Australia v Ireland: Scott Johnson is uniquely placed to appreciate Ireland's worth, writes Gerry Thornley, in Perth

The first thing that strikes about you Scott Johnson is that he looks a lot healthier. His hair is shorter, his skin looks clearer and all in all he looks less like Gerard Depardieu after a night on the tiles. No less than Gareth Thomas and Mike Ruddock, Johnson went through an emotionally draining ordeal with Wales this season when briefly taking the helm.

Now back in his native land, he admits he prefers the weather - not that Perth yesterday, or the rain-soaked Sydney and Melbourne of recent weeks, would support his preference - but says he pines for Wales too, and adds that his abiding motive for returning home was to look after his children.

Yesterday it bucketed down in Perth for the first time in over four weeks, thereby putting a damper on the Wallabies' open session for the public.

After his sojourn in Wales, Johnson was also struck by how much the gap in quality between the hemispheres has narrowed.

"It shows how far we came in Wales. I think what it shows is that the world in rugby senses is a lot closer than when I left (Australia). I think then there was a great divide. They're true Test matches now.

"I was fortunate enough to see growth in a nation, and now that I've come back there isn't the gap that it was. Now that I'm this side, I wish there was," he quips.

Johnson undoubtedly has a better collection of backs, creators as well as gamebreakers, than he had in Wales or possibly would have had anywhere else.

Uppermost among the creators is Stephen Larkham, the outhalf who runs straight, fixes defences and passes the ball across his body with pace and length perhaps better than any other 10 in the world, with the possible exception of Dan Carter.

Johnson believes that only when Larkham is gone will his true brilliance be appreciated.

"Hopefully, that won't be for a while. When all is said and done, I don't think Australia has produced a flyhalf of his capacity. Australia has probably been a bit fortunate in that they've led the way in flyhalves over the years and if I'm saying that, that's putting him in the upper echelons of the sport.

"I think he's a magnificent player and it's a privilege to say that I coached him now, 'cause there's probably none better, and there's plenty you can learn off him, which is great," he says modestly.

The same can probably be said of George Gregan, arguably the most unfairly maligned player of modern times in Australia.

"It's the same thing. Between them they've 200 caps. That's vast experience. But it's a nation that probably needs that. We're a bit like Ireland in many ways. We don't have the massive player base, so players have lengthy careers and we've got to make sure that we handle them well. They've still got plenty of petrol in the tank, I'm glad to say."

It is anticipated Gregan will return to captain the side from the start on Saturday after setting a world record of 120 caps as a 56th-minute replacement in last Saturday's 43-18 win over England in Melbourne.

There will again be changes in the front row; the giant Queensland Reds prop Rodney Blake is doubtful with the ankle sprain that forced him off in the 27th minute last Saturday.

Al Baxter is expected to come back into the front row, with Western Force hooker Tai McIsaac also expected to start, in place of Adam Freier, whose darts were awry in Melbourne's closed Telstra Dome before he damaged a toe, and ahead of Jeremy Paul, judging by yesterday's training session.

Head coach John Connolly said they would also review their back row, while the signals are that Mat Rogers will retain the number 12 jersey. Working off less than 40 per cent of possession in that second Test, the Wallabies still outscored England by six tries to two, and nine-two in the two Tests.

Johnson says he's a believer in quality, as distinct from amount, of possession, and cites Ireland's ability to work off less possession than most and apply territory in backing their setpieces, especially the lineout, to put pressure on opponents.

On the receiving end of some thumpings in Lansdowne Road either side of Wales's Grand Slam win last season, Johnson says: "I think they (Ireland) epitomise what's to be liked in combative sports. They never give in, and the difference between being an also-ran and a very good rugby nation is usually a couple of quality players, and they've got more than a couple.

"And I thought there was nothing in those two games (against New Zealand); in actual fact they could have gone either way for long, long periods. So, jeez, if they're doing that to the best team in the world, they're going to be very formidable in their own right, aren't they?"

That's what the Wallabies and Johnson want though. This is the third of 13 games for them this calendar year and a minimum of 17 before the World Cup, as with most other leading nations. It is also an arduous schedule, against "all the big guns", which highlights how overdone Test rugby is and also the need to manage frontline resources.

"It's about managing a squad, isn't it? So it's not always about just the here and now, and I think New Zealand have done that. They've been lucky in the last 18 months, they've looked ahead, and they've got a lot of new players who are youngish in age but probably not that young in Tests.

"So we've got to manage them and I think that's the key. I think injuries will play a huge part in winning World Cups, and so how you manage the depth of your squad will be the other determining factor. And for sides like Ireland and Australia, and probably Wales, who don't have the excessive depth, that's a challenge in itself."