Rugby World Cup: Battle of loosies key in Australia-Ireland clash

The Wallabies have one of rugby's best open side specialists in David Pocock. Photo / Getty

How well Ireland negate Pocock's influence at the breakdown seems sure to be a critical factor at tonight's Rugby World Cup clash.

If there is an area of the game worth sticking the binoculars on at Eden Park tonight, it should be the loose forward contest.

Australia have an in-form trio of revitalised No 8 Radike Samo, one of rugby's best open side specialists in David Pocock and Rocky Elsom, shorn of the Wallaby captaincy one game before the World Cup began but a player of huge influence.

Ireland don't have a genuine No 7 in the Pocock mould, but in No 8 Jamie Heaslip, and Stephen Ferris and Sean O'Brien they're loaded with power runners and robust footballers.

There are other clashes which have potential for intrigue - such as how Australia's midfield pairing of Pat McCabe and Anthony Fainga'a fare against Ireland's 44-cap veteran pair, captain Brian O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy.

But how well Ireland negate Pocock's influence at the crunch breakdown area seems sure to be a critical area of what should be a lively, not to say vital, pool C match.

Elsom spent a memorable year with Leinster in 2009, helping them win the Heineken Cup to be European champions for the first time. He was man of the match in the final against Leicester and drew the highest praise from his Leinster teammate O'Driscoll at the time.

"I would say he's the best player I have ever played with. Let's put it this way: we wouldn't have won the cup without Rocky Elsom," he said.

To which Elsom, who doesn't immediately appeal as a chest-thumping type, might offer a lowkey, 'team comes first' response.

Even so, he has figured in Ireland's thinking, and drawn warm praise from their players, ahead of the game. He, in turn, can offer his teammates some specific insights into what to expect.

Such as the Heaslip-Ferris-O'Brien axis.

"I think particularly in the back row they've got a lot of ball-carrying options there," he said.

"With the 6-7-8 combination, they've got a lot of leg drive. They're probably one of the more underrated back rows in test rugby. We've got to be on our game."

He insisted Australia would not be fooled by some mediocre leadup form from the Irish in which they lost all four warmup matches before reaching New Zealand.

Their 22-10 win over the United States last weekend wasn't especially flash, either.

"I wouldn't read too much into their matches before the World Cup because friendlies don't tend to mean much.

"Their Six Nations form was very good. If you look at their game they've got things they do particularly well and we've got to expect them to be at the top of their game," 70-test veteran Elsom said.

Heaslip, an uncompromising, direct type, is highly rated by All Blacks No 8 Kieran Read, although he was sent off at New Plymouth last year for kneeing Richie McCaw at a ruck.

Ulsterman Ferris is a big slab of a blindside while O'Brien, a storming ball runner, was named player of the 2010-11 European season, but is returning from a knee injury which has sidelined him for the past three weeks.

What they don't have is a like-for-like against Pocock. The job falls to O'Brien tonight, more a blindsider, but a vigorous player who won't die wondering.

If the skies open tonight, the Irish won't mind that either. It's been known to rain occasionally in Ireland.

This will be the fifth meeting at World Cups for the teams. Australia have won them all, but Irish minds will most easily turn to the 19-18 last-minute loss in the 1991 quarter-final at Dublin, a match decided by a late Michael Lynagh intervention.

There was only a point in it eight years ago too, and Ireland's record of eight wins in 29 tests against the Australians suggests they can be right in the frame.

"We're probably playing around 70 per cent, so there's that much more improvement in us," Ireland's coach Declan Kidney said.

Get that improvement from a side including nine members of Leinster's current European champion team and Ireland have the experienced forward grunt and backline savvy to fancy their prospects. The winning of the pool depends on it.

Australia v Ireland Eden Park, 8.30, tonight
Referee: Bryce Lawrence (NZ)

Australia: Kurtley Beale, James O'Connor, Anthony Fainga'a, Pat McCabe, A. Ashley-Cooper, Quade Cooper, Will Genia, Radike Samo, David Pocock, Rocky Elsom, James Horwill (c), Dan Vickerman, Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, Sekope Kepu. Reserves: Tatafu Polota Nau, James Slipper, Rob Simmons, Ben McCalman, Scott Higginbotham, Luke Burgess, Drew Mitchell.

Ireland: Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll, Gordon D'Arcy, Keith Earls, Jonathan Sexton, Eion Reddan, Jamie Heaslip, Sean O'Brien, Stephen Ferris, Paul O'Connell, D. O'Callaghan, Mike Ross, Rory Best, Cian Healy. Reserves: Sean Cronin, Tom Court, Donnacha Ryan, Denis Leamy, Conor Murray, Ronan O'Gara, Andrew Trimble