Green trio must impress for Australia

Gordon D’Arcy

Schmidt is blessed to have such an experienced old stager to call upon, but D’Arcy will not want to be forgotten about when it comes to the Australians. And there is a real danger he could be overlooked. Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne were fantastic against South Africa, and if Payne is fit I don’t think they will be broken up. If his foot injury is still at him, though, then that could open the door for D’Arcy (right), with Henshaw shifting out to No13. Otherwise, I think Gordon is really struggling to try and get a place in the side. Playing well today will help.

Mike McCarthy

The lineout was under pressure against South Africa. It will have driven Paul O’Connell mad and he took responsibility for it after the game, but Devin Toner should come under scrutiny, too. He has done well under Schmidt but I’m not sure that his place in the side is set in stone. McCarthy (right) is a big, powerful man and coaches like that kind of bulk in their pack, especially at a time when players are getting stronger. He has been solid rather than spectacular at Leinster but a good performance against what is likely to be a game Georgian unit could put him back on the radar.

Tommy O’Donnell

I think it will take something outstanding for him to make an impression. Rhys Ruddock is a powerful man but he was out on his own at openside against the Springboks, and he is not the kind of player the Australians would fancy trying to tame. Peter O’Mahony and Jamie Heaslip are nailed on to start next Saturday, so openside is the only back-row slot with any uncertainty over it. There isn’t a lot of that, but O’Donnell must believe that if he is at his best, he can make the forwards’ coach Simon Easterby take notice. It is a big ask after what Ruddock did to the Boks.