Rugby: Eales unhappy at kicking plan

BRISBANE: Wallabies great John Eales has questioned Robbie Deans' left-field solution to Australia's goalkicking issues by splitting the duties between Matt Giteau and Quade Cooper.

In a break from tradition, the Wallabies have promoted right-footer Cooper to share the key role against Ireland here tonight following a kickoff after training yesterday.

The move comes after Giteau endured a miserable night with the boot in last weekend's 21-20 upset second test loss to England in Sydney.

Cooper will now take attempts from the left-side of the field, Giteau line up those from the right and the pair will work out those from in front on the night.

The tactic has drawn reservations from former Wallabies skipper and goalkicker Eales who was worried such switching may affect the focus of both kickers.

"I think if you are kicking you would want to be kicking everything," Eales said.

"I think it just puts you in that very clear mindset about what you are doing."

While he is generally a fine kicker, Giteau has shown to have a weakness kicking on the left side when he's under pressure.

The left-footer was the most accurate kicker during this year's Super 14 with an 83 per cent success rate but he slotted just four from eight at ANZ Stadium, including two missed penalties in the last 15 minutes.

Giteau's 71st-minute shocker from in front would have put his team ahead.

Coach Robbie Deans also this week drew some attention to Giteau's unsuccessful conversion attempt on his bad side against Scotland at Murrayfield last November, the last act in the shock 9-8 loss.

In contrast, rising five-eighths Cooper's goalkicking strength is his ability to nail virtually all his kicks from the left side, thanks largely to a wicked draw which he controls superbly.

Deans was impressed by the 22-year-old's composure under pressure to twice kick Queensland into the lead in the last 10 minutes for a final-round Super 14 victory against the Highlanders last month.

Both came from wide out near the left sideline at Suncorp Stadium where he again drilled all his attempts at the end of training yesterday.

In a three-way goalkicking duel also including fullback James O'Connor, Giteau hardly even took a kick from the left side but was accurate from the right.

Deans was confident his kickers would best sort out who took the kicks from in front and felt the importance of the role would ensure their focus.

"In the game we leave that to the kickers involved because they know better than anyone," he said.

"It's for them to manage."

It's extremely rare to see a team anoint two kickers but Australia did adopt such a tactic in the third test of the 1984 Bledisloe Cup at the SCG when Mark Ella kicked six from seven and David Campese one from two on the left side.

While fullback Roger Gould also missed two long-range attempts that day, his opposite number, none other than Deans himself, kicked the All Blacks to a 25-24 win with six from seven.

Ireland will have their own minor kicking concerns with new five-eighths Jonathan Sexton, chosen ahead of veteran Ronan O'Gara to promote a more attacking ball-in-hand game, having a tendency to run hot or cold in front of the posts.

Ireland haven't beaten the Wallabies on Australian soil since 1979 but are eyeing a prime chance against the injury-hit hosts, who are missing eight first-choice players.

Brisbane, 9.55 tonight

AUSTRALIA
James O'Connor
A Ashley-Cooper
Rob Horne
Matt Giteau
Drew Mitchell
Quade Cooper
Luke Burgess
Richard Brown
David Pocock
Rocky Elsom (c)
Mark Chisholm
Dean Mumm
Salesi Ma'afu
Saia Faingaa
Ben Daley

IRELAND
Robert Kearney
Tommy Bowe
Brian O'Driscoll (c)
Paddy Wallace
Andrew Trimble
Jonathan Sexton
Tomas O'Leary
Chris Henry
Shane Jennings
Niall Ronan
Mick O'Driscoll
D. O'Callaghan
Tony Buckley
Sean Cronin
Cian Healy

Australia: Huia Edmonds, James Slipper, Mitch Chapman, Matt Hodgson, Josh Valentine, Berrick Barnes, Kurtley Beale.

Ireland: Damien Varley, Tom Court, Dan Tuohy, Rhys Ruddock, Eoin Reddan, Ronan O'Gara, Geordan Murphy.

- AAP