After two hearty World Cup starters, welcome to the main course on this Saturday morning. The crunch Pool C game at Eden Park between Ireland and Tri-Nations champions Australia. And big news for the Wallabies, flanker David Pocock misses out with a back strain suffered in training on Friday.

Australia 3-3 Ireland PENALTY Ireland! No worries this time. Sexton keeps it low and drills it through the posts.

Kick through from Sexton, and Will Genia cleans up. However, play is brought back, Rocky Elsom infringed. Sexton to go for goal again.

Good take from Kearney at the re-start and Ireland come again. Great offload from Rory Best to Brian O'Driscoll, Ireland are in Aussie territory.

Jonny Sexton's radar wasn't really working against the USA and he misses his first kick here. That was straightforward. He will need to settle down quickly.

Australia looking to run again from the re-start. Ireland's defence is working hard and when Paul O'Connell puts in a big hit on James Horwill, the men in green swarm all over the ruck. Horwill is penalised for not releasing the ball. Ireland go for goal.

Australia 3-0 Ireland PENALTY Australia! One of the easiest kicks O'Connor will ever have to take. Right in front of the posts, and he smacks it through the uprights.

We are still scrummaging underneath the posts. Ireland's front row fall to the fall and it's a penalty to Australia.

Australia pile forward, these are testing times for Ireland. Australia scrum on the 5m line. Beale actually collected his own up and under there, superb.

Brilliant take from Beale in the air, as if he would do anything else, and then offloads. Australia attack again.

The recalled James O'Connor steps up to take the kick from out near the touchline. He pulls it, though, and Ireland breathe again.

Good first scrum for Australia. The ball goes left and Cooper sells a dummy, and dives through a gap, he really is a danger man, but Gordon D'Arcy takes him down. Rob Kearney is penalised for a high tackle on Kurtley Beale off the ball, penalty Australia.

Ireland are enjoying a bit of possession early on. The passing execution is not how it should be and after Jamie Heaslip takes the ball into contact, Australia's forwards snaffle it up at the breakdown.

Intent from Ireland. They run it from deep and soon find themselves deep in Australia territory. A kick through is a little too long, though, and can be touched down in goal.

Australia win their line-out and as they maul their way over the 22, Ireland stop the rumble and get a free kick which is soon turned into a penalty as there is a bit of biff among the forwards.

Keith Earls takes Quade Cooper's kick-off but steps into touch. That's not the start Ireland wanted.

This is it. The biggest game of the 2011 World Cup so far. Plenty at stake. Nervous? Australia get things started.

The teams are coming out for the anthems, and they receive a massive ovation as they walk onto the field. Electric atmosphere. And there's plenty of green shirts in the crowd too. This is the second match to be played at Eden Park in Auckland this tournament, the first one being the opening game between New Zealand and Tonga.

New Zealand's Bryce Lawrence is the man in the middle today.

Ireland team: 15-Rob Kearney, 14-Tommy Bowe, 13-Brian O'Driscoll, 12-Gordon D'Arcy, 11-Keith Earls, 10-Jonathan Sexton, 9-Eoin Reddan, 8-Jamie Heaslip, 7-Sean O'Brien, 6-Stephen Ferris, 5-Paul O'Connell, 4-Donncha O'Callaghan, 3-Mike Ross, 2-Rory Best, 1-Cian Healy.

Australia team: 15-Kurtley Beale, 14-James O'Connor, 13-Anthony Fainga'a, 12-Pat McCabe, 11-Adam Ashley-Cooper, 10-Quade Cooper, 9-Will Genia, 8-Radike Samo, 7-Ben McCalman, 6-Rocky Elsom, 5-James Horwill (capt), 4-Dan Vickerman, 3-Ben Alexander, 2-Stephen Moore, 1-Sekope Kepu.

The Leinster trio of full-back Rob Kearney, flanker Sean O'Brien and prop Cian Healy all return from injury while provincial team-mate Eoin Reddan is back at scrum-half. Australia have recalled wing James O’Connor, who was suspended at the end of the Tri-Nations for breaching team protocol, after his try-scoring effort off the bench against Italy. He replaces the injured Digby Ioane.