Ireland coach Declan Kidney said on Friday he is wary of the wounded Wallabies ahead of their grand slam tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland next month.
Australia are regrouping after a dismal one victory from six Tri-Nations Tests against world champions South Africa and New Zealand.
Kidney, here to finalise plans for his Six Nations’ champions’ one-off Test against the Wallabies next June, said he had plenty of respect for the Wallabies before their November 15 Test at Dublin’s Croke Park.
”I’d be more than wary. If it is going against you it builds the hunger, it builds the resilience,” Kidney told reporters.
”[And] it’s been quite a while since we got the better of Australia.”
Kidney said he did not have to be reminded of how fortunes can quickly change in international rugby.
He said he only had to look at Ireland’s sudden transformation to realise that the Wallabies could promptly turn their form around on their first grand slam tour since 1984.
Ireland went through undefeated to take the 2009 Six Nations championship.
Only 12 months earlier Ireland finished with a 2-3 win-loss record.
”You look at how the Six Nations went for us last year,” Kidney said.
”The margin between winning and losing is just so thin.
”A little bit of luck could be the difference in one or two results, depending on how injuries go.
”The margins are so thin that you have to be half mad to take on this job.”
Wallabies’ coach Robbie Deans will finalise his 35-man touring squad on October 9. — AFP
