Tom Decent is a journalist with Fairfax Media.
Michael Cheika was feeling somewhat nostalgic when he arrived in Ireland this week but has instantly pushed such feelings to one side, warning the Wallabies face their toughest match of the spring tour on Saturday.
Wallabies back-rower Michael Hooper says Australia's recent habit of closing out tight games has given them the vital morale boost they need to topple Ireland.
Michael Cheika is confident the players who sat out the France match in Paris will get back into the swing of things "quick-smart" as they prepare for a difficult assignment against the in-form Ireland on Saturday.
Australia have named their Wallaby XV squad to take on the French Barbarians at Bordeaux with former captain Ben Mowen one of the new faces in a team to be coached by Scott Wisemantel.
Wallabies halfback Will Genia says the weekend's 25-23 win over France was an even more special occasion than normal for it healed the wounds of a three-point loss in 2014.
When Tevita Kuridrani crossed for his "unbelievable" try in Australia's two-point win over France on Saturday, coach Michael Cheika and a number of other Wallabies thought they were watching an NRL game.
Michael Cheika has refuted suggestions from French media he deliberately played mind games by pulling Quade Cooper out at the last minute from Saturday's match at Stade de France.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika concedes his team were beaten at scrum-time by France and may have some things to tweak but says he was immensely proud of his troops after they hung on for a 25-23 win at Stade de France and kept their spring tour streak intact.
A breakdown of how each Australian player performed in the Wallabies' 25-23 win over France at Stade de France.
The Wallabies have once again prevailed in a nail-biter as they maintained their unblemished spring tour record with a 25-23 win over France at Stade de France.
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