Australian wing Lote Tuqiri believes the Wallabies will need to be at the top of their game against Ireland in Melbourne on Saturday.

Ireland stuck with the All Blacks for the first half last weekend before falling to a 21-11 defeat in Wellington. Tuqiri saw enough in that game to suggest the Irish challenge will be typically physical but insists the Wallabies are rejuvenated under new coach Robbie Deans.

"They always give 100 per cent," he said. "They're always pretty tough around the pack and in the forwards as well with the Munster influence there.

"Certainly we're going to have to stand up and be counted and be physical."

Deans was also impressed by Ireland's physical approach to the Wellington game and is expecting more of the same in Melbourne.

The thing that was really impressive was Ireland's contact work, their collision work," Deans said. "They were very physical and we anticipate that it will be very similar this week."

The renewed enthusiasm to the squad since the arrival of Deans has surprised Tuqiri, who is now one of the team's elder statesmen following the retirements of Stephen Larkham and George Gregan.

"The boys have been very upbeat. That's certainly one thing that's popped out more than anything else," he said as the Australians prepare for the one-off Test at the Telstra Dome.

"Before and after training the guys are still upbeat, we get on the park and do what we have to do and get off.

"There's no mulling around having meetings here and there, or having meetings about meetings. In that sense it's been pretty good."

This will be Australia's first international since being dumped out of the 2007 Rugby World Cup at the quarter-final stage by England.

But Tuqiri believes that is all in the past as the team looks toward to a new era under New Zealand-born Deans.

"This is a new crew. There's certainly not a lot of baggage from there (the World Cup)," he said. "We were obviously disappointed to get knocked out in the quarter-final but we've moved on from that.

"We don't like to look back there. We're pretty focused on this new season."

Tuqiri, who has made 58 appearances for his country since making his debut against Ireland in 2003, was hopeful of being more involved in the play under Deans' expansive gameplan.

"There are certainly more options there at the moment," he said. "Historically he plays an expansive game, if the game's needed in that sense to be expansive.

"It's just about getting the ball to the space and if the space is on out wide, hopefully I can be there to capitalise."