The Wallabies climbed into Conor Murray and Joey Carbery five times in the opening 15 minutes. All hits were legal but all left significant marks.
Ireland have made hay, under Joe Schmidt, by going after opposition half backs and either sending their big ball-carriers at them or shifting them on their heels. Australia turned the tables in Brisbane and both Murray and Carbery shipped big hits.
Adan Coleman, Marika Koroibete, Michael Hooper and Samu Kerevi all laid on the heavy goods but a player that is more renowned for his fleet-footed, attacking style also stepped up – Kurtley Beale.
Australian rugby writer Georgina Robinson raved about the 29-year-old on The Hard Yards but noted [from 23:00 below] that Ireland will be coming at him hard in Melbourne.
Robinson claims she knew Australia were operating on a different level when, nine minutes in, she beheld Kurtley Beale laying every ounce of himself into walloping Conor Murray. She commented:
Credit: FOX/Rugby Pass“This is a guy who is known for foot-work, ceativity and heads-up rugby. He is a solid defender but he is not generally known for crunching tackles like the one that he made on Murray.
“That was when I was like, ‘Ah, these guys have all drank the Kool-Aid and it’s really happening’.”
Robinson, who writes for Sydney Morning Herald, believes Beale is Australia’s talisman in this series. She comments:
“They’re a real heart-on-sleeve team, which is much like their coach. When Michael Cheika is angry, he can’t hide it. When he’s happy, he can’t hide it. And Kurtley Beale can’t either.
“Occasionally, you’ll see that. Maybe in Melbourne, you’ll see the Irish put him under a lot of pressure. Shut him down, shut down his throwing space, and if it rattles him, you’ll really see that in his face. For better or worse, he really reflects what is going on with the team at any given moment.
“As a journalist, that’s what makes him such a compelling player to cover and observe, but also makes him such an important player to the team.”
It will be interesting to watch the opening exchanges at AAMI Park this weekend and see if Ireland go after the Wallabies No.12, and secondary playmaker.
