Australia coach Eddie Jones today dismissed Eddie O'Sullivan's tack of playing down this weekend's clash with Ireland and instead predicted a ferocious encounter in the decisive Pool A match.
Jones stoked up the pre-match hype by dismissing claims from his opposite number, Eddie O'Sullivan, that Ireland will be saving themselves for the quarter-finals.
It is a stance that has prompted much mirth Down Under, as an Ireland victory would secure them top spot in the group and a last-eight clash against either Scotland or Fiji rather than the in-form French.
And Jones, having announced a full strength side for Saturday's eagerly anticipated showdown in Melbourne, would not buy into the comments emerging from the Ireland camp.
"He's a cagey character isn't he?" said Jones of O'Sullivan. "They've always got smiling eyes, the Irish, and I think they're smiling at the moment.
"We fully understand their intention on Saturday is to play as physically and aggressively as Ireland normally do.
"Any comments that they're concentrating on the week after...I've never seen an Ireland side not play with 100% passion and aggression.
O'Sullivan delayed the announcement of his squad until tomorrow as his players recovered from their bruising victory over Argentina.
In doing so, he admitted the looming quarter-final would colour his selection policy as he was not prepared to risk a player whose fitness was borderline.
"The quarter-final is the game that makes the difference on our progression," he said.
That could mean the likes of Keith Wood, Victor Costello and Kevin Maggs sitting out the sell-out clash at the Telstra Dome.
However, Jones recalled the punishing pool game between the two sides in Dublin four years ago as a typical example of an Ireland v Australia Test and expects nothing less on Saturday.
On that day, the Irish attempted to physically overawe the Wallabies before Australia number right Toutai Kefu unleashed a flurry of punches on flanker Trevor Brennan.
The Irishman, who only moments earlier had flattened Wallabies hooker Jeremy Paul with his elbow, left the field with blood streaming from his face and Kefu was banned for two games.
"We're not saying that Saturday's game is going to be spiteful, we're saying it's going to be physically aggressive," Jones said.
"You've just got to go back to the pool game in 1999 and watch some of the incidents in that game and that's what we're expecting.
To combat that, Jones proved good to his prediction that Australia would name their strongest line-up.
And while that only means one change from the side that beat Argentina in the opening game of the tournament, Jones admitted the selection process had been one of the hardest in his Wallaby coaching career.
After all, in their last run-out an Australia side made up of fringe players roared to an incredible 22-try 142-0 win over lowly Namibia.
"The guys who played last weekend gave us a real selection headache," said Jones. "In the end we chose this line-up which we think is the best to take on Ireland.