Australia embark on their quest to become the first team ever to successfully defend the World Cup when they kick off rugby’s six-week extravaganza against Argentina here on Friday.
The Wallabies, winners of the tournament in 1991 and 1999, will be desperate for a convincing victory over the Pool A underdogs in front of an estimated 83 000 crowd at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium.
Anything less, and the doubts that have shrouded Australia’s preparations will come crowding in again.
Though champions four years ago, the Wallabies have struggled to recapture the formula which made them the best side in the world until the departure of captain John Eales and coach Rod Macqueen in 2001.
The past season has been an annus horriblis for coach Eddie Jones, who saw his team lose to England on home soil for the first time in June before New Zealand waltzed off with the Tri-Nations crown and Bledisloe Cup.
Both Jones and Wallabies skipper George Gregan have shrugged off relentless sniping by former coaches and players this season but are quietly confident about Australian prospects.
Gregan said his team were happy to be starting against Argentina, who were unlucky to be beaten 17-5 by Australia in a spiteful match in Buenos Aires last November.
”I like the idea of having a tough match to start,” Gregan said.
”I think the way the guys have prepared, we’d all like a tough game.
”We’re ready to get into some good rugby and see where we are in terms of that with a good hard match. You can sometimes get into bad habits, they’re not the sort of matches you need if you’re going to progress.”
Gregan will partner Stephen Larkham at halfback for the Wallabies in a team showing six changes from the side beaten 21-17 by New Zealand in their last game in August.
Wing Joe Roff has returned from injury to push Lote Tuqiri to the bench, while Matt Burke is the new outside centre replacing Mat Rogers, who moves to fullback.
But it is the forwards which have been subject to the most wide-ranging changes, with prop Al Baxter winning his first full start, Nathan Sharpe filling in at lock and David Lyons replacing injured No.8 Toutai Kefu.
With 325 caps to the Australian eight’s 153, Argentina’s fearsome scrummage is expected to give their Wallaby opponents a searching examination.
Jones however is confident Australia possess enough firepower to cope.
”It’s a pretty young and exciting pack,” Jones said. ”Playing Argentina is one of the great challenges for a forward and we’ve been working very hard on our scrum.
If the Wallabies were able to get parity, or even dominate the Argentine scrum, it would hurt the Pumas overall, Jones said.
”I think psychologically it’s still pretty important for them. If you can take some points off them in that area then psychologically you can damage them a little bit.”
Pumas coach Marcelo Loffreda played down his team’s chances of dominating Australia up front.
”Australia is one of the best teams, so they are not going to give any chance of being weak, because they are used to playing at the first level of rugby in the Tri-Nations,” Loffreda said.
”All of them are not only prepared technically, but also mentally. It’s going to be a very strong challenge for the two packs of forwards.”
If Argentina’s forwards succeed in cutting the supply of possession to the Wallaby backs, their chances of victory could well hinge on the goalkicking of Felipe Contepomi.
Contepomi had a nightmare with the boot against Australia last year, missing seven of nine attempts at goal, but was nevertheless surprisingly chosen at flyhalf ahead of Gonzalo Quesada, the tournament topscorer from 1999.
Loffreda said Contepomi’s stronger defensive game had won him the nod. ”For the kind of game that Australia play, Felipe will be better,” said Loffreda.
Contepomi links with one of the tournament’s class acts in the shape of scrum-half and captain Agustin Pichot, the much-travelled number nine now plying his trade with French champions Stade Francais.
Up front flanker Rolando Martin will win his 84th cap, equalling the record of Lisandro Arbizu, the captain who was ruled out of the tournament through injury.
Teams (15-1)
Australia
Mat Rogers (NSW Waratahs); Wendell Sailor (Queensland Reds), Matt Burke (NSW Waratahs), Elton Flatley (Queensland Reds), Joe Roff (ACT Brumbies); Stephen Larkham (ACT Brumbies), George Gregan (ACT Brumbies, capt); David Lyons (NSW Waratahs), Phil Waugh (NSW Waratahs), George Smith (ACT Brumbies); Nathan Sharpe (Queensland Reds), David Giffin (ACT Brumbies); Al Baxter (NSW Waratahs),
Brendan Cannon (NSW Waratahs), Bill Young (ACT Brumbies)
Replacements: Jeremy Paul (ACT Brumbies), Ben Darwin (ACT Brumbies), Dan Vickerman (NSW Waratahs), Matt Cockbain (Queensland Reds), Chris Whitaker (NSW Waratahs), Matt Giteau (ACT Brumbies), Lote Tuqiri (NSW Waratahs)
Argentina
Ignacio Corleto (Stade Francais/FRA); Jose Nunez Piossek (Huirapuca), Manuel Contepomi (Newman BA), Jose Orengo (Grenoble/FRA), Diego Albanese (Leeds/ENG); Felipe Contepomi (Leinster/IRL), Agustin Pichot (Stade Francais/FRA, capt); Gonzalo Longo (Narbonne/FRA), Rolando Martin (San Isidro BA), Santiago
Phelan (San Isidro BA); Patricio Albacete (Colomiers/FRA), Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe (Castres/FRA); Oma Hasan (Agen/FRA), Mario Ledesma (Castres/FRA), Roberto Grau (Liceo de Mendoza).
Replacements: Federico Mendez (Mendoza), Mauritio Reggiardo (Castres/FRA), Rimas Alvarez (Perpignan/FRA), Martin Durand (Champagnat/FRA), Nicolas Fernandez Miranda (Hindu), Gonzalo Quesada (Beziers/FRA), Juan Martin Hernandez (Deportiva Francesca) Referee: Paul Honiss (NZL) – Sapa-AFP