Fresh from being monstered by England's scrum, the Wallabies pack want to avoid being 'mushed' by Ireland on Saturday night.

Australian forwards coach Jim Williams has identified powerhouse tighthead prop Tony "Mushy" Buckley as a major threat in the Test at Suncorp.

Buckley cuts a hugely imposing figure at 196cm tall and 134kg in weight and Williams knows first-hand of his destructive abilities around the ground after coaching him at Munster until 2008.

"Tony Buckley, the guy is massive - he destroys rucks by himself," warned Williams on Wednesday.

"When he's coming at you, you have to be prepared for him.

"His impact around the park and his impact at ruck time can be devastating so it's one of those things we have to keep a watch out for."

The 29-year-old converted second-rower's selection to start ahead of 102-Test prop John Hayes shows he's been earmarked to lead the charge up front at the 2011 World Cup.

Irish forwards coach and former Springbok Gert Smal rated Buckley a super-prop of the future earlier this year.

Smal also said the gentle giant has a "trip switch" on the field which can see him transform from a big cuddly bloke into Chuck Norris in a split second.

While the English pack handed the young Wallabies front-row a massive lesson in Perth a fortnight ago before they took an important step forward in the 21-20 loss in Sydney, Williams said the less-fancied Irish forwards couldn't be under-estimated.

They will be missing world-class lock Paul O'Connell as well as Hayes, Denis Leamy and the suspended Jamie Heaslip but are desperate to taste their first win over the Wallabies in Australia since 1979.

"They will certainly be willing there's no doubt about that," Williams said.

"It's a different pack and obviously not their first-choice pack but they have players with experience."

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP