RUGBY/ Australian Tour: Only a smattering of the natives proved to be curious enough to venture to the Aussie Rules stadium in south Fremantle, home of the Dockers, to watch the Ireland rugby team undertake their first rigorous training session ahead of Saturday's Test match against Australia at the Subiaco Oval in Perth.

The Irish visitors achieved the distinction of having miniature rugby posts introduced on the pitch for the first time ever at the venue.

The facilities at the club include a swimming pool and its proximity to the team hotel - a 90-second walk - enhanced the club's suitability as a training base.

Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan put 38 of the 39 players - Paddy Wallace was sidelined to rest a bruised instep although he'll resume training today - through a rigorous work-out.

"It's the first day we've gone at it pretty hard," he admitted. "There's a bit of a problem with sleep patterns and the fact that half the squad came in one day and half another."

Apparently several of the players and management had difficulty sleeping the second night after arrival. There were certainly no lingering effects in a two-hour session yesterday that encompassed pretty much all facets of the game bar scrummaging.

There was particular emphasis on defence with Mike Ford chastising the slovenly. The post-session shenanigans as some players lingered included a puck around involving a sliotar and a couple of hurleys. Ronan O'Gara demonstrated obvious traces of his Cork heritage in the easy facility with which he handled the hurl.

Once an Aussie Rules football was produced there was no shortage of volunteers to road test the "footie".

The squad will train again today at the same venue but tomorrow the players have been given a day off. The Players' Entertainment Committee is expected to come up with several options.

One favoured by the management is golf, with an unseemly scramble likely to partner Keith Wood, especially as he has benefited from a couple of successfully implemented swing tips from Severiano Ballesteros at the recent Benson & Hedges Pro-Am at The Belfry.

The Ireland squad's Fremantle base is the yachting mecca of Australia, the scene of the country's great Alan Bond-inspired America's Cup victory over the USA.

Perched on the Swan river, it is a small town, the population swelled yesterday by a large bank holiday crowd.

Saturday's opponents won't hit Perth until Thursday, with both teams down to train at the Subiaco Oval on Friday.