Whatever the result between Australia and Wales in Saturday night's Rugby World Cup Pool A decider at Twickenham, it is clear that Warren Gatland has done all he can to win what will be a hotly contested breakdown area.
Last week Australia coach Michael Cheika delivered a thinly-veiled critique of England coach Stuart Lancaster after the hosts’ exit from their own tournament following Australia’s 33-13 win.
Cheika said that he was looking forward to locking horns with “the master coach” in Gatland, a suggestion that Lancaster was not up to scratch.
And Lancaster failed markedly to deal with the twin threat of breakaways David Pocock and Michael Hooper, who between them contributed to Australia continually slowing down England’s ball and turning it over.
Gatland has elected to field two open-side flankers in captain Sam Warburton and Ospreys back-row Justin Tipuric to combat the threat, although Pocock is joined tonight by 21-year-old Melbourne Rebels flanker Sean McMahon in the absence of Hooper due to suspension.
Gatland is looking for Warburton to produce the sort of towering performance the 26-year-old Cardiff player put in for the British and Irish Lions in the second Test against Australia in 2013, and the omens are good he can operate successfully alongside Tipuric.
It is a potent combination, and Warburton’s running lines and decision-making belie the fact he wears the No 6 jersey.
He operates as a second open-side flanker and hangs off waiting to pounce when Tipuric goes for the tackle.
Pocock was a complete menace last week.
He thundered across the gain line with the ball, offloaded it in the tackle and pilfered English possession continually.
The 27-year-old Brumbies flanker has not lost to Wales in all nine of the matches he has played against them and said his back-row wrecking crew are doing a lot of things right.
“Across the board at the World Cup, teams have been going pretty hard at the breakdown,” he said. “I was really pleased with our discipline there against England.
“It was pleasing getting a few penalties. It is something that we have been working hard on, but we can’t get carried away.”
It was one of the more laughable aspects to the match last week that England lock Joe Launchbury was named man of the match.
If Pocock was not the leading candidate, then only fly-half Bernard Foley was ahead of him.
Foley scored 28 points, but it was Pocock, Hooper and the rest of the Australia front eight who secured the attacking positions from which Foley orchestrated his back line with devastating effect.
“The forwards set the platform and competed hard at the breakdown and generated valuable turnovers,” Foley said.
“It was just the way they were so tireless. They put their heads in places where not many people want to. The way they were able to retreat and make cover tackles, but then also have that second effort and get back on the ball.
“It gives a lot of blokes confidence and allows people like me to do my job.”
Cheika has played the novice all tournament, preferring to put forward the notion he is wet behind the ears as an international coach, having taken over Australia only 12 months ago.
By doing so, he hides that he is the only coach to have won a Super Rugby title – with the Waratahs, and the Heineken Cup with Leinster – as well as this season’s Rugby Championship.
The last time Wales beat Australia was the 21-18 win at the Millennium Stadium in November 2008. But over their last nine Tests, Australia’s average margin of victory is just 4.4 points.
Much like Australia, Wales are considerably buoyed by their win over England, and it was the manner of their come-from-behind victory that leads Gatland to believe his side can top Pool A for a probable quarter-final clash against Scotland.
“The last five times there has been a score in it,” Gatland said. “We’ve been ahead in games, and we haven’t been able to finish it off.
“You learn from those experiences, and I’d like to think we have demonstrated that in the big games.
“In the autumn against South Africa, we closed that game down, and coming from behind against England in the last 20 minutes.”
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