Rod Kafer analyses Wallabies" loss to Ireland, looks ahead to "torrid test" against England Wallabies winger Adam Ashley-Cooper is tackled by Ireland's Simon at Aviva Stadium. THE Wallabies have slumped to successive defeats - and now they face the most torrid test of a struggling Spring Tour. That's the view of Fox Sports Rugby expert and former Wallaby Rod Kafer, who has analysed Australia's 26-23 defeat to Ireland, and cast ahead to the final match of a long 2014 campaign. Read on for our round-up of the Wallabies, and wrap of the weekend Test action. The loss to Ireland means the Wallabies are on the verge of one of the worst Spring Tours in their history - but they can take some heart from their performance. It was much-improved on the previous error-riddled effort against France and there were moments of superb rugby, pick a brilliant try scored by halfback Nick Phipps which featured brilliant efforts from Henry Speight, Bernard Foley and Matt Toomua in the build-up. "They played substantially better than what they had the week before," Kafer said. Their defence was very much improved. Both the Irish wingers scored early but then the Wallabies defended really well. They played some good rugby. They were against the team ranked third in the world, the Six Nations champions - they're a good side, Ireland. We just didn't have enough in the end to close it out. Nick Phipps on the charge for the Wallabies against Ireland. The Wallabies" inability to close out games has been an issue all season long, and so it reared its head again at the weekend. Australia trailed by just three points after 64 minutes, and with the likes of proven matchwinners Will Genia, Quade Cooper and Kurtley Beale injected off the bench could have been expected to charge home to victory. It wasn't to be, with Ireland defending stoutly until the death and the Wallabies" lack of late punch exposed once more as they failed to trouble the scorers after Bernard Foley's 49th minute penalty. "I think it's a mentality amongst the side, we just don't have the edge," Kafer said. Good teams have the edge, where they're in a close game they know how to come out and win and take the last 10 minutes of the game and make it count. The Wallabies had opportunities in the last 10 minutes and they have all season, and they've just lacked that edge to close out games. We brought on Quade Cooper, Will Genia and Kurtley Beale late in the game with a hope that those three guys could add some spark. (They) weren't able to. We just didn't have that edge that the good Wallaby teams in the past have had. Kurtley Beale failed to help spark the Wallabies to victory, but he can still be a match-winner for the team according to Kafer. Beale came off the bench to replace injured centre Tevita Kuridrani in what was his first appearance in Wallabies colours since the much-publicised "Text-gate Affair." It was a more solid than spectacular performance from the gifted playmaker, but Kafer believes there's better to come. "Obviously Kurtley's got history and we all understand the history there," Kafer said. Kurtley Beale came off the bench for the Wallabies against Ireland. But he is a player that can add spark to a side. Teams like to play with him, he's a good guy to have in a side, a good guy in and around the team, he adds a lot of energy and those things are important. A few years ago he was one of the best (players) in the world, no doubt. He hasn't quite got back there, maybe he's playing slightly out of position. If we lost Israel Folau to injury - and we haven't for the last two seasons - I suspect Kurtley would slot straight into fullback and probably get the form back that we saw a couple of seasons ago for the Wallabies. Pushing the third best side in the world all the way is one thing, but the Wallabies can expect an even more "torrid" battle this weekend. Especially the much-maligned forwards. Led by Ben McCalman, the Wallabies pack was far from disgraced against Ireland but they must step up a level again this weekend, according to Kafer. That's because the English forwards - who have been copping heat of their own after slumping to five-straight defeats before taking care of Samoa last weekend - will be "breathing fire" as they attempt to get a psychological edge of their pool rival at next year's Rugby World Cup. "It's enormous," he said of the Sunday morning clash (AEDT). "Their mentality going into this game is going to be, "Wallabies forward pack - let's put a marker down now. We're England, we're playing at Twickenham, we're going to face them in less than 12 months in the Rugby World Cup. Let's put a marker down and come at them in the forward pack and the scrum. I know Graham Rowntree, the English forwards coach, he will be bang up for this one. He will have that forward pack breathing fire against the Wallabies. It's going to be one of the torrid tests for our forward pack this weekend. Fox Sports brings you the top five tries from the weekend's rugby. Cheika has resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes to his side in his short reign to date, and it's difficult to see that changing for such a pivotal clash. Injuries will play their part - gun centre Tevita Kuridrani was one player who failed to last the distance against Ireland, and his availability is so far unknown - but Kafer expects largely the same side to turn out at Twickenham. "It's about managing guys who might have had a heavy workload," Kafer said. It's the last game in what is a long season for the Wallabies after starting Super Rugby in February. It's a long year, some guys will be tired, feeling the pinch, and it's about managing that. I don't suspect too many changes, just maybe the guys who are carrying a knock to be rotated in and out. Maybe it's an opportunity for Will Genia. Nick Phipps has had a lot of rugby under his belt this season. Maybe it's Genia, maybe it's (Quade) Cooper, maybe it's a little change in the halves that might do something given Phipps and Bernard Foley have played so much. Coach Steve Hansen has done his best to play down the All Blacks" favouritism for next year's Rugby World Cup - but right now it's incredibly difficult to see anyone stopping them. The way in which New Zealand put away Wales with a 10-minute blitz at the end of their clash at Millennium Stadium was simply scary. This was a Wales side desperate for a southern hemisphere scalp, and well-placed for a first win over New Zealand in 53 years as it led 16-15 in the 68th minute. But with the game on the line the All Blacks stepped up and clicked into gear, flyhalf Beauden Barrett's double either side of a Kieran Read try helping the All Blacks blow the Welsh away. The All Blacks celebrate one of Beauden Barrett's late tries against Wales. The dominance that they displayed in those "championship minutes" was in stark contrast to how most of the teams expected to push New Zealand at the World Cup performed across the weekend. South Africa laboured to a 22-6 win over Italy, France was upset 18-13 by Argentina, England was less than convincing in beating Samoa and Australia lost. In fact Ireland was the only contender to really enhance its World Cup credentials, which is why it'll be tough for Hansen to continue talking down his side's chances. No one's won back-to-back World Cups so we shouldn't be the favourites, but we will be because we're the No. 1 side in the world," Hansen said. Spot on.