As we all know the main problem with Ireland in the last 5 games has quite simply been that they haven’t put any sort of an performance together, we’ve been looking but inexplicably it just hasn’t arrived!

So as nothing has seemed to get these guys motivated in recent times, maybe this game against the Aussies couldn’t come at a better time?

Historically, particularly in the amateur era, Ireland always had the chance of pulling out of the bag a one off performance against the better sides, every now and again getting the result when you catch your opponents on a bad day, seeming to revel in the total underdog tag.

Now having two of the most dominant club sides in Europe, winning several triple crowns and a grand slam in the last couple of years you would think that those days are well gone and that Ireland would be genuine contenders every time but recently for some reason this just isn’t so.

No matter how good we ever got it has always been an achilles heel of the Irish when playing a team whom you should beat easily, instead of doing so we go down to their level and compete there struggling to get the result, instead of putting them to the sword! It was like we couldn’t perform properly without this underdog tag!

But despite the fact that this seems to be back, there is one difference…we are a much much better team than we were back then!

On Saturday if the Australians play as well as they can and Ireland does likewise, Ireland could still win! This is the difference between now and then.

As for this year’s WRC this is do or die for Ireland, not that they have to win to get through but it still that search for the performance that indicates that they can play well enough to win the rest of the games and get out of the pool.

I honestly expect a very good game on Saturday and although I hope for a win it is impossible to predict, the odds would be against it…just the way we like it!!

Shane

Yes the RWC is already well underway and there have already been some very interesting games with no real shocks but with some narrow escapes!!

Ireland get their campaign underway on Sunday morning against our own Eddie O ‘Sullivan’s USA Eagles, if anybody will know how to through a spanner into Irelands plans it will be Eddie!

I think the result is probably not in doubt but with Ireland poor showing in the warm-up games they really need a very good performance in this game. But with the much publicised 9/11 anniversary it will add spice to the Americans cause and they will not back down.

There has been criticism thrown at Declan about the fact that he still, even after more warm up games than pretty any other major rugby playing nation, he still has to start players that just plain and simply need game time! What people wanted was the full starting team to play together to lead well into the Aussie game next week.

But to me it’s not only about the Aussie game, yes if they do win that game and finish top of the group, the path through the knockout stages is totally different to coming 2^nd in the group. But to me there is still a banana skin around the corner…the Italians!

They have stated that the Irish game is the one they are targeting, so much so that they are not even fielding a full side against the Australians! If they lose that game and win against Russia, USA, very doable and they then play Ireland in the last game of the group. This could be a cracking game as they both could have lost one game and won the rest, remember we didn’t exactly win well against them in the Six Nations!

So here to a very good performance and roll onto the Aussies!!

Shane

Yes all the talk for Declan Kidney before these warm up games started was it was very important to get match time for his squad and lift the performances but nobody I think expected them to be 0-3 in their international series.

And even the above plan couldn’t be stuck to, for a team that played more warm up games than most they still have a team starting this Saturday that contains plenty of players who still badly need time on the pitch, Geordan Murphy, Tommy Bowe, David Wallace, Stephen Ferris have next to no time between them and then you have the ones who have played little, Paul O’Connell, Flannery, Heaslip and then you’ve got the likes of young Conor Murray on the bench who most certainly has to get as much time on the pitch as he can to get some experience at playing at this level!

Makes you wonder what way the teams were put together in the first place?!

During the week the main talking points was the travelling squad that was announced, as with all of these there are some guys who should have made it and some who shouldn’t and the names you fill in there is all depending who you are talking to!

The omission of Luke Fitzgerald and Tomas O’Leary grabbed the main headlines. O’Leary plain and simple just suffered the consequences of a bad game against the French last week, to think about it if he had just played alright and did nothing special but not mess up he would have travelled as no.1, a big fall from grace!

Luke would tell you himself that he’s not quite there form wise yet but he was starting to show it and I would have brought a attacking talent like him along, replacing someone like Paddy Wallace as utility back.

Everyone thought John “The Bull” Hayes was going to travel when we saw how Buckley got done over against the French over there but we should always remember Kidney a conservative man and he had made his mind up on this one a while ago!

This should be a cracking game at the weekend, with more pressure on Ireland to get the result and England will be looking to right the result from the last time they travelled to Dublin, should be a cracker!!

Shane