Jim Morton,
AAP
Updated November 14, 2013, 6:38 am

In a damning reflection on the failed James O'Connor five eighth experiment, the Wallabies side that fell to the British and Irish Lions have been painted as clueless, headless chooks.

Ireland fullback Rob Kearney has bluntly described then coach Robbie Deans' Australian team as poor and without direction as they slumped to a 2-1 home series loss to the Lions four months ago.

But Kearney believes Australia are a far better equipped outfit under new coach Ewen McKenzie, and with Quade Cooper calling the shots at No.10 ahead of this weekend's clash with Ireland at Dublin's Aviva Stadium.

"I think they've changed a huge amount," said 50-Test fullback Kearney. "I thought during the Lions tour they were pretty poor.

"They've got a lot of new players in, they've got some fresh faces and just the style of their play is very different, too; there seems to be a little bit more direction.

"They know where they're going.

"I think, during that (Lions series), they were a little bit guilty of not really having a clue where they were going next and what they were doing at that moment in time.

"They do have a lot more direction."

Deans' controversial selection of O'Connor, who had barely played any senior rugby at five-eighth, ahead of specialist playmakers like Cooper, Matt Toomua, Berrick Barnes and Christian Lealiifano backfired as the utility back struggled with his option-taking.

Australia also wasn't helped by Leali'ifano, playing at inside centre, being knocked out in the first minute of the first Test, which they lost by two points.

Kearney - kept out of the Lions No.15 jersey by Welsh radar-boot Leigh Halfpenny and injury - said he had the sense they played like a team under pressure as Deans lost his grip on the job.

Despite this, the 27-year-old felt the Wallabies could well have taken the series.

"Even though they were playing poorly in those first two Tests, they could still easily have won them," he said.

"You could still see that they had a lot of raw talent.

"Raw talent does keep you in games even if you don't necessarily have that coaching structure behind you."

Since then Australia has won just three of nine Tests under McKenzie but have scored 18 tries in their last four games.

With Cooper and Toomua combining well at No.10 and 12, outside Will Genia, Kearney believes they will be a dangerous opponent at the redeveloped Lansdowne Road on Sunday morning (AEDT).

"Genia controls a huge amount of what they do and how they play so between the two of them (Genia and Cooper), if we can focus a huge amount on trying to limit them as much as possible there, it will go a long way to changing the outcome of the game," he said.

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