{"id":181498,"date":"2025-11-15T05:03:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T05:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/181498\/"},"modified":"2025-11-15T05:03:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T05:03:09","slug":"defiant-wallabies-to-lose-narrowly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/181498\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Defiant’ Wallabies to lose narrowly"},"content":{"rendered":"

So frustrating a watch have the Wallabies become in recent months, Joe Schmidt happily grasped the invitation at his Irish media briefing this week to play up the fact that he is on \u2018home\u2019 ground.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nine years Schmidt<\/a> spent in Dublin, carving his reputation with Leinster before taking it global with Ireland, and he was quick to explain on Thursday how much catching up he had already done on his latest week-long return.<\/p>\n

Tuesday night dinner with his son, who is back living in Churchtown. Keith Earls<\/a>\u2019 branded coffee with ex-Ireland team manager Mick Kearney. The fortunes of his Terenure, his local club, who now have ex-All Black Carlos Spencer at the helm.<\/p>\n

Better that than having to publicly confront the various parts of the Australian game that have left the coach limping towards the finish of his stint in charge of the Wallabies, instead of having Green and Gold fans wanting him to stay on.<\/p>\n

Since shocking the Springboks in Johannesburg in August a couple of weeks after winning the third Test against the British and Irish Lions<\/a> in Sydney, Australia have buckled and they arrived in Ireland with just two wins in their last eight outings.<\/p>\n

Last Saturday\u2019s setback versus Italy was the most sobering of the lot, and there is a general fatigue about these Australians that the end of the tour next weekend in Paris can\u2019t come quickly enough.<\/p>\n

That said, Schmidt will believe he has every confidence that his team will put in a more credible performance in Dublin than what they produced last weekend in Udine.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s what happened a year ago. The Wallabies<\/a> had been humbled by Scotland but still managed to come within three points of the Irish six days later, mainly thanks to Schmidt\u2019s insider knowledge levelling the playing field.<\/p>\n

As annoying as Australia\u2019s inconsistencies are, they know they are meeting an Irish team in a state of flux whose game is diluted from where it was a year ago.<\/p>\n

Andy Farrell\u2019s Lions sabbatical hasn\u2019t served Ireland<\/a> well in 2025, and the two November displays they have produced since his return to the helm were uninspired. Hence, some key changes in personnel highlight how his patience has run out and that a huge uptick is now demanded.<\/p>\n

Ireland team: British and Irish Lions star among mass changes as Sam Prendergast back in the hot-seat<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Wallabies team: Joe Schmidt drops Carter Gordon as he \u2018freshens up\u2019 for Ireland<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Where the game will be won<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s wild Dublin weather is forecast to linger on match day, so this looks like a Test where the duel for control between the respective 10s will be important behind the tasty back-row duel.<\/p>\n

A fixture pitting the combination of Jack Conan, Caelan Doris and Ryan Baird against Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight, Rob Valetini will go a long way towards justifying the steep ticket prices.<\/p>\n

Gaining the back-row edge will be crucial in deciding the winner of this Autumn Nations Series battle and even if it is only a slight advantage that leans towards Ireland, they have zippier half-backs compared to Australia.<\/p>\n

In Jamison Gibson-Park and Sam Prendergast, the Irish possess a more threatening passing ability than Jake Gordon and James O\u2019Connor. The question is, will the potentially inclement weather allow this strength to stick and wield influence, or will it become a marginalised factor where the emphasis will instead lean more to the kicking game?<\/p>\n

Ireland\u2019s stodgy attack under Andrew Goodman needs a hurry up, but their half-backs require an improvement from their pack to prosper.<\/p>\n

There will also be a particular Irish emphasis on the accuracy of their lineout. It is increasingly becoming a vulnerability that is hard to fathom given it is Paul O\u2019Connell who is coaching it.<\/p>\n

Last time they met<\/p>\n

\ufeff<\/p>\n

What they said<\/strong><\/p>\n

Having lost five of their last six matches, Wallabies head coach Schmidt has made six changes from the defeat to Italy \u2013 including an SOS for the now-England-based duo O\u2019Connor and Len Ikitau.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have tried to get some freshness into this squad,\u201d he explained. \u201cThere is a bit of wear and tear, to be honest, and we are just trying to mitigate some of the wear and tear and get a fresh 15 out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The changes made by Irish boss Farrell are considerably more sweeping, as amongst his nine alterations from the snoozy win over Japan are a first start for rookie loosehead Paddy McCarthy, the switch of skipper Doris to openside, the recall of the unconvincing Prendergast at out-half and the unusual positioning of Mack Hansen at full-back.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe [Prendergast] deserves a start,\u201d said Farrell. \u201cJack [Crowley] has done some good stuff and had three weeks there in the driving seat as far as preparation is concerned. We know that the 10s tend to run the week. Giving Sam an opportunity within a big game is pretty important to him and to Jack as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has come on and played pretty well, so giving him the opportunity to hold the reins on Saturday night, he is the one that we have gone with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regarding the fit-again Hansen, who has replaced the injured Jamie Osborne, Farrell added: \u201cHe has got the bit within his teeth with regard to what he learnt on that Lions tour. He has come into the group, got across his work and trained the house down on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo he has proved to us that he is up for this and ready and able. Every time Mack has played for us as a winger, he has always covered full-back and been able to get across the work there so we get to see that in action.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eddie Jones\u2019 verdict on Carter Gordon\u2019s union return as Joe Schmidt gave the Wallaby a \u2018really hard task\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Wallabies latest: Why Will Skelton WILL NOT join Joe Schmidt\u2019s squad as another overseas-based star answers SOS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Players to watch<\/p>\n

The more Schmidt has spoken in recent months about his desire to build depth, the more curious it has looked that he recalled the 35-year-old O\u2019Connor from the Test wilderness after a three-year absence.<\/p>\n

The veteran\u2019s Super Rugby Pacific title-winning form for the Crusaders initially wasn\u2019t enough for the head coach to bring him in from the cold for the Lions tour, but he has since become the sticking plaster in a very problematic position for the Wallabies.<\/p>\n

Tane Edmed is well below the level for Test rugby and with the cross-code return of Carter Gordon not delivering the goods last weekend in Italy, Schmidt put in an emergency call to O\u2019Connor, who had been holidaying in Morocco, to come and rescue them in Ireland. How he goes is intriguing.<\/p>\n

So too the restoration of the long-serving Allan Alaalatoa at tighthead where he will take on McCarthy, the two-cap loosehead who is getting his first start after recent runs off the bench.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a huge leap for the Irish rookie, as his upgrade has resulted in the benching of Lions tourist Andrew Porter and there will be a big focus on how he settled into a pack where the repositioning of Doris from number eight also demands attention.<\/p>\n

The fit-again skipper was by far Ireland\u2019s most productive forward against Japan, but he is a very different style of openside to the hamstrung Josh van der Flier.<\/p>\n

Another player we will be keenly watching is Ikitau, who has been recalled to the Wallabies midfield. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has underwhelmed without his regular centre partner in recent weeks, a weakness that has hampered the quality of the Schmidt attack.<\/p>\n

Getting this pairing back together should provide the improvised Irish partnership of Stuart McCloskey and Robbie Henshaw some concern if they get going on the front foot. If that happens, the defensive reliability of Hansen behind them at full-back instead of wing will come into play.<\/p>\n

Brian O\u2019Driscoll dismisses Springboks comparisons as he addresses loss of \u2018generational players\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Matt Williams: Springboks are playing the \u2018best rugby I\u2019ve ever seen\u2019\u2026 Ireland are in a lot of trouble<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Prediction<\/p>\n

Australia will be fired up in the knowledge that they need a big scalp before their tour ends if they are to get back into the top six of the world rankings ahead of next month\u2019s draw for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.<\/p>\n

Failure to get one will leave them ranked in the second tier of teams for their home World Cup, so they will be defiant in Dublin, especially with Schmidt tapping into his old Irish ways to help give them a lift. However, that won\u2019t be enough to tilt the balance.<\/p>\n

Concern is growing about the direction of Farrell\u2019s Irish, so he well knows the restorative value a win will have. They are tipped to bag it but not by a double figure margin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Previous results<\/p>\n

2024: <\/strong>Ireland won 22-19 in Dublin
2022:<\/strong>\u00a0Ireland won 13-10 in Dublin
2018:<\/strong>\u00a0Ireland won 16-20 in Sydney
2018:<\/strong>\u00a0Australia won 18-9 in Brisbane
2018:<\/strong>\u00a0Ireland won 21-26 in Melbourne
2016:<\/strong>\u00a0Ireland won 27-24 in Dublin
2014:<\/strong>\u00a0Ireland won 26-23 in Dublin
2013:<\/strong>\u00a0Australia won 15-32 in Dublin
2011:<\/strong>\u00a0Ireland won 15-6 in Auckland
2010:<\/strong>\u00a0Australia won 22-15 in Brisbane
2009:<\/strong>\u00a0Drew 20-20 at Croke Park<\/p>\n

The teams<\/p>\n

Ireland:<\/strong>\u00a015 Mack Hansen, 14 Tommy O\u2019Brien, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 James Lowe, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Caelan Doris (c), 6 Ryan Baird, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 James Ryan, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Paddy McCarthy
Replacements:<\/strong> 16 R\u00f3nan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Nick Timoney, 20 Cian Prendergast, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Bundee Aki<\/p>\n

Australia:<\/strong> 15 Max Jorgensen, 14 Filipo Daugunu, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Harry Potter, 10 James O\u2019Connor, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Tom Hooper, 4 Jeremy Williams, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:<\/strong>\u00a016 Billy Pollard, 17 Tom Robertson, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Nick Frost, 20 Carlo Tizzano, 21 Ryan Lonergan, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Andrew Kellaway<\/p>\n

Date:<\/strong>\u00a0Saturday, November 15
Venue:<\/strong>\u00a0Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Kick-off:<\/strong>\u00a020:10 local (07:10 AEDT)
Referee:<\/strong>\u00a0Karl Dickson (RFU)
Assistant Referees:<\/strong> Pierre Brousset (FFR), Adam Leal (RFU)
TMO:<\/strong>\u00a0Ian Tempest (RFU)
FRPO:<\/strong>\u00a0Dan Jones (RFU)<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Law discussion: Why the All Blacks try stood but Japan were penalised for nearly identical actions<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"So frustrating a watch have the Wallabies become in recent months, Joe Schmidt happily grasped the invitation at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":181499,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[70904,1128,18,3617,794,19,34943,17,64661,5,132],"class_list":{"0":"post-181498","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-andy-farrell","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-eire","11":"tag-features","12":"tag-home-page","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-internationals","15":"tag-ireland","16":"tag-joe-schmidt","17":"tag-news","18":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115551967902101049","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181498"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181498\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}