I got a shiver down my spine earlier when I was at Ireland’s captain's run. It brought memories flooding back of the Waratahs against the British and Irish Lions on the 2001 tour.
A game played in a less than friendly spirit, there were yellow cards aplenty and some enforcers from both teams decided to take the law into their own hands.
Not that the game was badly refereed.
Ronan O’Gara got a pummelling that night from Duncan McRae; I saw the damage at first hand the following morning when I interviewed him.
My co-commentator for this Test is Donal Lenihan; he was the Lions manager back in 2001. Seldom have I seen him as angry or worked up about anything.
A stadium that has seen some memorable rugby union encounters will host its final Test tomorrow when Ireland face the Wallabies in the series deciding third clash.
Unsurprisingly, it’s a sell out.
The Sydney Football Stadium, or Allianz Stadium, with a capacity of 45,500, has been sold out for weeks, even before the series started.
It’s important to note that. Not after game one or two, but before the first Test began.
A record crowd is expected for the game, the previous best for a rugby union Test was 44,063 when Australia played England in 2016.
The stadium in Moore Park was built next to the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground 30 years ago. The Waratahs play Super Rugby there, while it’s also home to NRL side the Sydney Roosters and Sydney FC of the A-League.
However, the stadium is to be demolished and rebuilt later this year - tomorrow will be the last Test match played at Allianz Stadium.
It’s an opportunity for both teams to close out the Test chapter at this great stadium with a historic series win.
I hope this game is a fitting finale to a series that has certainly gripped the attention of the huge Irish ex-pat community you meet every day of the week here.
Not all of them are rugby fans, they don’t need to be. They are Irish first and foremost and proud of where they come from, they support their national team. They can identify with any successful side, regardless of what sport they play.
Irish rugby has a lot to be thankful to Michael Cheika for, he drove Leinster to success, and his will to win is infectious.
However, Joe Schmidt has taken Leinster, initially, and now Ireland to a completely different level. An Irish rugby team taking the pitch now expects to win, regardless of the opposition or the venue.
Ireland have claimed three Six Nations under Schmidt: 2014 at the Stade de France; 2015 at Murrayfield; and 2018 at Twickenham.
All won away from home.
What chance a series win in Australia to round off a remarkable 2018?
Every chance.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Listen to live commentary from Michael and Donal Lenihan on 2fm from 10.45am (11am kick-off) or follow Australia v Ireland on our live blog on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ News Now app.
