Ireland lock James Ryan believes their Test series against Australia will provide a barometer of the NatWest 6 Nations champions’ standing in the world.
The 21-year-old has never lost a game in the famous green jersey in his eight senior appearances, featuring in four games during this year’s Grand Slam triumph.
Ryan has also enjoyed unprecedented success at club level with Leinster this season, winning the European Champions Cup and the Guinness PRO14 double.
And, looking ahead to the first of three Tests against the Wallabies at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday, Ryan said he is looking forward to a new challenge Down Under.
“We’re in a good place at the moment, obviously we had a successful NatWest 6 Nations and we’re excited now to build on that and see where it takes us,” he said.
“It’s a massive test playing against Australia in their own backyard and it will be a good barometer of where we are at.”
While Ryan does not intend for his 23-game winning streak to come to an end anytime soon, he is very wary of the threat posed by Australia’s exciting backline in Brisbane.
“The Wallabies are the last team to beat New Zealand and they did it at the Suncorp in Brisbane, so we’re expecting an incredibly tough test match on Saturday,” he said.
“We’re excited but we’re aware of the threat they pose. Like every good Aussie team, they like to play with the ball in hand.
“They have some serious outside backs and guys in the centre like Kurtley Beale, Marika Koroibete, Tevita Kuridrani, Israel Folau.
“If they get on the front foot they will be really hard to stop, so there is plenty of talent there in the backline and we’re going to have to do our best to shut it down.”
Containing Australia’s dangermen in the backline is not the only problem facing Ireland if they are to emerge victorious Down Under, with Ryan also expecting a tough battle up front.
“You look at their front row, Scott Sio and Sekope Kepu, they are probably two of the best ball playing props around,” he added.
“You’ve also got guys like Adam Coleman and Izack Rodda, who is a second row and a young guy but is going very well.
“Then you throw in [David] Pocock and [Michael] Hooper, two of the best back rows around, and we’re talking about their backline but their pack is just as strong.
“It’s massive challenge for the guys selected this week to front up.”
