Ireland rugby coach Eddie O'Sullivan shook his head and tried to suppress his laughter today when he discovered his side had again swapped places with Australia on the world rankings.
Today's announcement from the International Rugby Board (IRB) drew immediate criticism in Australia after the World Cup defending champions had flexed their muscles with a record 142-0 thumping of 25th-ranked Namibia last week.
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Ireland beat seventh-ranked Argentina 16-15 in their pool A match in Adelaide on Sunday, jumping to third on the rankings below England and New Zealand.
"When did this change again? I can't take this pressure," O'Sullivan joked with reporters in Melbourne today. "This is musical chairs. At 12 o'clock last night, Australia were better than us. At 12 o'clock today, we're better than Australia. I rest my case."
The Wallabies will be aiming for two successive victories over the Irish when they host captain Keith Wood's team at Docklands Stadium on Saturday. The losers will face the formidable France in a quarter-final in Melbourne on November 9th.
Ireland have delayed naming their team until Thursday to allow the players to recover from a bruising match against the Pumas, O'Sullivan said.
Australia and Ireland, both on 14 points from three matches, have already qualified for the quarter-finals as the top two teams in pool A.
"We have to give it our best shot and try to get past Australia and make a different landscape for ourselves going into the quarter-final," O'Sullivan said of Ireland's chance to avoid France next week by topping pool A.
"The quarter-final is the key game, it's the knockout stage. It doesn't mean we won't be trying any less (against Australia), but it might just colour your thinking on selection. You wouldn't want to risk anybody."