Pressure and which team handles it best will be more important than all the tactical discussion believes former Wallaby and current Ireland scrummage coach Tony d’Arcy.
Both teams come into the Rugby World Cup final on the back of very strong mental performances in their respective semi final successes.
The Wallabies had to overcome indifferent form and the raging favouritism of New Zealand to advance to their third RWC final.
The win showed what happens when one team is ready and the other is not quite up to the mark, d’Arcy said.
The ability of England to be pragmatic and grind out a win against the French in the wet he said was also a sign of positive mental state.
“New Zealand were simply not mentally prepared for a team that prepared to play as if their life depended on it,” d’Arcy said. “They didn’t register that the opposition had a bit more to give than they had shown and could deliver.”
England haunted by past
England have skeletons in the closet from past campaigns and Australia were forced to confront the deep dark pit of failure before beating New Zealand to make the final, d’Arcy said.
“I don’t know whether that sheds any light on the result but the final will be all about handling the pressure to perform on the biggest stage,” d’Arcy said. “England have been the form team all year and now the time is upon them to perform.
“The Wallabies have struggled with injury and since the Tournament started they have had to cope with a hostile press. The win over New Zealand lifted some of the pressure from the press but now they have to find that form again.
“I wouldn’t be confident about the result,” d’Arcy said. “It depends which team gets out of bed on the day and is prepared to put its life on the line and is willing to go somewhere they might never have been before.”
The Wallabies had shown their mental strength in the win over New Zealand, d’Arcy said.
His heart says Wallabies
D’Arcy said that while his heart was with Australia he could not be sure they had any improvement in their game after the form reversing 22-10 win over New Zealand to reach the final of RWC 2003.
The Wallabies were forced to find the performance deep inside themselves after failing to show consistent form during Eddie Jones' tenure as coach, d’Arcy said.
“My concern about the Australians is that it is hard to have repeat performances,” d’Arcy said. “There is a difference between hard games and getting in to the death zone. This is a physical and psychological territory that is often difficult to come back from.”
D’Arcy said nothing could really be read into the day’s difference between the preparation times of the two teams. England have to back up six days since the 24-7 win over France in the rain at Telstra Stadium on Sunday, the Australians have had seven days to prepare since their victory.
“All I can think of is that Australia go in as the underdog and they thrived on that last week,” he said. “England have their own set of doubts. They have skeletons from previous campaigns they were supposed to win.
“Remember they were destined to win in 1999, failed against the All Blacks in 1995 and lost to Australia in the final in 1991. Not to mention the Six Nations over the past few years.”