driscoll’s previous total. That number of appearances of this level is impressive enough without having to do it as a prop.
Pre match reading
You can get in touch with me up to and throughout the game via email, where I am happy to receive all correspondence on any subject.
Teams
Andy Farrell makes the bold and in some quarters rage inducing selection of Sam Prendergast at out-half ahead of recent incumbent, Jack Crowley.
For Australia, Joseph Suaali’i starts after his wrist injury turned out not to be a serious as feared. In the forwards, James Slipper and Taniela return as the starting props.
Ireland: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki; James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt).
Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Cian Healy, Tom O’Toole, Iain Henderson, Peter O’Mahony, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Garry Ringrose.
Australia: Tom Wright; Andrew Kellaway, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Max Jorgensen; Noah Lolesio, Jake Gordon; James Slipper, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Taniela Tupou, Nick Frost, Jeremy Williams; Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson (capt)
Replacements: Billy Pollard, Angus Bell, Allan Alaalatoa, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Langi Gleeson, Tate McDermott, Tane Edmed, Harry Potter.
Preamble
Welcome the final chapter of the Autumn Internationals series as Ireland take on Australia in Dublin.
It’s often a mixed bag of emotions meeting up with your old boss, so this must be strange day for Andy Farrell. Sure, he learned quite a bit from Joe Schmidt (patterns, dear boy) and admired his leadership, but there was also the nagging feeling that he wanted the Kiwi to sod off because the northerner quite fancied the big chair for himself. Then he dismantled some of Schmidt’s previous work – the Ireland career of now World Cup winning lock Jean Kleyn , for example – and took the team to new heights. All of this will be just below the surface when Farrell offers an awkward “alreet, Joe?” prior to kick-off for this match between two teams at adjacent points on the team development bell curve.
Australia arrive after a chastening, reality chomping defeat in Edinburgh with the knowledge that this is all work in progress as they look to push the boulder up the gradient of continuous improvement. Progress picked up pace early in the month, today is a chance to gather some more before their season ends.
Ireland remain in a strange place where reality and vibes are making a clanging, dissonant noise when brought together, like a decent day out soundtracked by any form of jazz ad thus ruined. The reality is that they have lost one game at home in the past 22 outings, are Six Nations champions and remain one of the best teams on the planet. The vibes could not be more different, however, as all the talk and mood dwells on an ageing squad, a difficult transition period, Munster/Leinster daggers among the fans and the head coach about to disappear on Lions duty. The squad need to put the Wallabies down in a similarly emphatic way to Scotland if the ambience is to improve two months out from the Six Nations.
