One of the greatest challenges for any rugby coach is managing the depth of talent at his disposal. During my time with the Wallabies I liked to keep a 30-man squad to ensure there would always be someone to step into the breach should a player lose form or suffer injury. So I'm extremely pleased to see new coach Robbie Deans has the same policy.

In looking at our opposition on the eve of the international season, I feel Australia are in a strong position, depth-wise, compared with our opponents. In recent years we have been hard to beat in June Tests. Indeed, we have lost only one game in June since going down in 2003. As we kick off our season with one Test against Ireland on June 14 and then two games against France, I believe the trend will continue. Here's how I see the season unfolding:

IRELAND: As in Australia, Irish rugby has four provincial sides. Ireland's problem is the number of imports they have in each side - they are allowed four, but some teams have up to seven. This really affects their national side. Australia beat Ireland 37-15 two years ago in Perth and I expect a similar result this time around. Ireland's past year hasn't been pretty. They struggled in the World Cup and the Six Nations. Even though there's some young talent coming through, it's an ageing side. On top of that, they have lost two of their best three backs in Andrew Trimble, a player I rate highly, and inside-centre Gordon D'Arcy. Despite all of that, they will still put up a stronger challenge than France. If they don't suffer any injuries against the All Blacks they will have a game under their belt, while Australia will be going in cold.

FRANCE: We have the ridiculous situation whereby the French championship is being played at the same time the national team is touring - and the clubs take precedence. This will not be a particularly strong team, as France have decided not to pick players from the top four clubs while the championship is on. While playing for your country is usually seen as the highest honour, this is not the case in France. Clermont-Auvergne, Stade Francais and Toulouse won't be contributing at all to the national team, while Biarritz and Perpignan will battle it out for fourth spot in the finals. These clubs provide 90 per cent of France's best players, yet they won't be available because the Top 14 finals are played later this month. To make matters worse, French prop Olivier Milloud has an Achilles problem and other players are also out through injury. Imagine picking an Australian side missing players from three of our top four provinces. Australia should make short work of the French. The IRB must look very closely at the international calendar, as the French are wheeling out a second-string side just when Australia need a strong hit-out.

TRI NATIONS: The Wallabies are a strong chance of winning the Bledisloe Cup and the Tri Nations. The All Blacks will field a new-look side after losing 16 players to overseas clubs. The biggest loss of all is Carl Hayman, a man who has caused the Wallabies plenty of heartache over the years. Coach Graham Henry has a lot of challenges on his plate. Bear in mind the Aussies played the All Blacks twice last season, with the score one-all. With Australia having two games at home, it gives us a huge advantage. Our record on the road hasn't been great but we've been outstanding at home. In the past two years we've lost only one game at home, a 13-9 defeat in Brisbane to the All Blacks, a game that could have gone either way.

NEW ZEALAND: The Wallabies have are a very strong chance of winning the Bledisloe Cup and the Tri Nations. The All Blacks will field a new-look side after losing 16 players to overseas clubs. The biggest loss of all is Carl Hayman, a man who has caused the Wallabies plenty of heartache over the years. Coach Graham Henry has a lot of challenges on his plate. Bear in mind the Aussies played the All Blacks twice last season, with the score one-all. With Australia having two games at home, it gives us a huge advantage. Our record on the road hasn't been great but we've been outstanding at home. In the past two years we've lost only one game at home, a 13-9 defeat in Brisbane to the All Blacks, a game that could have gone either way.

SOUTH AFRICA: The Springboks also have their own problems. They have a new coach and a completely rejigged side. It must be remembered South Africa finished third in the past two Tri Nations competitions. I can't see them improving. They might be the dark horse for the competition but the upheaval in South African rugby over the last couple of years is likely to take its toll. The one thing in their favour is that they will host the Wallabies twice, and we haven't been good on the road in Africa.

It is going to be a great international season and I can't wait for the Tri Nations to start again.