Third Test Preview: Australia v Ireland

An 11-match international season that has produced an unbeaten November campaign and a stirring Six Nations Grand Slam comes to an end in Sydney where Joe Schmidt’s men are aiming to claim Ireland’s first series win in Australia since 1979.

2018 SUMMER TOUR THIRD TEST: Saturday, June 23

AUSTRALIA v IRELAND, Allianz Stadium, Sydney, 8.05pm local time/11.05am Irish time (live Sky Sports Main Event/Sky Sports Action/RTÉ Radio 1/IRFU Live Blog)

Team News: Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has made five personnel changes and four positional switches to the team for Saturday’s series decider against Australia at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium.

Captain Peter O’Mahony and Jack McGrath, one of the incoming players, will make their 50th appearances for Ireland this weekend, while Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale, Sean Cronin and Jack Conanalso return to the starting XV.

McGrath and Cronin, who comes in for his first start since the 2016 win over Canada, form the front row with Tadhg Furlong, the try-scoring man-of-the-match from last Saturday’s second Test victory. Winning his 60th cap, Devin Toner packs down again with James Ryan in the second row.

A reshuffled back row sees flanker O’Mahony shift to openside, CJ Stander moves to the blindside berth and Wicklow man Conan comes in at number 8 for his sixth Test start in the last year. His Leinster colleague Dan Leavy misses out with a sternum injury.

Iain Henderson (knee) and Garry Ringrose (foot) are also sidelined, with the latter’s place in the centre taken by Aki who started the first Test in Brisbane. Robbie Henshaw reverts to the outside centre position, while Stockdale takes over from the injured Andrew Conway (hip pointer), and Earls switches back to the right wing.

The starting back-line is completed by the 85-times capped Rob Kearney and half-backs Jonathan Sexton and Conor Murray, with Sexton’s 16-point kicking haul against the Wallabies last week taking his Ireland tally to 699 points.

Ross Byrne, the remaining uncapped player in the tour squad, could make his debut on Saturday having been named among the replacements. Tadhg Beirne, who won his first cap in Melbourne, Niall Scannell, Cian Healy, John Ryan, Jordi Murphy, Kieran Marmion and Jordan Larmour complete the matchday 23.

Commenting on the team selection, Schmidt said: “There were a number who couldn’t train on Tuesday which affected how the players would have kicked on in the starting 15. Andrew Conway is still debilitated by that hip pointer in the action of him scoring the try early in the second Test. Iain Henderson hasn’t recovered sufficiently from the knock on the knee. Dan Leavy was unavailable and Garry Ringrose was unavailable with a foot injury.

“Those four guys were unavailable, and some other guys were patched up during the week at various times and we’ve got a 23 that we’re pretty excited about, knowing that the Australians are going to have a super outfit as well. It’s going to be a real Test match to decide the series.

“We’d love to see Sean (Cronin) do really well in the set pieces. We obviously had Niall Scannell doing really well last week and Rob Herring has been super, I thought his performance off the bench last week was really good.

“The other thing from Sean is that dynamic ball carry, that dynamic line-speed he can bring and he’s an incredibly combative character, so we’re looking forward to seeing all those elements really.

“I thought Peter did really well over the ball last week, it’s something that he’s very capable of doing. (The back row) maintains the lineout presence that he offers, the leadership that he’s brought to the team through this series. With Dan Leavy unavailable, it was probably just an opportunity for Jack Conan to get in at number 8. Once he was in at number 8 and trying to maintain a bit of continuity through the spine of the team, CJ Stander shifted to six and Peter to seven.

“Having said that, we felt that Jordi Murphy came off the bench really well last week. He played the week before, so his game volume is quite high and we decided, well there were a number of things to balance really. We were waiting to see how Dan came through the week, he’s had very little time on tour out on the pitch and unfortunately, that wasn’t to be.”

He added: “Ross Byrne has been super and that was probably always part of the plan, really, to make sure that Joey Carbery got a start on the tour and Ross Byrne got an opportunity at some stage. We’ll see how the game is going as to how much and what it looks like for Ross to get onto the pitch but he’s trained really well.

“He’s a smart kid, he’s picked things up really quickly, he’s been flexible. He’s had to move around a little bit, which has given us confidence because whenever you’re putting someone on the bench, to have some sort of flexibility to play a couple of positions is really important.

“That’s been an asset as well, having Ross move around a little bit from 10 to 12. If he can cover those two, Jordan Larmour just about ticks every other box.”

The third Test between Australia and Ireland will will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event/Action (TV) and RTE 2fm (radio). Ireland supporters can follow all the news from the summer tour here on IrishRugby.ie and via the IRFU’s social media channels.

Meanwhile, flanker Lukhan Tui has earned his first start for Australia. The lineout has been problematic for the Wallabies in the first two Tests, and Tui, who replaces his Queensland Reds team-mate Caleb Timu, will bring another option in that set piece.

“That is obviously an advantage, he’s a better lineout operator because he’s a taller guy obviously,” said head coach Michael Cheika, who has moved David Pocock to number 8. “So, I just think Lukhan has impressed – he didn’t have much of a lead-in as far as his own form because he was off injured and he’s come in and he’s really impressed, not just in the games, also at training as well.”

Ned Hanigan comes onto the bench, replacing Tui, after overcoming a medial ligament injury suffered in Super Rugby. Nick Phipps will start at scrum half in place of the injured Will Genia (arm), with Joe Powell earning his first Test spot since last November, named on the bench.

Cheika said there would not be any danger of his side shrinking into its shell in the series decider, adding: “The way I go, it’s usually the opposite way, I think we’ll be less conservative. You can’t win finals without scoring tries and playing footy. I’m a true believe in that.

“Ireland did well last week to restrict us from doing that and we’ll be looking to try and open up a bit this weekend for sure. I think we have in all the games, (some) with a bit more success than others but the last thing you do when the finals come is shrink. You want to go out there and play.”

AUSTRALIA: Israel Folau (NSW Waratahs); Dane Haylett-Petty (Melbourne Rebels), Samu Kerevi (Queensland Reds), Kurtley Beale (NSW Waratahs), Marika Koroibete (Melbourne Rebels); Bernard Foley (NSW Waratahs), Nick Phipps (NSW Waratahs); Scott Sio (Brumbies), Brandon Paenga-Amosa (Queensland Reds), Sekope Kepu (NSW Waratahs), Izack Rodda (Queensland Reds), Adam Coleman (Melbourne Rebels), Lukhan Tui (Queensland Reds), Michael Hooper (NSW Waratahs) (capt), David Pocock (Brumbies).

Replacements: Tolu Latu (NSW Waratahs), Tom Robertson (NSW Waratahs), Taniela Tupou (Queensland Reds), Rob Simmons (NSW Waratahs), Ned Hanigan (NSW Waratahs), Pete Samu (Brumbies), Joe Powell (Brumbies), Reece Hodge (Melbourne Rebels).

IRELAND: Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster); Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster), Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster), Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht), Jacob Stockdale (Ballynahinch/Ulster); Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster); Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), James Ryan (UCD/Leinster), CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster), Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster) (capt), Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster).

Replacements: Niall Scannell (Dolphin/Munster), Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), John Ryan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Tadhg Beirne (Scarlets), Jordi Murphy (Lansdowne/Leinster), Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht), Ross Byrne (UCD/Leinster), Jordan Larmour (St. Mary’s College/Leinster).

Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (France)
Assistant Referees: Paul Williams (New Zealand), Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
Television Match Official: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

Match Odds (Paddy Power): Australia to win: 6/4; Draw: 20/1; Ireland to win: 8/13

Pre-Match Quotes: Peter O’Mahony (Ireland) – “It’s been a while (since I’ve played at seven) but at this level it doesn’t change a huge amount. CJ would be well able to play seven as well. It changes a couple of small little roles but it’s something I was comfortable with from earlier on in the week when they asked me to slot in.

“Any opportunity you get to start in an Irish jersey – I’d take playing in the front row because it’s a special honour. We’ve mixed it (the back row) up but it feels like we’ve played a lot of rugby together and it certainly helps to just know what a guy is like, what way he plays, what way he likes to play.

“It’s a handy back row to slot into. Jack (Conan) coming in, he’s been incredible for Leinster all year and he’s getting a big opportunity tomorrow.

“(Winning your 50th cap) it’s hard to sit back and think about it. That’s not to say I’m taking it for granted. It was a dream to get my first cap and to think I’d be sitting here getting 50 is not something I could have comprehended on that day. It’s certainly a huge honour.

“Jack (McGrath) is also at the 50-cap mark. His set piece work is second to none in the world, the energy and drive he brings around the park is incredible, he’s incredibly fit for a big, big man and he’s an incredible character. That’s something that’s a big part of our group – he leads from the front.”

Michael Hooper (Australia) – “We weren’t that far off what we needed to do (in the second Test). Ireland put together a good game and squeezed us really nicely with how they made us give away penalties. It was tough to narrow it down to one thing last week.

“There were penalties for hitting guys off the ball, ruck stuff and some set piece stuff as well. It is attention to detail, and an intent thing. We will take those out of the game. We didn’t have as many in the first because our intent was a bit better. A mindset change will allow you to be more disciplined and put you in the right positions on the field.

“Both very physical (games), but probably on whose terms was probably the difference. Why they were different – I think our trust and our system of the individual players on the field was much stronger and our ability to know who we had in each others’ line and go off and do that was quite good in the first game, so it was more physicality on our terms.

“Then you flip that to the second game and I thought Ireland took it to us. Their ball retention was great and tested us on the fold, tested us back on the negative side and carried over the gain line a bit more.

“We weren’t able to get guys like David (Pocock) on the ball and Adam (Coleman) doing big shots and things like that and getting our guys out the back. We’ve had two games now, both teams (have felt) each other out. I’m sure that they’ve cooked up a few things to try and catch us off guard tomorrow as we have too.”

Pre-Match Links –

Head-To-Head: Ireland v Australia

Ireland Down Under: Joe Schmidt Previews The Series Decider In Sydney

Ireland Down Under: CJ Stander On The Energy In Camp

Ireland Down Under: Hitting The Gym And Enjoying The Tour

Recent Meetings –

2014: GUINNESS Series: Ireland 26 Australia 23, Aviva Stadium

2016: GUINNESS Series: Ireland 27 Australia 24, Aviva Stadium

2018: Summer Tour First Test: Ireland 18 Australia 9, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane; Second Test: Ireland 26 Australia 21, AAMI Park, Melbourne

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