Wallabies to face the mad Irishman
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Rant...Irish rugby player Paul O'Connell. Source: AP
Paul O'Connell
THE chest-thumping leader of Ireland's pack will be aiming his next manic rant at young Wallabies second-rowers James Horwill and Mark Chisholm.
Paul O'Connell's expletive-filled dressingroom outburst before a Test against France shows the passion that burns inside the mad Irishman.
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And it's that fire the Australian pair will have to meet head-on at Croke Park on Monday morning (AEDT), because the 62-Test Irish bully has never backed down from a battle.
If there was ever any doubt about Wallaby great Simon Poidevin's famous assessment that Irish rugby is "15 lunatics in green", it is dispelled by the footage of O'Connell's passionate call to defend Croke Park like it was a medieval fortress. This is what the Wallabies can expect.
"I want them standing back thinking, 'What the f ... is going on here?', not for the first five minutes but for every f ... ing minute of the game," O'Connell roars. "F ... ing manic aggression. Did you scare anyone? Did you put the fear of God into anyone?"
O'Connell's wild-eyed speech has become an internet phenomenon, with almost 300,000 hits making it one of the most viewed pre-game addresses from the football codes on YouTube.
Horwill was a little more controlled yesterday when he spoke of the challenge of facing the British and Irish Lions captain.
He is expecting a blitz at the lineout, where the Irish are the northern hemisphere's top ball thieves, with this phase of play bringing 75 per cent of their tries.
"The challenge is going to be massive, not just for me but for the pack working together as an eight to combat the Irish," Horwill said yesterday.
"(O'Connell) is one of the form locks in the world. He played fantastically for the Lions against South Africa (in June and July).
"We started a bit shaky at Twickenham against England, but we adapted and finished well.
"We realise that our lineout is not where it needs to be and we are looking for a big step up."
Wallabies skipper Rocky Elsom excelled as a target for crucial catches, like the one that started the lead-up to Will Genia's try.
Horwill is well aware that O'Connell is no one man out, with seven-year Test partner Donncha O'Callaghan as his sidekick. In contrast, Horwill and Chisholm have been paired in the second-row for less than three months and five Test matches.
"It makes it all the more challenging. It's definitely an advantage to have that understanding," Horwill said.
The Irish know Horwill's capacity to hurt them as well.
Ever since he rumbled over for a try off a Matt Giteau pass, when Australia beat Ireland 18-12 in Melbourne last year, he has been building his world-class ball-running with some aggression of his own.
Elsom will also be a wildcard against Irish captain Brian O'Driscoll and many of the other Leinster teammates with whom he shared the Heineken Cup triumph in May.
Horwill has seen the hero-worship for Elsom in Dublin.
"We had a team dinner at a restaurant on Sunday night and the owner thanked him," Horwill said. "Hopefully, he's not going to be thanking him (this week)."
Elsom was involved in a car accident in Heineken Cup final week. He was fine, but what he hit was a write-off - just like when he smashes opponents on the field. "That's typical Rocky," Horwill laughed.
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