Monday 5 October 2015 13:06, UK
Wales flanker Justin Tipuric knows they will have to get the better of Australia’s feared back row if they are to win their World Cup Pool A clash in Cardiff on Saturday.
The winners of the clash will top the group and would therefore be likely to face either Scotland or Japan in the quarter-finals, with the losers in line to face South Africa.
Tipuric knows they will face a tough test if they are to come out on top of a Wallabies back row that outplayed England, even if flanker Michael Hooper is ultimately suspended after he was cited for alleged foul play in the win at Twickenham.
"It's a pretty special back row. Their number six (Scott Fardy) doesn't get enough credit. He does a lot of the donkey work," said Tipuric. "Whoever plays there for them, they have strength in depth.
"The breakdown is a strength for them, and we need to make sure we look after that ball. You are up against the best with Australia, and it's going to be a good test."
As for Australia's 33-13 drubbing of England that saw Stuart Lancaster's side knocked out of the World Cup they are hosting, Tipuric added: "Australia looked in control of it the whole time. They played to their strengths and their set-piece was on fire.
"I didn't expect that much of a margin, but we all know Australia's strengths. It showed in the game how good they were in the breakdown. I didn't expect their set-piece to be that good, especially the scrum. They were dominant. England are known for their set-piece, but Australia played really well."
Wales head coach Warren Gatland is not expected to announce his starting line-up for the Australia Test until Thursday, but he could opt to make changes in the wake of last week's punishing encounter against Fiji.
"We just have to assess how battered these players are and where their bodies are," he said.
"We need to decide whether we put them in next weekend or keep them for the following week. We will look and see what happens over the next couple of days in terms of selection.
You are up against the best with Australia, and it's going to be a good test.
"We do have other options, and depending on what style of game we want to play and what sort of game-plan we want will influence us in terms of the few changes we do make.
"Potentially, whoever we do play in the quarter-finals - whether it's South Africa, Scotland or Japan - we have had some success.
"We lost in the last Test in Japan in 2013 when I was on Lions duty. But we have had pretty good success in the last eight years against Scotland, and winning that game against South Africa last autumn was a huge milestone for us."
