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

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.

Should be a walkover then

However I suspect this is a rather one-eyed set of ratings with some interesting calls. Perhaps the one that tickled me most is:

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 as test level, the coaching staff will expect a 8/10 showing. Rating - 8. Hooper - all class although form has not been up to his usual standards. Rating - 8.

Interesting, you think Joe will really go with Beirne at 6?

I'd have thought Toner may start ahead of Henderson as well.

No Keith Earls?

LondonTiger wrote:Should be a walkover then

However I suspect this is a rather one-eyed set of ratings with some interesting calls. Perhaps the one that tickled me most is:

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 as test level, the coaching staff will expect a 8/10 showing. Rating - 8. Hooper - all class although form has not been up to his usual standards. Rating - 8.

What "tickled" you about that quote? Beirne got the record for turnovers in the Pro 14 this season and made 15+ more turnovers then the man in second. He similarly had by far the most turnovers in Europe.
Hooper is world class on form, but on current form , I think it's a fair assessment.

rodders wrote:Interesting, you think Joe will really go with Beirne at 6?

I'd have thought Toner may start ahead of Henderson as well.

No Keith Earls?

Keith Earls looked fatigued and didn't return after the HIA. Would be very surprised if he was selected, will either be Larmour or Conway.
If Hendy is fit, I would be surprised if Toner came back in, Schmidt will want dominance in the scrum and given the lineout functioned so smoothly last week, Toner probably won't be called upon.

Stay away from the heino for a bit or better yet step away from the keyboard