Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony says his team are ready to make the most of their "special opportunity" and defeat Australia in the Test series decider in Sydney tomorrow.
Joe Schmidt’s side could add a rare southern hemisphere success to go with a Grand Slam after battling back from an opening Test defeat in Brisbane, a first defeat in 13 games for the men in green.
The visitors are just 80 minutes away from another significant achievement (kick-off 11am Irish time) and the Munster flanker says the players can’t wait for their shot at glory.
"It’s a special opportunity you get in rugby is a three-Test series against one of the best teams in the world," he told RTÉ Sport’s Michael Corcoran.
"We have incredible desire to make a bit of history tomorrow.
"We’ve probably got to put in our best performance of the year to go and do it. It’s a huge ask, but it would be very fulfilling if we do it."
Schmidt has changed a third of the team that saw off the Wallabies last time out, with O’Mahony moving from his customary blindside position in the backrow to openside with the injury to Dan Leavy.
Australia were the dominant backrow in the first encounter Down Under before Ireland restored parity a week later, thanks in part to a noticeable improvement at the breakdown against poachers supreme David Pocock and David Hooper.
The Ireland captain says the positional switch hasn’t been a concern.
"There were a few different processes during the week in training, a couple of new things, but when you run out onto the pitch, you won’t be worrying about the number you have.
"You just want to influence the game in as many ways as possible."
The 28-year-old will make his 50th international appearance tomorrow and says he would never have imagined when he made his debut off the bench against Italy six years ago he would have racked up half a century of appearances in green.
"I remember my first Six Nations campaign. Wales was my first game. I stood up for my first cap, but Stephen Ferris got yellow carded under the posts, so I sat down again. France the following week [the pitch] was frozen over and we went away home again, so I didn’t think it was ever going to come around, but it did in the third game.
"Fifty later...I would never have foreseen it that day."
Meanwhile, the IRFU insist that Sean Cronin is on track to take his place in the starting team despite sitting out the captain's run.
Niall Scannell was named on the bench for the game and is likely to be pressed into action from the start if Cronin is ruled out.
Follow Australia v Ireland on our live blog on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ News Now app and listen to live commentary on 2fm from 10.45am (11am kick-off).
