Ireland hope to hit ground running against Wallabies

Ireland hope to hit ground running against Wallabies SYDNEY, July 3 : Ireland hope to put their propensity for slow tournament starts behind them and hit the ground running against Australia when the new Nations Championship kicks off on Saturday. Stand-in captain Dan Sheehan insists a good week of preparation has the Irish well-placed to produce a winning performance against the Wallabies in the new north versus south competition. "Thinking back to the Six Nations, we obviously didn't give the best version of ourselves on the day in that first game in France," he told reporters on Friday. "It's probably been a theme in a few campaigns now where we've had a slow start and built nicely through it. "That's been my focus on the last couple of weeks, just making sure that the lads are switched on and not overawed by detail." Sheehan takes over as skipper from Caelan Doris, who suffered a foot injury in Leinster’s United Rugby Championship final success over the Bulls in Dublin last month. Sheehan has been skipper twice before. "It’s something I’ve actually quite enjoyed. It hasn’t been too daunting," Sheehan said. "My big focus has been on making sure we continue that form from the end of the Six Nations. I think we've got the tone of the week right. "Obviously we have to wait and see tomorrow, but I'm fizzing to go and my head feels pretty clear and free, which is the way you want to be as a player. I think we wanted to hit the ground running. We're a very diligent group that preps very well.” After Saturday’s first fixture of the Nations Championship for Ireland, they stay in Australia to face Japan in Newcastle and then take on New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on July 18. (Writing by Mark Gleeson in Atlanta; Editing by Toby Chopra)