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Ireland v Australia - 2nd test, how the expected starting XVs compare.

BigMacMichael

1. Healy v Scott Sio - Healy is back near his best, will surely be hurting from that momentum shifting scrum penalty, off the back of interesting angles from the Aussie front 5. Rating - 8. Scott Sio - can be very strong in the carry, but not very consistent and could encounter problems on Saturday given the inevitable pressure Schmidt will put on the referee to ensure the Aussies are scrummaging straight/not boring in. Rating - 6.

2. Cronin v Brandon Paenga-Amosa - Cronin is on a strong run of form for Leinster and on his day is by some margin Ireland's best hooker. Rating - 7. Amosa - very poor first outing, consistently missing his lifters and anonymous in open play. Has shown some promise in Super rugby, should improve from his debut. Rating - 5.

3. Furlong v Sekope Kepu - Furlong although looking fatigued, is up there with the top TH's in the world and will be looking to prove his worth in the scrum. Rating - 9. Kepu - very good handling in the loose and significantly improved in the tight, will be an interesting battle against Healy. Rating - 7.

4. Ian Henderson v Izack Rodda. Hendy is due a big performance and on his day is a freak of nature. Rating - 8. Rodda - will have to take some slack for the lineout malfunctioning and will look to improve for Saturday, rating - 6.

5. James Ryan v Adam Coleman - Ryan was Ireland's top performer last week and already world class, didn't deserve to lose his first game. Rating - 9. Coleman - very physical and abrasive but has a tendency to give away silly penalties, needs to improve his discipline. Rating - 6.

6. Tadgh Beirne v Hooper - Beirne is the best jackler in the Northern Hemisphere this season and will provide a much needed threat to the Aussie breakdown, though unproven at test level, the coaching staff will expect an 8/10 showing. Rating - 8. Hooper - all class although his form has not been up to his usual standards. Rating - 8.

7. Dan Leavy v Pocock - Leavy will relish coming up against Pocock who has had a big influence on how he modelled his game. In incredible form and perhaps offers more of a carrying threat than opposite number. Rating - 8. Pocock - game changer for the Wallabies, Ireland's biggest attribute is their ability to starve the opposition of possession, Pocock possesses an unrivalled ability to steal ball, will be interesting to see if he can have the same impact with Beirne and Leavy on the field. Rating - 10.

8. Stander v Caleb Timu - Stander although had one of his better ball carrying outings still needs to play more heads up rugby and stop looking for traffic instead of space. Rating - 7. Timu - failed to have much impact last week but should improve with experience. Rating - 6.

9. Conor Murray v Genia - Murray didn't have his best performance in the first test and was clearly frustrated at the referee, should be vastly improved on Saturday. Rating - 9. Genia - did all that was asked but still has not hit his top form. Rating - 8.

10. Sexton v Foley - Sexton is imperious form and will be hurting from his first loss all season. Rating - 9. Foley - similar to Genia did all that was asked but failed to have a big impact and helped a lot by Beale. Rating - 7.

11. Stockdale v Dane Haylett-Petty. Stockdale under-performed last week but showed glimpses of why he is so highly rated. Rating - 7. Petty - very talented footballer and showed it last week. Rating - 7.

12. Henshaw v Beale. Henshaw showed his limitations at 13 due to his loss of pace, but has all the attributes of a world class 12 and combines to form a finely balanced centre combination with Ringrose. Rating - 8. Beale - another star in the Aussie team, on form he is an exceptional play-maker, an injury to him or Pocock would hugely affect their chances. Rating - 9.

13. Gary Ringrose v Samu Kerevi. Ringrose - was seriously missed last week, his weaving runs and defensive reads should cause trouble. Rating - 8. Samu Kerevi showed why Kuridrani isn't being picked with a great showing, looks to have serious potential, but prone to the odd misread in defense. Rating - 7.

14. Jordan Larmour v Marika Koroibete. Larmour didn't see much of the ball but could open up in space, still question marks over his defence. Rating - 7. Koribete - Had decent game at weekend without setting the world alight, in fine Super rugby form. Rating - 7.

15. Kearney v Folau - Kearney made elementary errors but were uncharacteristic of his game, expect a much improved performance. Rating - 7. Folau best full back in the world by a distance, incredible in the air and in attack. Rating - 9.

Total Irish score - 119
Total Australia score - 108.

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Elvisjuice

Buer wrote: »

Who was MOTM? Someone on here saying it was POM but the Indo says Furlong was given the award. Both worthy recipients.

powers paid out on Furlong

[Deleted User]

Clegg wrote: »

James Ryan was every bit as good as last week. He's the best second row in Ireland by a mile. That's not a slight on Toner or Henderson either. They're both quality players.

And he's an absolute dog as well. When asked about his first loss he said it was a silver lining so that 'other' people would stop going on about it.

He's our Martin Johnson with better hands and more mobility. You can't win a world cup without a players like him.

We're gonna win the world cup.

PhlegmyMoses

Former Former wrote: »

In other positives, Toner was good but James Ryan is going to be an all-time great, he's only 21 and he's incredible, ANOTHER 80 minute stint.

POM was awesome, Furlong was just Furlong. Thought Jordi had a good display when he came on too.

Midfield looks so much better with Ringrose at 13. Henshaw definitely looked the better for it.

Earls and Kearney keep producing the goods, both excellent. Larmour still finding his feet but did nothing wrong. Your heart would break for Conway, poor bastard.

Ryan, Toner, Henderson and Beirne is as strong as we've ever been for second row options imo.

razorblunt

PhlegmyMoses wrote: »

Ryan, Toner, Henderson and Beirne is as strong as we've ever been for second row options imo.

A blessing for those of us who grew up watching the Malcolm O'Kelly and Gary Longwell years.

PTH2009

It's always a good day when we win down under

Rare enough, next week will be some match and please please don't end in a draw and we share the series lol

DDC1990

Elvisjuice wrote:

powers paid out on Furlong

Wow. Furlong was good but O'Mahony dominated the game. He was head and shoulders above anyone else IMO. Eapecially he was up against Pocock and Hooper. A real captains roll this week.

Buer

PhlegmyMoses wrote: »

Ryan, Toner, Henderson and Beirne is as strong as we've ever been for second row options imo.

I thought Beirne was a little quiet, to be honest. He very nearly was the villain but took his man down at the second attempt.

I'll reserve judgement on him at this level until we see a few games from him. At the moment though, I don't think he's making our 23.

Buer

razorblunt wrote: »

A blessing for those of watching the Malcolm O'Kelly and Gary Longwell.

Very harsh on MOK who was a superb player.

PhlegmyMoses

Buer wrote: »

I thought Beirne was a little quiet, to be honest. He very nearly was the villain but took his man down at the second attempt.

I'll reserve judgement on him at this level until we see a few games from him. At the moment though, I don't think he's making our 23.

No, and he might be better in the even more competitive back row even. But on paper those are some nice options.

CurryFlavoured

Great performance, I thought we dominated the game. But it is disconcerting to think that despite all of our possession, territory and penalty advantages, Aus had the ball and were within a score of us at the end. We should have been further ahead.

On the flip side, it's amazing that as fans we're in a position where we expect to beat Aus on their own turf. We're blessed with a really excellent team and coaching staff right now

letowski

Former Former wrote:

Midfield looks so much better with Ringrose at 13. Henshaw definitely looked the better for it.

I thought Ringrose was probably the biggest difference from last week. Rock solid on defense and carried/distributed very well in attack. Aki/Farrell have made very solid contributions for Ireland these last 12 months but Henshaw and Ringrose is definitely our best midfield for me.

ScrubsfanChris

Clegg wrote: »

The press say Genia has broken.hia arm.and.will.have surgery tomorrow. That's his series over.

The minute a temperary cast was going on his arm and not an ice pack you knew it was bad.
Big loss for them.

Burkie1203

Loads of positives. Henshaw and Ringrose is by far our best centre pairing

Scannell staying healthy will be a huge positive. Toner has really developed his game hugely in the last 2 seasons.

Thought Murray had a shocker today.

Ref was a joke. WR can help the situation by introducing mandatory YC after X number of penalties in your own 22. I can only remember 3 or 4 penalties conceded by Ireland in their own 22. Australia must have been double that at least and received 2/3 warnings and the card count was 2-0 in Australia's favour

Buer

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

The minute a temperary cast was going on his arm and not an ice pack you knew it was bad.
Big loss for them.

Big blow to Australia. He is a far better player than Phipps.

Was Beale's departure tactical? I was surprised to see him go off.

joseywhales

Deleted User wrote: »

Clegg wrote: »

James Ryan was every bit as good as last week. He's the best second row in Ireland by a mile. That's not a slight on Toner or Henderson either. They're both quality players.

And he's an absolute dog as well. When asked about his first loss he said it was a silver lining so that 'other' people would stop going on about it.

He's our Martin Johnson with better hands and more mobility. You can't win a world cup without a players like him.

We're gonna win the world cup.

You just had to say it

cython

Burkie1203 wrote: »

Loads of positives. Henshaw and Ringrose is by far our best centre pairing

Scannell staying healthy will be a huge positive. Toner has really developed his game hugely in the last 2 seasons.

Thought Murray had a shocker today.

Ref was a joke. WR can help the situation by introducing mandatory YC after X number of penalties in your own 22. I can only remember 3 or 4 penalties conceded by Ireland in their own 22. Australia must have been double that at least and received 2/3 warnings and the card count was 2-0 in Australia's favour

2-1, lest you forget the tackle on Kearney....... We put up 13 points while they had a player in the bin.

May Contain Small Parts

Burkie1203 wrote: »

Ref was a joke. WR can help the situation by introducing mandatory YC after X number of penalties in your own 22. I can only remember 3 or 4 penalties conceded by Ireland in their own 22. Australia must have been double that at least and received 2/3 warnings and the card count was 2-0 in Australia's favour

IMO there's been a bit of a trend over the last 1-2 years of refs rarely giving cards for repeated infringement.

On the other hand they're more likely to give them for dangerous play.

squawker

DDC1990 wrote: »

Wow. Furlong was good but O'Mahony dominated the game. He was head and shoulders above anyone else IMO.

still laughing at some posts here after last weeks test

saying POM isn't good enough and does nothing around the pitch

Pudsy33

What exactly happened to Genia? Apparently the Aussies aren't happy but I can't recall the incident at all.

errlloyd

Ringrose undefeated season marches on.

POM was obviously excellent today, but was he a bit lucky? 3 turnovers, his first looked like he had hands on the deck before the ball, and the third he didn't look on his feet? Also thought we get penalised for throwing him at Pocock in the lineout. Annoying given his earlier penalty at the lineout.

bilston

Burkie1203 wrote: »

Loads of positives. Henshaw and Ringrose is by far our best centre pairing

Scannell staying healthy will be a huge positive. Toner has really developed his game hugely in the last 2 seasons.

Thought Murray had a shocker today.

Ref was a joke. WR can help the situation by introducing mandatory YC after X number of penalties in your own 22. I can only remember 3 or 4 penalties conceded by Ireland in their own 22. Australia must have been double that at least and received 2/3 warnings and the card count was 2-0 in Australia's favour

Clearly I'm going to look at things through green tinted spectacles but I thought we were on the wrong side of a few dubious calls by the officials today.

I've no complaints on McGrath's yellow but Foley alone must have given away 3 cynical penalties in the second half so can count himself lucky not to have been binned. I also reckon there should have been a card for off the ball hit on Ryan in the first half. Anyway we won so I'll not lose any sleep over it.

The series is set up well. No time for experimentation next week. Hopefully Leavy is ok.

Bridge93

Pudsy33 wrote: »

What exactly happened to Genia? Apparently the Aussies aren't happy but I can't recall the incident at all.

He was hit off the ball and broke his arm. Having surgery tomorrow

Buer

squawker wrote: »

still laughing at some posts here after last weeks test

saying POM isn't good enough and does nothing around the pitch

POM was good last week and brilliant today.

But they're probably the two best performances of his entire season, to be honest. With the incredible level of competition in the Irish back row, no player's spot is guaranteed.

It's also curious that he has been taken off in his last 5 internationals. I'd have him in my starting side definitely but I'm not sure Schmidt sees any back row as being untouchable in the same manner as guys like Furlong, Sexton, Murray etc.

flatty

The refereeing bias is the the hapenny place to the absolute rodgering France have had over the years. We should keep things in perspective. Great win. I expected more from Australia tbh.
Looking forward to the SA England this afternoon. I don't think England can improve that much, they played pretty much to potential last week, but we'll see. We, on the other hand, were transformed. I'm not sure why, as actually we looked worse last week when sexton came on, but in truth he has always a big game starter rather than a big game changer (I mean that in a good way).

razorblunt

Buer wrote: »

Very harsh on MOK who was a superb player.

I wouldn't say superb he flew out of the blocks and then didn't do much for the majority of his caps. In my opinion of course.

Tigerandahalf

[Deleted User] wrote: »

We're gonna win the world cup.

Not sure if you are being sarcastic but I'd be very surprised if we win it. I'd be very worried about our ability to create and finish off opportunities.
The Earls break today was beautiful but we don't do it often enough. Off turnover ball we are extremely poor at recognising the space available and putting a player away into it.

Our attack is still far too reliant on phases of trucking the ball up. We have turned into England trying to bash our way over the line.

With the short turn around between games in the World Cup we will end up knackered and down in player numbers by the knockout stages as we are going into contact too often instead of attacking the space in front of us.

On several occasions today we had possession and were going over and back across the field without threatening a line break. We are hugely reliant on the kick chase to gain territory.

The positives are a solid scrum and lineout with great backup for both areas. Our control at half back is very good and the backup is quite decent especially if Cooney is reserve 9 as he could take penalty duties from Carberry.

We have good depth in the backrow and centres.
Full back is the one area where Schimdt needs to blood someone since Zebo is out of the picture. Conway if ok should be given the call to start at FB. I even wouldn't mind giving Earls a try there as he has improved a lot in the air and would be a lot stronger on the counter if given the freedom by Schmidt.

So overall we have a great squad. I think NZ are the only side to match us there but their attacking/converting off turnovers is miles ahead of us unfortunately.

Just to add: Dan Leavy looks a super competitive player but today was not the first time he was done for pace on the channel outside the ruck.

Burkie1203

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Not sure if you are being sarcastic but I'd be very surprised if we win it. I'd be very worried about our ability to create and finish off opportunities.
The Earls break today was beautiful but we don't do it often enough. Off turnover ball we are extremely poor at recognising the space available and putting a player away into it.

Our attack is still far too reliant on phases of trucking the ball up. We have turned into England trying to bash our way over the line.

With the short turn around between games in the World Cup we will end up knackered and down in player numbers by the knockout stages as we are going into contact too often instead of attacking the space in front of us.

On several occasions today we had possession and were going over and back across the field without threatening a line break. We are hugely reliant on the kick chase to gain territory.

The positives are a solid scrum and lineout with great backup for both areas. Our control at half back is very good and the backup is quite decent especially if Cooney is reserve 9 as he could take penalty duties from Carberry.

We have good depth in the backrow and centres.
Full back is the one area where Schimdt needs to blood someone since Zebo is out of the picture. Conway if ok should be given the call to start at FB. I even wouldn't mind giving Earls a try there as he has improved a lot in the air and would be a lot stronger on the counter if given the freedom by Schmidt.

So overall we have a great squad. I think NZ are the only side to match us there but their attacking/converting off turnovers is miles ahead of us unfortunately.

Leave Earls on the wing.

shootermacg

https://soundcloud.com/green-and-gold-rugby

I await this pod cast with glee.

Buer

razorblunt wrote: »

I wouldn't say superb he flew out of the blocks and then didn't do much for the majority of his caps. In my opinion of course.

I would. He was a stalwart for years and still delivering for Ireland long after his debut.

I think it said a lot that when a Jake White team came to town he said POC, BOD and MOK were the only players good enough to make the SA team. That was the same season he took apart England in Twickenham and destroyed their line out. He had about 60 caps at that point.

Buer

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Just to add: Dan Leavy looks a super competitive player but today was not the first time he was done for pace on the channel outside the ruck.

He could have done better but there was nothing about pace involved in his role. His man was Foley. Sexton was lined up against Beale and Stander was the cover.

Leavy couldn't react with enough agility to take Beale (it was a lovely line though), Sexton was completely taken out of the picture and Stander was too slow across.