Australia's time is coming but not just yet

Ireland’s vast experience should give them the edge against a young Wallabies side in transition

LAST TIME I was asked to talk about Ireland versus Australia in Dublin was 2002. It was Brian O’Driscoll’s first game as captain. I was coaching Leinster at the time and he wasn’t the provincial captain.

There was a leadership group led by Reggie Corrigan back then but, when it came to leading Ireland, O’Driscoll simply said, “follow me”. Well, he never had to utter those words aloud. He simply led by example and the team followed, not wanting to let him down. Since that day he has developed into one of the best captains in world rugby. Along with Richie McCaw, he is one of the most influential players currently in the game. That is the simple core of his leadership.

His aura pervades the entire stadium especially the opposition. Now, compare that to Rocky Elsom entering his third game as captain. There are obvious similarities to Brian – both are quiet enough men off the field. On the field they inspire through their actions. Elsom’s form in Europe last season marked him as the best Australian No 6 I have seen.

His form has dipped slightly since, but he has the type of character Robbie Deans is looking to instil in his young team. Teams take on the character of their leaders. Deans detected a culture within the leadership group he didn’t like. He has removed those leaders, promoting young players he can train and mould in a culture of his making.

I’m not sure if Nathan Sharpe, Phil Waugh or Stirling Mortlock will ever return. Lote Tuqiri is gone and while Matt Giteau remains a hugely important part of the team, he is no longer a core part of the leadership group. George Smith remains in contention but David Pocock gets the nod for the fourth time in five games.

Leadership is an acquired skill. All Elsom needs to say to his players is “follow me”. Well, like O’Driscoll, he doesn’t need to actually say it. They already know the score.

The difficulty Elsom encounters in contrast to Brian’s current healthy position is that Ireland are littered with leaders like Paul O’Connell, Ronan O’Gara, David Wallace, Jamie Heaslip, Donncha O’Callaghan and Paddy Wallace, while the Wallabies are largely a young, inexperienced side.

However, there are things we should remember about their form this season. They played and lost to the All Blacks four times and beat South Africa once in three meetings. Their form and criticism thereof is based on those results but not many teams in the world would do much better.

At Twickenham they showed the seeds of a very good team beginning to mature. In Australia much is being made of this being the first tilt at the “Grand Slam” since the famous 1984 tour when guys like Nick Farr Jones, Michael Lynagh and Steve Tuynman became household names. Will Genia and Quade Cooper have the ability to replicate that success.

Australia were dismissed by the English media last week. Their performance proved them wrong.

However, Ireland are the best team in Europe. They are at the peak of their cycle – Australia are beginning theirs – littered with experience, success, ambition and great pride. If the Wallabies can beat the actual Grand Slam champions it will be ranked alongside their greatest victories in the northern hemisphere.

Croke Park will not be the disadvantage to Australia as it is to most visiting teams. Many of the tourists have Irish heritage. They will see it as a once in a lifetime opportunity. The history of this fixture shows form means very little. Just think back to the 1991 World Cup when Ireland came agonisingly close to beating the eventual world champions.

Historically the Wallabies love playing in Ireland and spending time in Dublin. However, rugby in Australia is in real trouble with massive competition from AFL, rugby league and even soccer. Super 14 and club rugby standards have dropped alarmingly.

For rugby in Australia to survive, the Wallabies need to develop a winning culture.

Such revolutionary upheaval by Deans in the leadership stakes is a clear sign that drastic change was required for future success. It looks the correct decision but now Deans needs time for the seeds to shoot. Losing Test matches reduces a coach’s time to reach the desired level of competency but unlike many of his predecessors, Deans is currently enjoying great support from the Australian media despite a string of defeats in the Tri Nations. This is buying him plenty of time.

The deciding factor on Sunday may be evident in the preparation of the respective coaching teams. Deans’ primary weakness is the inexperience of his backroom staff, especially considering men like Alan Gaffney and Gert Smal are working away on the Irish training paddock. In New Zealand Graham Henry’s assistants, Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen, have head coach experience at international level.

Jim Williams and Richie Graham are young coaches of great promise and they need to be nurtured. Their appointment as Super 14 assistant coaches next year proves as much.

But there are glaring problems in Australia’s game, which have been evident for some time. The kicking game is short and unreliable, the lineout – formerly the best in the world – has been very poor. The breakdown is producing slow ball and they are coughing up too many penalties. The “mongrel dog” required to dissuade McCaw from lying over the ball, as he did in all four games this season, was absent.

These are the areas that measure the effectiveness of the backroom staff. International rugby is not the place to be learning one’s trade as a coach.

An inexperienced Wallaby squad have the necessary ability to win. The beginnings of a highly successful side in years to come are already evident. But I doubt they are good enough yet to win in Croke Park against this Ireland team. As a leader, Brian O’Driscoll has improved immeasurably from what was already a solid base. As have his team. Australia’s time is coming, but not just yet.