BRISBANE, Australia– Ireland's scrum coach Greg Feek says Australia's pack have plenty of Super Rugby experience and have shown this season they can hold their own against the best.
The New Zealand-born Feek was speaking about the lack of experience in Australia's hooker department ahead of Saturday's first Test against the Wallabies at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
"If you combine what you've got in the Super Rugby franchises into the Wallabies you get a solid platform," Feek said. "They're game-ready, that's the other thing, and combinations is probably the last thing. I don't think they'll come in and reinvent the wheel. They'll do what works well for them and all aspects will be tough."
Jordan Uelese was the only capped No 2 in Michael Cheika's squad to play in Brisbane until he suffered a knee injury to deepen the Wallabies' hooking crisis. Reds hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Folau Faingaa (both uncapped) are the other two rakes in Australia's squad while Waratahs hooker Tolu Latu has now been called up to the 33-man squad.
Meanwhile, Ireland, who freshened up after the long flight with a Gold Coast jet ski session on Monday, have a decision to make after captain and hooker Rory Best was ruled out with a hamstring injury. Munster's Niall Scannell has joined Sean Cronin and Rob Herring in the squad.
Cronin is tipped to start in Brisbane, however, Feek said the team was still in decision-making mode as to who would wear the No 2 and assume the captaincy. Ireland arrived for the three-Test series as the world's second-ranked team, boasting an undefeated Six Nations campaign and wins against South African and New Zealand.
"You've got to get the balance right, get our own stuff right and get that 'fit like a glove' feel going again for some of the boys," Feek said. "But you keep an eye on what's coming because it's a dangerous team that's performed well over the last few years."