Ireland Vs. Australia: The Joe Schmidt Blueprint And Playmaker Controversy
Ireland Vs. Australia: The Joe Schmidt Blueprint And Playmaker Controversy
Ireland hosts Australia in a thrilling rugby showdown at Aviva Stadium. It's a dress rehearsal for the Lions tour, full of narratives and intense rivalries.
International rugby’s final battle of 2024 is fast coming into focus, as Ireland gets set to host Australia at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
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Stockpiled full of narratives, the clash promises to be an absolute cracker, with both sides naming strong matchday squads for the occasion.
Ireland Vs. Australia Key Talking Point
Pitched as a dress rehearsal for next year’s British and Irish Lions Tour, which will be led by Ireland head coach Andy Farrell.
The match also pits the man who created the current framework, which has made Irish Rugby so successful in Joe Schmidt, against his former assistant Farrell.
Though this is not the first time we have seen this clash of minds, with Schmidt playing a key role in masterminding New Zealand’s smash-and-grab quarterfinal victory over the men in green 12 months ago.
On that occasion it was a clash in which Schmidt ‘power play’ proved to be the difference, as the All Blacks struck from team with Richie Mo’unga exposing a gap in the Irish defense to send Will Jordan on his way for a key try.
Away from that seminal moment, Schmidt’s men shut down aspects of the Irish game that, to that point, had been unstoppable for 17 matches in a row.
Wreaking havoc at the breakdown, dominating at scrum time and putting the clamps on key Irish ball carrier Caelen Doris, the All Blacks and Schmidt well, and truly, did a job on Farrell’s men in Paris.
Of course, that All Blacks squad was stacked to the gills with players who knew how to win at the highest level, a skill this Wallabies side is in the infancy of acquiring.
Wallabies Wobbly Wagon
Fast forward to 2024, and Schmidt now is in the early stages of what, on paper, is his biggest job to date.
In terms of leaders one would like to lift a sinking ship, Schmidt is among the top candidates in professional sport to do so, and his efforts already are beginning to pay dividends.
Coming into November on the back of a brutally tough Rugby Championship campaign, the Wallabies were underdogs in all but one (Wales) contest of their tour. Thus, when they sprung an upset on England at Twickenham with a moment of magic that saw Max Jorgensen clinch the winning try, chatter of a historic Grand Slam of victories over the British and Irish Isles began to formulate.
Hot-stepping their way to Cardiff, buoyed by their upset of a highly rated England team, the Wallabies were in imperious form as they scorched the Welsh.
Gaining some revenge for their World Cup humiliation at the hands of the men in red just a year prior, Australian Rugby now was firmly the talk of the town.
Just as various scribes the world over were anointing the Wallabies as a serious force, once again, they came unstuck against an impressive Scottish performance in Murrayfield. This loss brought the curtains down on the Grand Slam and, with it, new question marks ahead of their trip to Dublin.
Irish Rugby Selection Controversy
On the home side of the ledger, Ireland has trended in a different direction than its visitors.
Beginning the campaign with a no show against the All Blacks in their first match, Ireland looked alarmingly rusty as a shadow of the team that had just beaten the Springboks in July.
This loss clearly invoked a response from Farrell’s men, who apparently were read the riot act by their head coach.
This somewhat had the desired effect, with the men in green boats racing Argentina off the pitch in the opening half of their clash.
Just as things were trending up, however, the Irish well dried out, and the squad failed to score a single point in the second half, but held on to a victory via a rather fortuitous knock-on by Los Pumas in overtime.
This match would become the birthplace of Irish Rugby’s new big debate with fly-half Jack Crowley, who had been impervious in the opening half would be withdrawn from the contest for the second week in a row on the hour mark.
Unlike in the first match, where his replacement, Ciaran Frawley, had an absolute disaster of a showing, Crowley’s replacement against Argentina, Sam Prendergast, had a steady showing.
Clearly enamored with the 21-year-old’s showing and potential, Farrell backed him to start a week later against Fiji, with Frawley on the bench and Crowley rested.
Showing some good moments against Fiji, without setting the world alight, Prendergast moved further up the pecking order and, in a bombshell, he was announced as the starter for this weekend’s match.
Just how this has been communicated to Crowley, who has been nothing short of stellar since taking from the great Johnny Sexton, would be an interesting conversation for which to have been a fly on the wall.
Still just 24-years-old, Crowley very much is in the early stages of his career and now faces his biggest challenge to date.
Lauded as a world-class man manager, Farrell has earned the benefit of the doubt, even if many from outside of the Dublin D4 area believe it is harsh on Crowley.
Farrell, who has a track record of taking a punt on a player before others realize their potential (Jamison Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen and Jamie Osborne spring to mind), appears to be playing chess at a checkers competition once again.
Throwing the cat amongst the pigeons by naming Prendergast ahead of Crowley has several potential outcomes.
Starting with the positives, for young players around Ireland, it shows that if Farrell rates you, it doesn’t matter where you are in your provincial pecking order. He will back you.
On a personal level, this support for Prendergast undoubtedly will spark a desire to cement himself as a man.
For Crowley, Farrell will view this as a wake-up call following what he assessed as mixed performances of late.
On the flip side of this, Farrell risks alienating Crowley and denting his confidence in a similar manner to that of Joey Carbery, who went from Sexton’s contender and backup to out of the Irish system altogether in a two-year span. Should this be the case, Ireland will enter the Six Nations (without Farrell) on an uneven keel without a clear leader in the No. 10 shirt.
In addition to this, the selection possibly sends out a reminder to players that even if they are the top players in their province, it does not guarantee a shot at the national side.
On a slightly left-field take of this, it also could serve as a shot across the bow of provincial coaches that the national boss sees their talent differently than they do.
Finally, and certainly least importantly from a coaching perspective, the decision further intensifies the thought process that Leinster players get the rub of the green in 50/50 situations.
By naming 11 Leinster in the starting XV and 14 in the matchday-23, Farrell reiterated the imbalance in Irish Rugby, which has become a truly alarming situation for the game as a whole.
Of course, due to its exceptional infrastructure, access to a wider pool of talent and a bigger budget, Leinster is a clear step ahead of the other three provinces. This is a concern for the national side, given there already is a backlog of talent who simply will not get the required game time to challenge for a spot in the Irish set-up.
Thus, the question of how the IRFU will manage this situation going forward is posed.
Leinster clearly should not be punished for producing this talent, but in the same breath, this will not help alleviate the grievances of fans who do not live within Leinster.
Ireland Vs. Australia Team News
Reverting back to the here and now, when it comes to 3: 10 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, Farrell’s decision to back Prendergast will face its first true acid test.
Elsewhere in the Irish squad, iconic prop Cian Healy will break the great Brian O’Driscoll’s appearance record when he comes off the bench for his 134th test cap.
Bursting onto the scene as a physical specimen unlike any previously seen in Irish Rugby back in 2008, the loosehead has undergone several transformations during his time in the green jersey.
Adapting his game as age and injuries caught up to him, Healy has gone from relying on his athleticism to being one of the most intelligent players on the park. Thus, as he trots onto the Aviva Stadium turf this Saturday, he will have earned every moment of praise that comes his way.
Shifting to the visitors, Schmidt’s charges have been boosted by the news that breakthrough star Joseph Sua’ali’l has been passed fit, having departed the match with Scotland early. Initially feared to be a broken wrist, the former Rugby League star will resume his role in the No. 13 shirt and faces an Irish center pairing of Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw that is humming at the moment.
Joining Sua’ali’I in the backline is Max Jorgensen, who starts on the left wing in place of Harry Potter and shifts to the bench to join Tane Edmend, who replaces Ben Donaldson.
Elsewhere, dynamic ball carrier Fraser McReight returns to the openside and the Tongan Thor Taniela Tupuo is named at tighthead. These two players should ensure the Wallabies get more gainline ball than they did in Edinburgh and will face off against two world-class operators in Josh van der Flier and Andrew Porter, respectively.
Finally, the Wallabies all-time cap leader, James Slipper, starts at loosehead, having made his international debut a year after Healy.
Ireland Vs. Australia Rugby Prediction
Getting set to make their final bow this season, the Australian players could be forgiven for dreaming of beers on the beach in the summer sun. But this is simply not how a Joe Schmidt-coached team operates, and you could bet your mortgage on them putting out a top-notch performance.
Whether this is enough to beat the Six Nations champions is questionable, with Farrell’s side just that bit further down the line in terms of its development.
Using the principle of Bill Belichick’s ability to best rookie quarterbacks, expect Schmidt to throw plenty of tests in Prendergast’s direction. Whether it is isolating him defensively, putting in a few borderline shots or showing him different defensive shapes, Schmidt will test the youngster in ways he has yet to be tested.
Should they get the better of the Irish pivot, it will go a long way to getting a foothold in the contest.
The biggest challenge for the visitors, however, will be disrupting the Irish breakdown, which is the fulcrum from which their game revolves.
Credited as the grand poohbah of modern breakdown play, Schmidt’s fingerprints are all over the Irish breakdown. Therefore, it would not be surprising if he was capable of asking the Irish players questions in this department that they have not faced since last year’s quarterfinal.
For Ireland, the route to victory is more straightforward. If the team can get the likes of Joe McCarthy, Caelen Doris and Bundee Aki crashing over the gainline, their intricate attacking structures will be too much for the Wallabies to handle.
At set-piece time, there will be a battle, but again, Ireland should just about hold the edge, albeit the loss of Tadhg Furlong is significant.
Taking these factors into account, where the two sides are in their development and how their form has been trending, Ireland will close out its November series on a positive note. Ireland by 12.
Ireland Vs. Australia Rugby Team Lineups
Australia
15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Joseph-Akuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Max Jorgensen, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (captain), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 James Slipper
Replacements: 16 Billy Pollard, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Harry Potter
Ireland
15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (captain), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter.
Replacements: 16 Gus McCarthy, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Garry Ringrose.
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