A laboured performance from Australia’s midweek side put head coach Robbie Deans under increased pressure as Munster triumphed at a wet and windy Thomond Park.

Former Australia Sevens captain Paul Warwick landed three penalties and two drop goals to down his countrymen and add another famous win to Munster’s proud history. In 1978, Munster famously defeated the touring All Blacks, a feat that the national team has yet to achieve. This win over the Wallabies will also go down in history as a great day for Munster rugby.

With Australia smarting from their disappointing 35-18 defeat to England, Deans called on his second string to produce a winning performance ahead of their Test against Italy on Saturday.

But in heavy rain showers and a howling wind, the Wallabies looked disinterested at times, particularly during a second half which a largely youthful Munster outfit comfortably dominated.

The hosts lacked the necessary invention to breach the Australian try-line, going closest through a series of pick-and-go efforts close to the posts. In the end, Warwick’s kicking haul was enough to seal Munster’s fourth victory over Australia, after previous wins in 1967, 1981 and 1992.

The Wallabies, who face Ireland in their Rugby World Cup pool next year, had the wind behind them from the off but were held to a 6-6 half-time scoreline.

Berrick Barnes, the visitors’ captain, struck a pinpoint second-minute penalty to punish Niall Ronan for a ruck offence.

Australia then coughed up a couple of penalties, the second after a purposeful maul from the Munster forwards, and another surge from the forwards set up Warwick for a successful drop goal from right in front of the posts.

A promising position for Australia was spoilt by a crooked lineout throw from Saia Faingaa, and Munster were impressive out of touch, with young lock Ian Nagle a towering presence.

The Wallabies were sent scurrying back towards their try-line in the 21st minute, Rod Davies rescuing the situation after new Munster prop Peter Borlase and the lively Keith Earls had sparked a kick chase.

From the resulting scrum, Munster threatened through Warwick before the forwards were held up. A powerful shove in the scrum got the Wallabies out of trouble, winning them a relieving penalty.

Barnes kicked his second successful penalty in the 29th minute and Munster had Peter O’Mahony to thank for a well-timed tackle on Luke Morahan, as Davies loomed on the right.

But hands in the ruck saw Australian centre Anthony Faingaa sin-binned before half-time, after repeated warnings from referee Bryce Lawrence.

Munster, roared on by an attendance of 21,314, levelled through Warwick’s brilliantly controlled kick from the left.

The Munster out-half was a pivotal figure in the third quarter, landing two crisply struck penalties as Earls held the ball upright in the swirling wind.

The initiative was clearly with Munster and up-and-coming talents including man of the match Nagle and O’Mahony maintained a huge work rate. By contrast, Australia’s efforts slid and handling errors blighted even Barnes.

Starved of possession and territory, Deans’ men let their discipline slip and Munster had near misses when scrum-half Duncan Williams was held up short of the line and Johne Murphy failed to link with Doug Howlett when the New Zealander was the better option.

Warwick was off target with three more penalty attempts – two from difficult angles on the right and another kick from distance found the right hand post. But his snap drop goal, on the hour mark, was enough to get the current Magners League leaders over the finish line.

Some committed defence from the lacklustre Wallabies kept Munster try-less. However, a late yellow card for prop Ben Daley, who infringed at a ruck in his 22, signalled the end for the men in gold and green.

Munster 15 Australia 6

The Melbourne Rebels say they would love to speak to Brian O'Driscoll should he express an interest in joining the club.

New Super 15 franchise the Melbourne Rebels have revealed their interest in securing the services of Irish captain Brian O’Driscoll after the 2011 World Cup.

Such a signing would result in a dream combination at centre for the franchise, who have already secured former Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock and other big name signings such as English fly-half Danny Cipriani and Brumbies star Julian Huxley.

Rebels assistant coach Damien Hill said that the club would love to meet with the 31-year-old Test veteran about a possible shift to the southern hemisphere.

“He’s an amazing footballer and if he were to express an interest we’d be more than happy to have a chat,” said Hill.

“He’s such a high quality player who sets high standards for himself and has good leadership skills too.”

Also on the Rebels’ radar is fellow Irish international Jamie Heaslip, who is currently serving a five-week suspension after his brain snap in New Plymouth which cost Ireland heavily in their record defeat to the All Blacks.

“Jamie’s a great player and of course we’d be interested in having a chat,” Hill added.

Australia's Kurtley Beale is tackled by Ireland's Mick O'Driscoll during the home side's seven-point win over the Irish in Brisbane.

Australia ensured Ireland return home from their tour winless, but their victory in front of 45,498 at Suncorp Stadium came in an unpolished and ill-disciplined performance.

The Australians ran in two tries, both in the first half, with scrum-half Luke Burgess scoring an intercept try and fly-half Quade Cooper crossing over after a skilful individual run on the stroke of half-time.

The Irish were held scoreless in the second period and, despite their best efforts were unable to grab a try in the contest; all 15 of their points coming from the boot of Jonathan Sexton.

Both sides had hinted at an attacking approach to the game, but it was not until late in the second half that either backline was able to find real space.

For the Australians, skipper Rocky Elsom was typically strong, but Drew Mitchell and Kurtley Beale missed an opportunity to impress in the backs.

After trailing for the majority of the first half, the Wallabies snatched a 16-15 lead going into the break, courtesy of Cooper’s attacking flair.

The Queensland Reds star created something from nothing as he danced his way through an invisible gap well after the siren.

Earlier, the Australians had first use of the ball, but it was the Irish who had first points on the board when Sexton sunk a penalty in the second minute, after Cooper was judged offside by referee Lawrence.

The chance to level the scores came just minutes later for the Aussies, but after a scratchy performance with the boot against England last weekend it appeared Matt Giteau’s radar was still out and his kick from right in front sailed left of the uprights.

An intercept from Rob Horne was called back for a knock-on, but from the scrum Luke Burgess made it second time lucky with an intercept of his own to run in the first try of the match and give the Wallabies their lead for the first time.

The Wallabies were forced to shuffle their backline with the resumption of the second half, sending Kurtley Beale to fullback, Adam Ashley-Cooper to centre and James O’Connor to the wing, after their starting outside centre Rob Horne was forced out with a gluteal strain.

Unfortunately for Beale, his first significant contribution for the Australians was not a good one; with space out wide and the try line almost within reach, the Waratahs star opted for to send in a grubber that steamed over the backline.

Play was eventually called back and Giteau registered his first successful kick of the match to give the Wallabies first blood in the second half.

As the contest began to open up for the first time, the Wallaby backline showed signs of clicking into gear but, once again, a penalty conceded by the Irish close to the line ensured the points continued to accumulate in threes.

The Australians continued to attack in the late stages of the second half, but regular handling mistakes stopped them from increasing the lead in the low-scoring second half.

The Wallabies say they will target Brian O'Driscoll in Saturday's Brisbane Test.

Australia out-half Quade Cooper has identified stopping Brian O’Driscoll as the keysto an Australian victory against Ireland at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

After a disappointing 21-20 loss to England on the weekend, the Australians are understandably out for redemption, and Cooper believes shutting down international rugby’s premier centre will go a long way to achieving that end.

Cooper, who played in the centres in Australia’s 20-20 draw with Ireland at Croke Park last year, knows first hand the damage an on-song O’Driscoll is capable of and clearly believes it will take a concerted effort to stop the star No. 13.

“O’Driscoll is a special player and what he did to us last year was really penetrate for them and get them on the front foot,” he said.

“Stopping their momentum through him will be a big key for us. It’s not about one person following him, but the team as a whole connecting together and defending well for the whole game.”

“Brian O’Driscoll’s someone that’s been one of the best centres of this generation,” Wallabies outside centre Rob Horne added.

“He’s someone that I greatly admire and have always looked up to. For me he’s the benchmark 13 and always has been, so it’ll be a big night for me and hopefully I can get out there and perform well.”

Meanwhile, former Munster forwards coach and current Wallabies assistant Jim Williams has identified powerhouse tighthead prop Tony “Mushy” Buckley as a major threat.

Buckley cuts a hugely imposing figure at 196cm tall and 134kg in weight and Williams knows first-hand of his destructive abilities around the ground after coaching him at Munster until 2008.

“Tony Buckley, the guy is massive – he destroys rucks by himself,” warned Williams.

“When he’s coming at you, you have to be prepared for him. His impact around the park and his impact at ruck time can be devastating so it’s one of those things we have to keep a watch out for.”

The 29-year-old converted second-rower’s selection to start ahead of 102-Test prop John Hayes shows he’s been earmarked to lead the charge up front at the 2011 World Cup.

Irish forwards coach and former Springbok Gert Smal rated Buckley a super-prop of the future earlier this year.
Smal also said the gentle giant has a “trip switch” on the field which can see him transform from a big cuddly bloke into Chuck Norris in a split second.

While the English pack handed the young Wallabies front-row a massive lesson in Perth a fortnight ago before they took an important step forward in the 21-20 loss in Sydney, Williams said the less-fancied Irish forwards couldn’t be under-estimated.

They will be missing world-class lock Paul O’Connell as well as Hayes, Denis Leamy and the suspended Jamie Heaslip but are desperate to taste their first win over the Wallabies in Australia since 1979.

“They will certainly be willing there’s no doubt about that,” Williams said.

“It’s a different pack and obviously not their first-choice pack but they have players with experience.”

Elsewhere, the Wallabies have been forced to make a late change to their starting line-up with lock Nathan Sharpe ruled out by injury.

The Western Force skipper was withdrawn from the team due to a back complaint and his place in the starting XV will be taken by Brumbies second row Mark Chisholm, with Mitchell Chapman moving into the squad on the bench.

Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll says his side have the ability to defeat the Wallabies on Saturday in Brisbane.

Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll says his team can regroup from the hammering they received at the hands of the All Blacks by beating Australia in Brisbane on Saturday.

History will be against the Irish as they chase their first win of the current tour and Ireland have also not won on Australian soil since 1979.

However, O’Driscoll is optimistic, even though the Aussies are likely to be fired up after their defeat by England.

“We have the capabilities if we play to our strengths,” said O’Driscoll.

“Needless to say it’ll be an extremely tough Test match, it always is against Australia.

“We haven’t won since 1979 … it’s a long time to not pick up a result and it just shows the difficulty we’ve had down here.

“But the next opportunity is the best one to take and try to overturn the slide of defeats.

“It’ll take a big effort, but I know the capabilities of this squad and team and it’s certainly within our grasp.”

Ireland will field just four players from the starting side that went down to New Zealand Maori on their last outing.

Niall Ronan is retained at flanker, number eight Chris Henry will make his Test debut, Paddy Wallace stays at inside centre, while most notably Jonathan Sexton will start at fly-half.

Sexton’s selection comes at the expense of the more experienced Ronan O’Gara, with coach Declan Kidney handing the Leinster pivot a start with an eye to the future and as a reward for good form.

The Leinster fly-half, who kicked an impressive 23 points against the Maori, will be opposed by a red-hot Quade Cooper, but O’Driscoll believes Sexton has the skill and style to take the game to the vaunted Wallabies backline.

“(Sexton’s) basics are very good, he’s a big physical guy and he’s a smart footballer too,” said O’Driscoll.

“He’s nice to play outside of, because he’s a nice passer of the ball and he probably has the mindset of trying to run the ball wherever possible.”

Playing outside Sexton in the number 12 jersey will be Paddy Wallace who, in a similar vein, has been selected at the expense of a more experienced rival in Gordon D’Arcy, and after a good showing against the Maori.

Henry’s selection has come on the back of impressive performances for Ireland A in 2009, and marks the fulfilment of a childhood dream for the Ulster skipper.

“It means everything. Since I was a youngster it was something I dreamed of,” said Henry.

“It’s been an exciting week and I can’t wait to get on the pitch and throw myself into the game.

“You always fantasise about it when you’re young and watching the teams, so it’s definitely a big dream come true and it means a lot to myself and my whole family.

“Hopefully it’ll be a special day and one I’ll always remember.”

Australia and Ireland have both named their starting line-ups for Saturday's Test in Brisbane.

Chris Henry will win his first cap for Ireland when he lines out at No 8 in the team to play Australia in Brisbane on Saturday evening.

Henry is one of four players including Paddy Wallace, Jonathan Sexton and back row Niall Ronan that are retained in the starting XV from Ireland’s last game against New Zealand Maori.

Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Andrew Trimble, Tomas O’Leary and captain Brian O’Driscoll also return to the backline to play Australia in Suncorp Stadium.

In the forwards, Mick O’Driscoll is named in the second row after recovering from a back injury to partner Donncha O’Callaghan.

Cian Healy, Sean Cronin and Tony Buckley in the front row also return to the starting team.

In the replacements, Rhys Ruddock and Damien Varley are the other uncapped players in the match 22.

Meanwhile, the reinstallation of Adam Ashley-Cooper and Luke Burgess, in the places of the injured Digby Ioane and Will Genia, represent the only changes to the Wallabies starting line-up.

Ashley-Cooper returns on the left wing, after featuring from that position in the opening game of the season against Fiji, and then last weekend when he returned from an ankle injury during the second match against England.

Burgess, who won the Australian team’s internal Player of the Day award during his most recent Test outing against England at Perth two weeks ago, resumes in the number nine jersey after Genia broke his thumb in Sydney last weekend.

NSW Waratahs utility back Kurtley Beale and Brumbies halfback Josh Valentine have both returned to the match night squad, taking the places of Ashley-Cooper and Burgess respectively from last week’s bench.

Despite two tough losses in their opening tour games against the All Blacks and the New Zealand Maori, Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says he will not be underestimating the Irish challenge on Saturday.

“They had a man sent off early on against the All Blacks, which is not something any side can afford, and suffered accordingly,” Deans said.

“They did score four tries in that match, and got them all while playing with 14 men, which is a fair indicator of their willingness, in terms of having a go. It also says a lot about their capabilities.”

Australia’s recent history against Ireland also provides a reference point indicating the Wallabies must raise their game.

Last year’s Test match at Croke Park finished 20-20, with a late converted try by Irish skipper Brian O’Driscoll denying the tourists their shot at a Grand Slam of Great Britain and Ireland.

Just five players from the starting line-up on that occasion will reappear for the Wallabies this weekend.

Two years ago, Australia was forced to work hard to snuff out Ireland 18-12 in Melbourne on their most recent visit to this country.

“They are a seasoned unit, with proven performers in the key positions,” Deans added.

“Our recent matches will also have given them plenty of confidence that they can succeed, while their players will be hungry. This is their last match before a summer break, and a win on Saturday night will make this tour a success from their perspective.

“As we saw last weekend with England, that combination can be a powerful motivator so anything less than a significant improvement from where we left off in Sydney will not be good enough.”

Ireland team to play Australia: 15 Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster), 14 Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), 13 Brian O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster), 12 Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster) 11 Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster), 10 Jonathan Sexton (St Mary’s College/Leinster), 9 Tomas O’Leary (Dolphin/Munster), 1 Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), 2 Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht), 3 Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster), 4 Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster), 5 Mick O’Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster), 6 Niall Ronan (Shannon/Munster), 7 Shane Jennings (St Mary’s College/Leinster), 8 Chris Henry (Ballymena/Ulster).
Subs: 16 Damien Varley (Garryowen/Munster), 17 Tom Court (Malone/Ulster), 18 Dan Tuohy (Ballymena/Ulster), 19 Rhys Ruddock (UCD/Leinster), 20 Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster), 21 Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster), 22 Geordan Murphy (Leicester).

Wallabies team to play Ireland: 15 James O’Connor (Western Force), 14 Drew Mitchell (NSW Waratahs), 13 Rob Horne (NSW Waratahs), 12 Matt Giteau (Brumbies), 11 Adam Ashley-Cooper (Brumbies), 10 Quade Cooper (Queensland Reds), 9 Luke Burgess (NSW Waratahs), 8 Richard Brown (Western Force), 7 David Pocock (Western Force), 6 Rocky Elsom (Brumbies, captain), 5 Nathan Sharpe (Western Force), 4 Dean Mumm (NSW Waratahs), 3 Salesi Ma’afu (Brumbies), 2 Saia Faingaa (Queensland Reds), 1 Ben Daley (Queensland Reds).
Subs: 16 Huia Edmonds (Brumbies), 17 James Slipper (Queensland Reds), 18 Mark Chisholm (Brumbies), 19 Matt Hodgson (Western Force), 20 Josh Valentine (Brumbies), 21 Berrick Barnes (NSW Waratahs), 22 Kurtley Beale (NSW Waratahs).

Tomas O'Leary says European sides are beginning to close the gap on their southern hemisphere rivals.

Ireland scrum-half Tomas O’Leary admits southern hemisphere heavyweights New Zealand, South Africa and Australia are still leading the way in international rugby, but insists the European sides are starting to close the gap.

Ireland, Six Nations Grand Slam champions in 2009, are currently ranked fifth in the world behind the All Blacks, Springboks, Wallabies and current Six Nations champions France, and take on New Zealand in a one-off Test in New Plymouth on Saturday.

The tour, which also includes a match against New Zealand Maori in Rotorua and a Test against Australia in Brisbane on June 26, will give the Irish a good idea of what to expect at the World Cup in New Zealand next year.

At that tournament they will play matches in New Plymouth, Rotorua and Auckland, where they will take on the Australians.

“The tour gives us good experience of the weather conditions, the opposition and what level we need to step up to within the southern hemisphere because the southern hemisphere teams are ranked ahead of the northern hemisphere sides,” the 26-year-old O’Leary said.

“It’s a higher level of opposition. Hopefully we’ll get to see where we’re at and what we need to
come up to it.

“I think the divide is becoming smaller but the world rankings say it all. There is a difference and they are still ahead of us at the moment.”

History is certainly against the Irish when it comes to knocking over the All Blacks. The best they have managed in 22 Tests over 105 years is a 10-10 draw in Dublin in 1973, despite some close-run encounters in 2006 and 2008 when they were well in the hunt going into the final 20 minutes.

And it is that lack of a strong final quarter that skipper Brian O’Driscoll wants to see remedied this weekend.

“The winning and losing of a game is more often than not in the last 20 minutes and you have to finish strong,” the veteran midfielder said.

“It’s probably what we’ve struggled to do. Any time that we’ve pushed them somewhat close they probably won that last 20 minutes.

“There is no point trying to hang in there with them because it only takes a breakaway and all of a sudden you are chasing the game.”

But what may be in the visitors’ favour is the All Blacks tendency to be a little off the pace at the start of their international season.

France made the most of that last year when they claimed a 27-22 win in Dunedin before narrowly losing the second fixture 14-10 in Wellington.

O’Leary, though, is not buying into that theory.

“Hopefully they will be slow starters but I don’t think they will have too many cobwebs at all,” he said.

“They are an impressive unit. We just hope that we can stand up to them physically and have a great victory come Saturday.”

Jerry Flannery is struggling with a calf injury.

Jerry Flannery and Shane Horgan are major doubts for the Wallabies Test match on June 26, with both having already been completely ruled out of the game against New Zealand in New Plymouth next weekend.

The pair did not travel wiht the team that left for New Zealand on the weekend, but are still an outside chance of joining up with the squad at a later point. A decision on that front is expected tomorrow.

The Irish squad arrived in Auckland minus the pair late on Sunday night and team manager Paul McNaughton said even if the outcome was favourable for both players neither would be considered for Saturday’s Test against New Zealand in New Plymouth.

Flannery has yet to have a scan on the calf he injured in the loss to the Barbarians on Friday.

“Jerry is getting a scan on Tuesday morning when the injury settles down and depending on the results of that scan he may join us,” McNaughton said.

“If the scan is clear he’ll be with us and he will travel on Tuesday but he won’t be in consideration for this game.”

Horgan is still undergoing tests for the stomach complaint which forced him to withdraw from the match at Thomond Park.

“Shane Horgan is just continuing with some tests and again we’ll make a call on bringing him out on Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest and again he won’t be considered for the All Blacks game.”

There was better news regarding fly-half Jonathan Sexton, who has recovered from the infection in his gum close to where he had recent surgery on his jaw, and will be available for selection for the New Plymouth showdown.

Injuries have certainly robbed Ireland of some of their best talent for the three-match Australasian trip, which also includes a match against New Zealand Maori on June 18 – a gamr which will be screened live on Fox Sports from 5.30pm AEST.

The Irish absentee list already includes Lions skipper Paul O’Connell, Rory Best, Keith Earls, Kevin McLaughlin, Fergus McFadden, Luke Fitzgerald and Denis Leamy.

But backs coach Alan Gaffney was confident the players remaining would rise to the challenge of ending Ireland’s losing streak against the All Blacks which stretches back over a hundred years.

“It was always going to be tough, but it’s probably a touch tougher again,” the Australian conceded.

“But we are still confident with the squad we have out here at the present time. We’re coming out here confident in our abilities but it’s going to be a tough day at the office obviously and we fully understand that.”

However, he added: “We’ve come out here with what I still consider to be a strong squad even though we’ve left a lot of guys at home with injuries.

“That depth has been developed over a number of years now and is still going forward as far as we’re concerned.

“There are a lot of young boys in their 20s now making their mark and could even be in consideration in 15 months time.

“It’s started to make Ireland much more competitive when we suffer these injuries and we can replace them with very strong players.”

New Zealand have suffered a similar bad run of injuries to key players with wing Sitiveni Sivivatu, inside centre Ma’a Nonu, hooker Andrew Hore and lock Ali Williams just some of the senior players not available to All Blacks coach Graham Henry.

But Gaffney stopped short of saying it left the hosts vulnerable.

He said: “We’ve both gone through fairly traumatic periods as far as that’s concerned but they are always a very difficult side to beat. The All Blacks squad is still very, very strong and we understand that.

“Whoever they put out there in (jerseys) one to 22 at the weekend they’ll be a good bar.

“We’ve got no doubt about the fact they will be missing some of their top flight and top quality players but the guys replacing them have been in pretty good form.”

Both teams are named tomorrow.

The Wallabies will play Munster in Thomond Park on November 16.

Australia will once again play midweek matches on their autumn tour of Europe later this year, with a showdown against former Heineken Cup champions Munster on the agenda.

The full schedule for the tour is yet to be finalised but the Wallabies will play Munster in Limerick on November 16.

Coach Robbie Deans is happy to play the extra midweek matches as it gives him a chance to see some of the younger players in action.

“The additional non-Test matches that we have played on our last two northern hemisphere tours have been of great benefit to Australian rugby in terms of exposing players, and we expect this trip to be no different,” said Deans.

“Last year, guys played their way into the Test side for our game against England during the midweek Tour match at Gloucester, while a few of the young players who made their debuts later on at Cardiff are now starring for their provinces in the Super 14, which highlights the benefit we have already had from these games.

“To be able to play Munster – one of the true powerhouse provinces of the European game – will be a great experience for our players, while also providing an excellent development opportunity.”

Meanwhile, Ireland will wrap up their Six Nations against Scotland in Croke Park this weekend. Live coverage of that game kicks off at 4am on ESPN HD.