Wallabies name strongest side

Australia has laid down a marker for Sunday's World Cup clash with Ireland at Lansdowne Road by selecting their strongest possible team. Talented out-half Stephen Larkham reclaims the number 10 jersey from Rod Kafer while Joe Roff is recalled on the left wing in preference to Jason Little.

There remains mild concern to the fitness of flanker Matt Cockbain who has a damaged thigh muscle. He will be given until later today to confirm his recovery. If he is ruled out then former South African captain Tiaan Strauss will come in at blindside flanker with Mark Connor promoted to the bench.

Australian coach Rod Macqueen has stated his intentions by picking his foremost attacking backline. He was particularly pleased to confirm the return to test duty of Larkham, whose season has been plagued by first a serious knee and then broken thumb injuries. "Stephen brought a quality to the side last year in that his option taking was very good: he's very deceptive player, very cool under pressure.

"We were able to do without Stephen in the domestic season but certainly it did change the dynamics of the team. We're really pleased to be able to bring him back, especially for this match. Rod Kafer did an excellent job in difficult circumstances. "We had to weigh-up covering a possible injury to Larkham with Kafer or go with the impact of Nathan Grey off the bench. Nathan has been outstanding in this role all year and we think we have the options to cover any injury to Larkham.

"However, it's nice to have to make these hard decisions than having to drop people because of form. Larkham's done a lot of hard work, he's got a few games under his belt. We thought it was the right time to bring him back."

Macqueen was not prepared to spare the feelings of Joe Roff - the player was present at the press conference - by glossing over the reasons why the wing had been dropped. The Aussie coach pointed out: "It's also important for all players to have a message that you can't play badly for Australia and expect to retain your spot. "We made a decision over a couple of weeks. We thought that there had been times when Joe hadn't played his best. The final decision was made after the South Africa match. We talk to the players often enough so they have a fair idea as to where they stand and what we expect of them.

"I think Joe indicated they (the players) generally know their job is on the line, probably before we have spoken to them, if they have had a bad time. We're trying to reward performance, so it is difficult to sit someone down like Jason Little, when he's done nothing wrong and say your not in the starting XV. We regard the team as 22, using the majority of players: we don't change the halfbacks round during a game where possible, because we see that as a leadership role. But we like to use our bench and that makes it a bit easier."

The Australian coach was then asked to turn his attention to Ireland once again and probably the umpteenth assessment of Sunday's opponents, in a context of how they performed against the USA. "They (Ireland) played quite well. They'll have been reasonably happy with their performance. "They are a well balanced side and have had a lot of consistency in their selections over a period of time. I'm impressed with their front row, Wallace, Clohessy and Wood. They're all right up at the top in their position. We know that we are up against a good outfit and we're going to have to play very well to be successful. We are under no illusions and we're not looking at all beyond this particular game."

Ireland's Australian born wing Matt Mostyn also managed to creep into the conversation as an inquisitor suggested that there was a question mark in certain Irish circles over the wing's defence. "I was very pleased when Matt got his spot. He's has not perhaps got the recognition in Australia. He was not chosen by any of the Super 12 teams. But he's a very quick talented player. From our perspective I hope he doesn't play well."

He added: "The general feeling among our players is one of excitement, particularly those players who have played at the venue before. There is a lot of talk about the Irish crowd and how passionate they are and how difficult the Irish team is going to be. For now it is just a matter of waiting."