Irish hope the Campese curse strikes hosts

Campo has struck. Never far from the limelight even still, David Campese remains as outspoken and brash as ever. With unerring timing, on the eve of the first Test, the most capped Wallaby has predicted a "40-point drubbing" for Ireland tomorrow. Talk about doing his former team-mates no favours.

Cutting to the quick in his weekly column for the Australian newspaper, Campo began: "If the weather improves and Australia are bold, Ireland are facing a 40-point drubbing in their first Test at Ballymore on Saturday night (8.0 p.m. local time, 11.0 a.m. Irish)."

On the basis that the Wallaby backs are bigger, stronger and faster, Campese deduced: "It all adds up to a night for Ireland that could be blacker than a pint of Guinness." Original, eh?

Cliches abound, and no less irksome is a television advertisement featuring 15 green-clad leprechauns being stomped into the turf by a rampaging monster Wallaby. If the Irish management can obtain a video of that, it should help to stir the motivational juices some more.

More annoying to the Irish management is the perception, admittedly not widespread, that Australia can expect the old boot, bite and bollickin' ways under the guise of the "fiery Irish" label. This has been interpreted in one Brisbane paper as "a synonym for a flurry of bony bodies and an `accidental' boot being hurled at the opposition in the heat of a Test battle."

Wallaby coach Rod McQueen hasn't helped to dispel this image: "Ireland can be a very disruptive side," he commented. "While I hope there are no illegal disruptions, it's important we stand up for ourselves if need be."

Perhaps this is part of the pre-match drawing of the lines directed at South African referee Andre Watson, who has been appointed for both Tests - a worrying decision should there be any ill-feeling between the teams, or toward him, arising from the first match.

Admittedly, McQueen also added: "That said, I think this Irish side is a more intelligent one and better coached, so I don't expect anything amiss."

Taken all together though, none of the above will have helped the new Wallaby captain, open-side David Wilson. He grimaced and even looked a little angry when discussing Campese's remarks.

"We certainly don't like reading that sort of stuff, because it puts pressure on us," he said. "The public start to think they want us to win by 40 points, and it also motivates the Irish, that's great motivation. We'll be happy if we win by one point at the weekend.

"Forty points is totally unrealistic. We're not even contemplating winning by that much."

Wilson seemed both a little wary of this game, and also understandably anxious about being captain. In his previous two-game stint two summers ago, at three days' notice, Wilson presided over a 36-24 defeat to the All Blacks in Dunedin (and with it a 3-0 Bledisloe Cup whitewash), and then Australia's worst defeat, 6122 to South Africa in Pretoria.

The flanker, capped 60 times, is returning after a hernia operation forced him to miss the latter stages of the Super 12s. Ask him the difference between the Wilson of seven years ago and now, and he says: "Hopefully a lot better player.

"I was very happy with my form in the 1998 season. My biggest worry is that, coming back after injury, this is my first game in six weeks. Obviously I'd have liked another couple of games under my belt, and my match fitness is probably a bit off the pace."

The Wallabies have been based since last Wednesday week in rain-swept Caloundra, about 80 km north of Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast. Though it is known for little more than its beaches, the Wallabies had grown bored with the five star hotel treatment and prefer the relatively spartan and frugal existence at Caloundra, where they are based in chalets, travel by mountain bikes to their training sessions, cook for themselves and do their own laundry.

It worked for them last year, when they lost only to South Africa and regained the Bledisloe Cup.

With the State of Origin rugby league showdown temporarily out of the way, interest is picking up for the Wallabies' first Test of the season and Ballymore is now expected to host its first capacity crowd of 25,000 (including the entire English squad) for a Test in the last decade.

Wilson was the only representative from the Australian squad or management at a press conference in Brisbane's PJ O'Brien's pub yesterday morning, at which the inaugural Lansdowne Cup was unveiled.

"That's the last we'll see of it," commented one Irish wag in a congested gathering of electronic and print journalists, along with a few green-jerseyed locals.

The trophy, a beautiful piece of Waterford Crystal which reflects the fine geometry of Sydney Harbour Bridge, was created by the head of design there, Jim O'Leary.

Given that 18 million, or 38 per cent of Australians, claim Irish descent - making them the largest contributor to the population - and that the countries have played 17 Tests, it's a wonder no one thought of such a prize before.