Australia have enough talent but there needs to be an ignition, says Michael Lynagh

Ireland are on the verge of an unbeaten run in the autumn series – something they haven’t achieved since 2009 – which included a clinical win over a talented South African side. If they beat Australia on Saturday then a 13-10 loss to England in the Six Nations will stand as their only loss of 2014.

Australia on the other hand arrive in Dublin this weekend in need of an uplifting win. After a mediocre Rugby Championship by their own high standards, they lost to France in Paris following wins against Wales and the Barbarians.

Joe Schmidt appears to have created an Irish team capable of beating the best sides in the world, while Australia will be keen to prove that they’re still one of the teams to beat in next year’s global showpiece.

Sky Sports pundit and recent World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee Michael Lynagh says it’s a game he is looking forward to watching unfold.

“It should be a good match because both teams have a good attitude in the way they play the game,” said the former Australian fly-half.

“We’ve seen some good stuff from Ireland. Australia on the other hand - after wins against the Barbarians and Wales - faltered a little bit and played poorly against France last week in a loss.

“They’ll be looking to get their wagon back onto the road and try to atone for that.”

Stuttered

While the Wallabies have stuttered at times this season it hasn’t been for lack of playmakers – the squad has some of the most exciting players in world rugby, but Lynagh feels the potential is yet to be met - though he says that with new coach Michael Cheika at the helm it can be.

“Australia have enough talent in the team – in the backs in particular – to really scare a lot of sides. We just haven’t seen it ignite yet at an Australian level.

“We’ve seen it at a Waratah level in the Super Rugby and we’ve seen glimpses of it from the Australian team but it’s never really been sustained.

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“It’s not going to happen overnight but it’s where we want to get to and I think we have enough talent to do that.”

In order to release those exciting backs, the Australian forwards will need to dominate an Irish pack that helped their team to a win over the Springboks by bullying their physical South African counterparts.

The former Queensland Reds pivot says that there is still work to be done by the Wallabies in that department.

“In every rugby game, particularly when Australia are involved, there is always a question mark over the forward pack, and I don’t think we’ve done enough to dispel that just yet.

“That’s got to be the aim of every Australian forward that takes the field - to try and dispel the fact that they’re an understrength scrummaging side and that they’re not physical enough.

“It’s the same of any rugby team; unless you’ve got a forward pack that can equal or dominate the opposition, you’re always going to struggle.

“You need to win that contact at the breakdown. If you do, you’re well on the road to actually winning the game.”

Adapt

Another factor in the Irish win over the Boks was an inability from the South Africans to adapt to a game that was marred by poor conditions. The ability to adapt quickly is something the Wallabies traditionally pride themselves in, but Lynagh says it’s another area that needs improvement in this game.

“In the past Australia have played in a smart way, being able to see different opportunities and change their game towards that.

“I’m not saying that we’ve done that recently, but it’s something we need to be able to get back to – to play smarter than the opposition.

One of the talking points ahead of the Dublin test is the inclusion of Kurtley Beale in the squad after less than a month in exile. Lynagh says his time away from the game will stop him achieving a starting place but he still expects to see Beale involved in the match.

“He hasn’t played for a while, so maybe a bench place might be an option for him,” said the Sky Sports pundit.

“It depends on the team Cheika picks up front and who else is on the bench as well, but Beale hasn’t come over to have a look at the sights I imagine. Cheika’s called him back because he was one of the best players this year in the Super Rugby tournament. He’s talented and he’s available.

“He’s brought him over to play, I don’t think he brought him over to sit and watch,” said Lynagh.

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Byplay

It's not just the selections for this weekend that will trouble Cheika; the task of forming a team dynamic with the world cup merely months away will be a tough one. Though according to Lynagh, there are some differences that can already be seen.

“There’s a change within the team in terms of how they’re approaching the game, and that’s going to take some time. The Waratahs within the team will know Cheika well and know how he wants to play the game. The rest of the squad needs to adapt to that.

"I have sensed that there is a change in the way the Wallabies hold themselves and conduct themselves, so let’s hope that’s for the positive and that we’ll all be talking about the way they play the game and how good it is to watch - and hopefully them winning - rather than what’s dominated headlines over the last three months.

“It’s going to be interesting this weekend because there’s going to be a lot of Irish guys who know how Cheika plays the game as well from his time at Leinster – so that’s going to be a nice little byplay in the game.”