James O’Connor interrupts his vacation in Morocco to start for the Wallabies

The 35-year-old fly-half, James O’Connor, had not been included in the initial list for this tour of the Northern Hemisphere. However, he will wear the Wallabies’ number 10 jersey this Sunday. This recall is mainly due to the quadriceps injury of the starting fly-half, Carter Gordon, who was injured during the match against Italy. Coach Joe Schmidt explained that there was "a risk in sending him back onto the field this week".

Gordon’s injury is not the only reason. Schmidt admitted that there was "a bit of fatigue" in the group after a busy schedule. The coach therefore preferred O’Connor to the young Tane Edmed. "James was on vacation in Morocco, so he’s a bit fresher and we hope that will give us a bit of momentum for the game," said Schmidt, who is looking to bring "freshness" to his squad.

The Wallabies face a record of defeats in Europe

This match in Dublin is crucial for the Wallabies, who are seeking to avoid a sixth defeat in seven matches. A new defeat would have historic repercussions: the Australians are trying to avoid becoming the first team on tour to lose four consecutive tests in Europe since 1958.

Faced with this series of defeats, Wallabies legend Matt Dunning urged the team to show more aggression. "I want to see more aggression... it’s not a fight, it’s just saying we’re not going to back down," he said on Stan Sport. He added that they need to "play physical and be in the fight".